CTroyMathis
14 January 2004, 06:03 PM
Train traffic grows in Plano
08:16 AM CST on Wednesday, January 14, 2004
By LEE POWELL / The Dallas Morning News
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dallas/collin/news/stories/011404dnccotrains.1490e654.html
PLANO – While it may not rival Chicago or even Fort Worth, where trains come fast and frequent, Plano is becoming something of a rail hot spot.
An uptick in traffic on an east-west line that lies south of downtown Plano and along the President George Bush Turnpike has meant blocked crossings as more rail cars wind their way through the city.
Get used to it, officials say – the trains are here to stay.
The line's principal user, Kansas City Southern, is running more so-called intermodal trains, made up of containers filled with consumer goods that can be transported by rail, truck or ship. A spokesman said the corridor, stretching from Meridian, Miss., to Fort Worth, offers a fast link for freight moving between the southwest and southeast United States.
"It's a great big growth corridor. ... That's why you've seen more of an increase in traffic," said Bill Galligan, the spokesman.
In 2002, the rail line averaged 90 intermodal trains a month; by 2003, it handled an average of 144 such trains a month, according to railroad statistics.
For those making their livelihoods near the line, the blasts of a whistle, the growl of a locomotive, the waiting at a crossing have become fixtures – or perhaps annoyances – of daily life.
At radio station KHYI-FM (95.3), at Plano Parkway and Central Expressway, trains are part of the programming schtick. How could they not be, when the rails run 60 or so feet from the station's glassed-in studios?
"It can be a pain, but what are you going to do?" said Bruce Kidder, program director. "It's a train. You might as well kick back and have fun with it."
Sounds of passing trains are carried over the KHYI airwaves. Some engineers try to tap out a tune on their locomotive's horn when they roll by. The station then plays the mandatory train tune, some country or Americana song with a train mention. The repertoire includes more than 100 songs.
One recent morning, the microphones were pressed to the window during a Gary P. Nunn song because a passing freight train's whistle was approaching. The train rolling by merited a quick mention by disc jockey Brett Dillon. The chosen song was "Freight Train," a Fred Eaglesmith number.
The rails-to-radio theme seems to have caught on with listeners, Mr. Kidder said.
"It's pretty quirky," he said. "It's something most of your true-blue radio guys would never admit to."
The station even has its own official train spotter in Charlie Elmore. His fiberglass repair shop is about three doors down from the tracks in eastern Plano. When a train is near, Mr. Elmore gives the station a call.
"It's a fun thing, really," he said.
The rise in train traffic has been noticeable, Mr. Elmore said. But it has a way of keeping him company.
"At lot of the engineers now have gotten to know me," he said. "Especially in the summertime, they'll hang out the window, wave at me, give me a blast on the horn."
At Love & War in Texas, a restaurant across the street from KHYI's studios, passing trains get a rise out of patrons with whooping and hollering, owner Tye Phelps said.
"Most places would hate that train going by. Most people here like it. It kinds of adds to the ambiance," he said.
Of course, the rails are not so romantic for everyone.
The city says it has received complaints about the increased train traffic and how it blocks roads for extended periods.
It has met with railroad officials, who said little could be done, said City Engineer Alan Upchurch.
"They seemed to indicate this line will receive more traffic as time goes on," he said.
Plano also wanted to see if trains could come through Plano at a time other than the mornings to lessen traffic snarls.
That got a red signal.
"When they get here, they get here," Mr. Upchurch said he was told.
Kansas City Southern works with several other railroads in moving goods on what it calls the "Meridian Speedway," including Fort Worth-based Burlington Northern Santa Fe and the Norfolk Southern.
A smaller railroad that also cuts through Plano – the Dallas, Garland & NorthEastern – services local industries along the line with a handful of trains a week.
The stretch of track in eastern Plano is owned by Dallas Area Rapid Transit, which purchased it in the early 1990s.
It could one day be used for light-rail trains, like those running between downtown Plano and Dallas, or heavier commuter rail service similar to the trains connecting Dallas and Fort Worth.
08:16 AM CST on Wednesday, January 14, 2004
By LEE POWELL / The Dallas Morning News
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dallas/collin/news/stories/011404dnccotrains.1490e654.html
PLANO – While it may not rival Chicago or even Fort Worth, where trains come fast and frequent, Plano is becoming something of a rail hot spot.
An uptick in traffic on an east-west line that lies south of downtown Plano and along the President George Bush Turnpike has meant blocked crossings as more rail cars wind their way through the city.
Get used to it, officials say – the trains are here to stay.
The line's principal user, Kansas City Southern, is running more so-called intermodal trains, made up of containers filled with consumer goods that can be transported by rail, truck or ship. A spokesman said the corridor, stretching from Meridian, Miss., to Fort Worth, offers a fast link for freight moving between the southwest and southeast United States.
"It's a great big growth corridor. ... That's why you've seen more of an increase in traffic," said Bill Galligan, the spokesman.
In 2002, the rail line averaged 90 intermodal trains a month; by 2003, it handled an average of 144 such trains a month, according to railroad statistics.
For those making their livelihoods near the line, the blasts of a whistle, the growl of a locomotive, the waiting at a crossing have become fixtures – or perhaps annoyances – of daily life.
At radio station KHYI-FM (95.3), at Plano Parkway and Central Expressway, trains are part of the programming schtick. How could they not be, when the rails run 60 or so feet from the station's glassed-in studios?
"It can be a pain, but what are you going to do?" said Bruce Kidder, program director. "It's a train. You might as well kick back and have fun with it."
Sounds of passing trains are carried over the KHYI airwaves. Some engineers try to tap out a tune on their locomotive's horn when they roll by. The station then plays the mandatory train tune, some country or Americana song with a train mention. The repertoire includes more than 100 songs.
One recent morning, the microphones were pressed to the window during a Gary P. Nunn song because a passing freight train's whistle was approaching. The train rolling by merited a quick mention by disc jockey Brett Dillon. The chosen song was "Freight Train," a Fred Eaglesmith number.
The rails-to-radio theme seems to have caught on with listeners, Mr. Kidder said.
"It's pretty quirky," he said. "It's something most of your true-blue radio guys would never admit to."
The station even has its own official train spotter in Charlie Elmore. His fiberglass repair shop is about three doors down from the tracks in eastern Plano. When a train is near, Mr. Elmore gives the station a call.
"It's a fun thing, really," he said.
The rise in train traffic has been noticeable, Mr. Elmore said. But it has a way of keeping him company.
"At lot of the engineers now have gotten to know me," he said. "Especially in the summertime, they'll hang out the window, wave at me, give me a blast on the horn."
At Love & War in Texas, a restaurant across the street from KHYI's studios, passing trains get a rise out of patrons with whooping and hollering, owner Tye Phelps said.
"Most places would hate that train going by. Most people here like it. It kinds of adds to the ambiance," he said.
Of course, the rails are not so romantic for everyone.
The city says it has received complaints about the increased train traffic and how it blocks roads for extended periods.
It has met with railroad officials, who said little could be done, said City Engineer Alan Upchurch.
"They seemed to indicate this line will receive more traffic as time goes on," he said.
Plano also wanted to see if trains could come through Plano at a time other than the mornings to lessen traffic snarls.
That got a red signal.
"When they get here, they get here," Mr. Upchurch said he was told.
Kansas City Southern works with several other railroads in moving goods on what it calls the "Meridian Speedway," including Fort Worth-based Burlington Northern Santa Fe and the Norfolk Southern.
A smaller railroad that also cuts through Plano – the Dallas, Garland & NorthEastern – services local industries along the line with a handful of trains a week.
The stretch of track in eastern Plano is owned by Dallas Area Rapid Transit, which purchased it in the early 1990s.
It could one day be used for light-rail trains, like those running between downtown Plano and Dallas, or heavier commuter rail service similar to the trains connecting Dallas and Fort Worth.