Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, December 2, 1993 TAG: 9312020264
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Amid a festive atmosphere with a band, balloons and speeches, the Waste Line Express made its inaugural trip Wednesday to usher in a first-of-its-kind rail system in the United States for trash disposal.
The train won't begin hauling garbage to the Roanoke Valley's new landfill at Smith Gap until early January, but that did not dampen the daylong excursion to give politicians, contractors, governmental workers and others a sneak preview of the train and disposal system.
Approximately 300 people who have been involved in the $42 million project were invited to make the 66-mile round trip from the transfer station in Roanoke to the landfill on the far side of Fort Lewis Mountain.
Norfolk Southern Corp., which will operate the Waste Line Express, provided seven passenger cars for the trip, which traced the route for the trash train.
The Roanoke Valley Resource Authority, the agency which will run the disposal system, provided tours of the 1,200-acre landfill, along with a barbecue luncheon prepared by the Bradshaw Citizens Association.
David Goode, chairman and chief executive officer of Norfolk Southern, said the project "reinforces the very strong bond" between the Roanoke Valley and railroading that has been in existence for more than 100 years.
Goode said that hauling solid waste is a new economic opportunity for NS and the rail industry.
"What better place to start than right here in our own backyard?" he asked at the transfer station before the trip began.
"Our long-term agreement with the [resource authority] is one more example of our continued commitment to the valley," Goode said.
NS has a 25-year contract to haul the trash daily to the landfill, with an option for extending it.
The railroad spent $10 million to build a 5.5-mile rail spur to the site and buy the 30 specially designed rail cars and a dumper to empty them at the landfill.
The resource authority will have to reimburse NS for its expenses and pay more than $1.7 million a year for hauling the trash. The railroad expects to receive approximately $150 million in revenues during the life of the contract.
Goode said the trash train will be a selling point for the valley in attracting new industries, because solid-waste disposal is a national problem.
At a time when many communities are just beginning to address their solid-waste problems, he said, the Smith Gap landfill solves the problem in the valley for years to come.
The brick-faced transfer station at 1020 Hollins Road S.E. off Orange Avenue resembles an old railroad shop. Goode said the railroad appreciates the rail motif of the transfer station.
John Hubbard, the authority's chief executive officer, said the celebration and excursion train were designed to thank everyone who has worked on the project.
The crowd included many employees and officials from Roanoke, Vinton and Roanoke County, the three localities that will use the landfill.
Entertainment preceding the ceremony included the Tijuana Trash Band and the Time Was barbershop quartet.
When the system begins operating, garbage trucks will travel to the transfer station and dump their loads inside the building on a concrete pad. The trash will be pushed into NS rail cars waiting on tracks under the building.
Each night, the Waste Line Express will pull about 10 or 12 rail cars on the 33-mile trip to the landfill. It will leave the filled rail cars and take empties back to the transfer station.
At the landfill, a huge dumper will empty trash from the rail cars onto a concrete pad in the tipper station. The trash will then be pushed into 40-ton dump trucks and hauled to the landfill.
The Smith Gap landfill has been designed to meet federal and state regulations. It is expected to last 60 to 70 years.
Some Bradshaw community residents who had opposed the landfill helped serve the meals for those on the excursion. Hubbard said the residents provided the meals as a fund-raising project. The authority paid for them.
"This is the biggest party ever in Bradshaw - and the first one that was ever railroaded in," Hubbard said.
For Melinda Rector, the trip was more than just a chance to see the transfer station and landfill.
It was the first time she had ridden a train. Rector, an administrative secretary for Roanoke County, was one of many volunteers who helped coordinate the events.
"I am glad we are going as slow as we are," she said. "It rocks more than I expected."
\ THE ROANOKE WASTE LINE EXPRESS AND THE LANDFILL\ \ Each day, an estimated 700 tons of trash will be taken from the transfer station to the landfill.\ \ Each rail car can hold 65 tons of trash, making them among the largest on the railroad. Each car will be covered with a lid and will be watertight.\ \ The train will leave the transfer station by 7 each night. When the filled train arrives at the landfill, the rail cars will be uncoupled and put in a position so they can be emptied the next day. Empty cars already at the landfill will be taken back to the transfer station for loading the next day. All railroad operations are to be completed by midnight.\ \ The train will have two crew members. It will pull 10 to 12 rail cars,\ depending on the volume of trash.\ \ In the event of a train strike, NS will be responsible for operating the train by non-union labor or by taking the trash by truck to another landfill.\ \ The transfer station, which encompasses 22 acres, will house the administrative offices of the Roanoke Valley Resource Authority in addition to the facilities for loading the trash onto rail cars. The brick-faced station resembles a depot.\ \ The landfill will be lined with a 2-foot layer of clay, a synthetic liner and an additional layer of soil and gravel.\ \ The project is being financed by the sale of revenue bonds and increases in landfill dumping fees.
by CNB