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Energy, Powder River Basin, and the DM&E

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[quote user="Murphy Siding"][quote user="futuremodal"][quote user="nanaimo73"][quote user="futuremodal"]  When I speak of Colony as being a more apt starting point for a PRB extension, I mean it is half as close to the Gillette area as that southern option.  And the Belle Fourche river flows northeast from the Gillette coalfields to Colony, so there's your water level grade.  But perhaps more important, the untouched Montana PRB fields are a hop skip and jump away from Colony, so there's the possibility of using Colony as a jumping point for two coal road extensions.[/quote]Somehow I don't believe Rapid City is going to allow unit trains through their city, just like Rochester. [/quote]How dare you compare the good citizens of Rapid City with those Roachies![;)]Seriously, why do you think the level of opposition would be comparable?  There is no Mayo monster dominating Rapid City, indeed Rapid City's economy is very much dependent on natural resources.I feel that there wouldn't be any more opposition to coal trains through Rapid City than there is with coal trains through Gillette.  [/quote]Ok seriously- I grew up in Rapid City.  There is no dependence on natural resources.  There are basically two industies: tourism, and Ellsworth Air Force Base, and not much else.  Take a look on Google Earth at Rapid City.  The topography and the rail lines would be every bit as tricky as in Rochester.  I wouldn't be surprised that a coal train might need a helper just to get out of town going east.  Westbound is probably not much better.  The citizens would be every bit as against it as Rochester is.[/quote]Okay, seriously now.......<ol><li>I know that many burgs across the country count tourism as an "industry", but seriously it's not.  Waiting tables and selling trinkets is simply the lowest form of economic prostitution, barely able to eke out an income level slightly above the official poverty line.</li><li>That being said, the tourism is taking place in the Black Hills, not necessarily in Rapid City.</li></ol>To equate the mentality of Rapid City with that of Rochester is simply absurd.  The Mayo Clinic is Rochester, it pays medical industry wages, it carries great political mojo.  Frankly, the denizens of Rochester could care less about what goes on around them, aka the normally aspirated ag base of southern Minnesota.  So when DM&E comes along and tries to sell the job creation prospects, Rochester says no thank you we already got a high paying wage base here.Rapid City is still the center of the timber, ranching, and ag industries of Western SD, SE Montana, and NE Wyoming, and they all would intuitively support an improved rail service spectrum.  Those who try to eke by on tourism dollars are not going to turn down higher paying industrial jobs if given the chance.  The average household income around Rapid City is under $40,000.  Sounds to me they could use a few more union scale jobs out there.  DM&E did open a small factory directly related to the PRB expansion project, and I didn't see any news items about how Rapid City folks were protesting that investment.  Even the presence of the Air Base would seem to favor improved rail transportation - Fairchild AFB west of Spokane has taken an active part in improving rail service.Since I mention Spokane, I will say that the attitudes toward heavy haul railroads would be indentical for Spokane and Rapid City - not 100% adoration necessarily, but neither full fledged opposition.  Certainly nothing like Rochester.That being said, I too have some questions about the profile of the rail lines in and out of Rapid City toward Wall and Colony.  Is it a question of 2.2% grades needing helpers, or is it simply a case of an up and down profile that just needs one to pay attention while driving a train?  Is it comparable to Crawford Notch through which BNSF coal trains run day and night?  Do you have a profile map or chart that you could share?[quote]Actually, the bigger concern would be from Sturgis.  24(?) coal trains a day + 500,000 bikers for the Sturgis Ralleye for the first 2 weeks of August each year=disaster.[xx(][/quote]So DM&E takes that two weeks for annual maintenance.  Big deal!I didn't know straw men rode Harley's![;)]
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