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News Wire: BNSF upgrades to help clear the air in Montana tunnel

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Posted by Brian Schmidt on Wednesday, February 14, 2018 12:45 PM

WHITEFISH, Mont. — BNSF Railway is spending $135 million on its Montana rail network in 2018, part of which will go toward upgrading the ventilation system at Flathead Tunnel, the second longest railroad portal in the United States. About 50 ...

http://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2018/02/13-bnsf-upgrades-to-help-clear-the-air-in-montana-tunnel

Brian Schmidt, Editor, Classic Trains magazine

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Posted by MikeF90 on Thursday, February 15, 2018 9:56 PM

The article also mentions "signal improvements on the Kootenai River Subdivision between Whitefish and Sandpoint, Idaho".  Hopefully this means that those unbonded sidings close to Sandpoint will finally be upgraded to modern standards.

Google map with a few key points: http://goo.gl/maps/zUryP

Keep us posted here http://cs.trains.com/trn/f/111/t/256103.aspx and TIA, Bruce Kelly!

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Posted by blue streak 1 on Friday, February 16, 2018 11:23 PM

mike.  Would the PTC installation require the sidings to be bonded ?

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Posted by MikeF90 on Saturday, February 17, 2018 3:10 PM

blue streak 1
mike.  Would the PTC installation require the sidings to be bonded ?

I don't know; someone more knowledgeable should answer that.

AFAIK bonding the sidings should allow trains to enter at higher than restricted speed and give the DS visibility of occupancy. This would improve the 'fluidity' of the railroad in this area.

Even better would be to add some 2nd MT between Sandpoint and Bonners Ferry - there are too many grade crossings and lack of frontage roads to make effective use of lengthened sidings IMO.

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