More Optimism for the Railroads!

[Anonymous]

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-ports3jan03,0,1851062.story?coll=la-home-business

[jwinter]

Hope UP and BNSF are making "serious" efforts to increase capacity. Also sounds like a good time to push ahead with connecting Alaska with the lower 48 via rail.

[Anonymous]

Good to hear, If a railway were to connect to Alaska, I assume it would be CN.

If that were the case, CN would have the most complete North to South connection in all of North America.

From Alaska to the Gulf of Mexico.

[Richard A]

QUOTE: Hope UP and BNSF are making "serious" efforts to increase capacity. Also sounds like a good time to push ahead with connecting Alaska with the lower 48 via rail.

The smart railroad will take advantage of this opportunity over the next 5-10, maybe 15 years, but the really smart railroad (or other transportation method) will step out of the box and come up with the "next thing" in transporting goods from Asia to the US (all corners thereof).

I am no futurist, but if railroads keep building on the same blocks, eventually someone will make metal wheels on metal rails (as we know them) truly obsolete for safe, rapid and efficient transport of goods.

It is good news that double and triple(?) tracking are being considered and built, but somewhere out there (anywhere in the world) is a young entrepreneur who is not bound by the tradition so dear to us now. This person will devise this "next thing" and change how we think of goods transportation.

Let's rejoice in the continued growth of rail opportunity, support our railroads, but at the same time look for and encourage new ideas.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Richard A

QUOTE: Hope UP and BNSF are making "serious" efforts to increase capacity. Also sounds like a good time to push ahead with connecting Alaska with the lower 48 via rail.

The smart railroad will take advantage of this opportunity over the next 5-10, maybe 15 years, but the really smart railroad (or other transportation method) will step out of the box and come up with the "next thing" in transporting goods from Asia to the US (all corners thereof).

I am no futurist, but if railroads keep building on the same blocks, eventually someone will make metal wheels on metal rails (as we know them) truly obsolete for safe, rapid and efficient transport of goods.

It is good news that double and triple(?) tracking are being considered and built, but somewhere out there (anywhere in the world) is a young entrepreneur who is not bound by the tradition so dear to us now. This person will devise this "next thing" and change how we think of goods transportation.

Let's rejoice in the continued growth of rail opportunity, support our railroads, but at the same time look for and encourage new ideas.

$$$ are going to be the major factor on whether or not any major breakthroughs ever take place. There is technology out there right now that would revolutionize rail traffic as we know it (maglev being the one on my mind) but to even start implementing it here in North America would be a multi-billion dollar task.

We won't be seeing the replacement of Steel on Steel anytime soon, no matter how primitve it may seem, whatever takes its place will either have to be slowly phased in over a number of decades, or so amazing and cost efficient that it's enormous up front cost will quickly be recovered from it's operating efficiencies..... that technology, is not here yet, and would have to be pretty damn amazing to take the place of steel on steel.

[daveklepper]

There are ways to vastly improve the stability, smoothness, safety, and lack of required maintenance of track construction without sacrificing existing interchangeability and the basic flange wheel on steel rail concept and existing track gauge. Sketches I sent to Mark some time ago envision the steel rails resiliently clamped to upside down U's or Pi's, actually Pi's are better because of the broader base, with the edges acting as inside and outside contiuous guard rails, and the lateral stability and stiffness preventing any sun kinks. Of course tough to bend for curves, but that can be solved. Between the bottom of each rail and the base of the upside down Pi would be a layer of high-durometer, very constant durometer, neoprene. The two channels would be connected by non-expanding (stainless or equal) steel rods every meter to insure proper gauge, without any wood or concrete ties. The base of the pi would sit on the ballast and give about the same area of support as the present tie construction. And the support of the rails would then be continuous, rather than cyclic, and this would reduce rail wear and somewhat reduce noise. A track constructed like this might last a century in normal use.

Note that in tunnels, to minimize maintenance, some railroads set rails resiliently in continuous concrete mats. This may also be a possible improvement for more general use.

[MP57313]

Interesting article. But the comment about UP and BNSF "racing to lay an additional track" is really out there... A recent Business Week feature (cover date 1-10-05) on various industries' outlook was a lot less encouraging. The transportation segment in BW quotes BNSF CEO Rose as being reluctant to add capacity because of concerns of overbuilding.
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_02/b3915417.htm

[Anonymous]

The writer of the LA Times article obviouly picked up the WSJ "race" article, and thereby over-dramatised the point. And, yes, Rose and the other railroad CEO's must evaluate expansion investment with clear eyes. But "metered" expansion based on long-term trends such as that described in the Times article appears prudent and is well underway. The third main in the PRB and BNSF's continuing investment in double-tracking the Transcon are current examples of such. CN investment in BC Rail and the Port Rupert expansion is another. BNSF's $300 million isn't in the same league as Intel, of course, but is quite significant by historical railroad industry standards. Shareholders now believe they will be rewarded.

[jeaton]

I am inclined to think that Fred Frailey's Februarty 2005 Trains article on the Union Pacific provides a more concise view on capacity expansion. He provides some detail on seven "initiatives", not all directly related to LA-to Midwest/East traffic.

The UP article and Frailey's recent BNSF article both provide far more information than anything that will be found in the general press. I highly recommend them.

Jay

[daveklepper]

My own prediction is that flanged wheels and steel rails and the standard gauge are here to stay, maybe for at least another 100 years. The old argument that Europe was more suited to rail transportation than the less densly populated USA get eroded as population density increases and urban dwellers start approaching and surpasing the number of rural dwellers. Possibly be true for both freight and passengers.

[FThunder11]

If alaska were going to connect with the other 48 states, it would probably be some new railroad

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by FThunder11

If alaska were going to connect with the other 48 states, it would probably be some new railroad

Sounds like fun, Nothing in thet world like is all over again.

[Anonymous]

don't forget that MAGLEV trains are getting close to taking off-- several experimental lines have been constructed in Germany, Japan, and [I could be wrong], the US. Whether they will replace freight and passenger trains, or just passenger trains, I do not know, but it is something that a lot of engineers are developing.

[espeefoamer]

The port of Topolobampo,Mexico is the closest seaport to Kansas City.This was the original purpose for building the Kansas City,Mexico,& Orient portion of the AT&SF.It seems now is the time to build up this port.It would be a real boon to Mexico's economy,and would help avoid overcrowding at existing ports in the US and Canada.