2006 RR predictions

[carnej1]

QUOTE: Originally posted by CSXrules4eva

My predictions for 2006 are:

First and formost CSX will merge with Union Pacific to form..................um......... Chessie System United. (Yea Right I wish).

A locomotive race might take place between EMD, and GE to get the first ever 7,000 horsepower prime mover up and running. Or who knows both companies might decide to prefect the 6,000 horsepower prime mover.

Both manufacturers are going to have to perfect the 6,000 HP prime mover due to orders on the books for China(the locos in question will be built over there but at least the first group of engines will need to be manufactured at London, Ont. and Erie).

I'd love to see 7,000+ HP locomotives but given the North American Railroad industry not being that satisfied with the AC6000/SD90 models I don't think it's realistic for the foreseeable future. Just from a practical engineering standpoint 6,000 HP is already pushing the limit on 6 axle heavy haul freight (and while DD units would look cool, the industry standard is 6 axles and there would have to be a huge cost advantage to get the RR's to loook at anything else, ).

[Anonymous]

amjoke goes belly-up...and i say good riddance to this white elephant who's been at the taxpayer trough for over 30 years now...nothin' but a $$$$$ drain. ..pretty sad when you can fly every amtrak passenger round trip to where they wanna go, cheaper than giving them goverment handouts....

[ValleyX]

Randy, of all the predictions I've read, those who might be serious and those who write with humor, yours are by far my favorite.

[Randy Stahl]

I predict that no family of a railroader gets the call .
I predict that SOFA printed thier last statistics.
I predict that every railroader goes home with all thier limbs.
I predict that the Harriman award is awarded to all the railroads permanently.

[zardoz]

QUOTE: Originally posted by vsmith

QUOTE: Originally posted by eolafan

Gee whiz, imagine that for all this time I thought it was spelled Amtrak...silly me, now I know it is spelled Amtrack (See above).

Amtrak Whamtrak Jamtrak Spamtrak ...Whatever... you got the point didnt you! [:p][:o)]

Don't forget Amtrash.

A=All
M=money
T=troubles
R=revolve
A=around
K=kickbacks

[Anonymous]

CN+BNSF

then soon after

CP + UP

Perhaps in the next five years, rather than next year.

[espeefoamer]

After the dismantling of Amtrak,and the selling off of all its equipment,it will be less than a year before the government realizes that we need a nationwide rail passenger network.A new agency,called Railpax,will be set up and new locos and cars purchaced,costing billions of dollars.This agency will recieve barely enough money to operate,and will have to fight to recieve funding from congress each year.Airlines and highways will continue to recieve mega billions each year.

[CSXrules4eva]

My predictions for 2006 are:

First and formost CSX will merge with Union Pacific to form..................um......... Chessie System United. (Yea Right I wish).

A locomotive race might take place between EMD, and GE to get the first ever 7,000 horsepower prime mover up and running. Or who knows both companies might decide to prefect the 6,000 horsepower prime mover.

[Anonymous]

UP will lease NS for 999 years, CSX will merge, CN(IC) will buy the KCS and Amtrak will pull out of Chicago entirely and Metra will take over the facilities, including locomotives and cars that were left, after the great Metra locobot and Amtrak locotron wars of 2036!
Craig

[ShaunCN]

I predict (pretty much a given now) big changes in Southwestern Ontario for CN, VIA, and CSX, abandoments, leases and consolidations of track will take place. and the end of the CASO subdivision is near.

[eastside]

QUOTE: Originally posted by rrandb

QUOTE: Originally posted by eastside

QUOTE: Originally posted by rrandb

WE built the interstate system for Greyhound didn't we?? [?] How much more pork will fit in one barrell???[?] [2c]

The interstate system was built for all road traffic, not just for Greyhound. They could just as well argue that they paid their fair share of the cost of the roads in gasoline taxes and general taxes. Amtrak is 100% funded by the taxpayer, not so with long-distance buses. That's where the unfairness enters.

I'm sorry that i missed the notice the Amtrak fares no longer contributed to there bottom line. They may be subsidized by the taxpayer but not to the tune of 100%. The interstate hyway system was proposed as a way to move the military quickly from point A to B incase of a Soviet threat. If you studty the maintence cost for our hyways its Buses and Trucks that do much more damage than they pay in fuel or road use taxes. If you don't beleive we the taxpayers are not subsidising Greyhound and OTR trucks then you haven't seen our roads in MO. [2c] As always ENJOY

Rider fares are revenues not capital funding, which is what I'm talking about. The government owns 100% of Amtrak and makes good each year's losses. Amtrak is propped up 100% by the taxpayer. When you look at it, each customer to Amtrak's long distance services represents a certain net loss. I'd hardly call that contributing to the bottom-line. Greyhound is a for-profit company and can't operate that way.

Roads may be in poor shape in Missouri, but you can hardly blame it on buses. Ever seen a Greyhound bus lately on the highway? I'd say they represent a vanishingly small proportion of traffic. To say that the tiny indirect subsidy each long-distance bus receives justifies the huge one that Amtrak receives just isn't very convincing to me.

[rrandb]

QUOTE: Originally posted by eastside

QUOTE: Originally posted by rrandb

WE built the interstate system for Greyhound didn't we?? [?] How much more pork will fit in one barrell???[?] [2c]

The interstate system was built for all road traffic, not just for Greyhound. They could just as well argue that they paid their fair share of the cost of the roads in gasoline taxes and general taxes. Amtrak is 100% funded by the taxpayer, not so with long-distance buses. That's where the unfairness enters.

I'm sorry that i missed the notice the Amtrak fares no longer contributed to there bottom line. They may be subsidized by the taxpayer but not to the tune of 100%. The interstate hyway system was proposed as a way to move the military quickly from point A to B incase of a Soviet threat. If you studty the maintence cost for our hyways its Buses and Trucks that do much more damage than they pay in fuel or road use taxes. If you don't beleive we the taxpayers are not subsidising Greyhound and OTR trucks then you haven't seen our roads in MO. [2c] As always ENJOY

[eastside]

QUOTE: Originally posted by rrandb

WE built the interstate system for Greyhound didn't we?? [?] How much more pork will fit in one barrell???[?] [2c]

The interstate system was built for all road traffic, not just for Greyhound. They could just as well argue that they paid their fair share of the cost of the roads in gasoline taxes and general taxes. Amtrak is 100% funded by the taxpayer, not so with long-distance buses. That's where the unfairness enters.

[rrandb]

WE built the interstate system for Greyhound didn't we?? [?] How much more pork will fit in one barrell???[?] [2c]

[eastside]

QUOTE: Originally posted by vsmith

Criswell appeared to me in a vision and spoke, and said...
Long term

Demise of Amtrak will lead to an increase in small bus companies servicing the members of the population who cannot afford to fly or will not fly for health reasons and will operate on the interstate routes meaning more busses (often not very safe ones) operating on the nations hwys.

Indeed, I'd say one of the unrecognized victims of the government propping up Amtrak are Greyhound and other long-haul bus lines. If I were a bus line, I'd demand a more even playing field.

QUOTE:
Any future intermediate intercity rail routes funding de-emphisised in favor of short haul air services and increased highway usage inspite of declining air terminal capacity and highway capacity to handle the increases.

In late 2006 deliveries of very light jets (VLJs), a new type of airplane that is highly economical to fly, will start. This will be a boon to air taxi services that will fly directly between under-served communities, e.g. Fargo to Des Moines, etc. On the contrary, most of these small cities have more than enough airport capacity to spare. This will really sound the death knell of Amtrak, sadly.

[vsmith]

QUOTE: Originally posted by farmer03

i doubt anything will change really. and i hope that one guy's prediction of the '08 election is way way way way way way way way way way way way wrong. an amendment to the constitution needs to be passed.....no more shrubery in the white house.

Afraid not....Jeb Bush is Dubya's brother, and the current Gov of Florida who's now expressed an interest in running for Prez...[:0]

[Anonymous]

The Chinese National Railroad formerly takes over possesion of BNSF..........



.....and suprisingly, there is no perceptable difference in service levels.


(It's just a joke folks!)

[Anonymous]

i doubt anything will change really. and i hope that one guy's prediction of the '08 election is way way way way way way way way way way way way wrong. an amendment to the constitution needs to be passed.....no more shrubery in the white house.

[Anonymous]

I dont think this will be a year with any big changes, but i do hope Amcrap gets there act together and puts in service from Denver to KC to STL to Indianapolis!

[DrummingTrainfan]

I'm thinking its possible that some of the smaller almost-class-ones will merge to create another mega-class one.

[Murphy Siding]

QUOTE: Originally posted by joegreen

QUOTE: Originally posted by techguy57

DM&E becomes a small class 1?

DME already got the go on the new line.............so yes DME/ICE will be a Class 1 railroad within the next year or 2.

I predict a mega merger...........like a BNSF/NS merger.

DM&E is almost there, as far as getting a$2.5 billion government loan. Their president has recently said that wouldn't actually procede until some power companies signed on the dotted line. An earlier thread about class 1's noted that DM&E, MRL and I thought one other bigger regional railroad were already big enough to be catagorized as class 1's,but asked not to be, because of the extra costs of paperwork compliance-weird huh?

[Anonymous]

I think Amtrak will make it thru but not without changes.

[vsmith]

QUOTE: Originally posted by eolafan

Gee whiz, imagine that for all this time I thought it was spelled Amtrak...silly me, now I know it is spelled Amtrack (See above).

Amtrak Whamtrak Jamtrak Spamtrak ...Whatever... you got the point didnt you! [:p][:o)]

[NW_611]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Murray

Guilford Rail will purchase NS and BNSF.

The New rail system will be called Springfielrd Terminal.

[8D]

Someone silence this guy before Mr. Mellon and his associates get any ideas! I like the black-and-white diesels that thunder past my house. As snazzy as the GRS livery is, it can't match up to the Thoroughbred. As for the Gunn hearings, I doubt he'll get reinstated, but I'd really like it if he did.

[eolafan]

Gee whiz, imagine that for all this time I thought it was spelled Amtrak...silly me, now I know it is spelled Amtrack (See above).

[bnsfkline]

Guilford!?!?!?!?......OH GOD NO! We don't need any of their bad track here in St. Louis

[oltmannd]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Murray

Guilford Rail will purchase NS and BNSF.

The New rail system will be called Springfielrd Terminal. [8D]

Or Pan Am?

[Anonymous]

Guilford Rail will purchase NS and BNSF.

The New rail system will be called Springfield Terminal.

[8D]

[techguy57]

Joe- Yeah, I thought I 'd heard that recently about DM&E. Thanks.

I don't know about mega merger, but I bet someone nabs KCS soon. Lots of possibilities there with NAFTA and CAFTA. Think CN could afford it or will it go to one of the US companies?

Mike