garyla Until a few years ago, I never appreciated how limited the usefulness of the Siskiyou Line was. Then UP had a major landslide on the Natron Cutoff. To get around the mess, the company apparently used every alternate route EXCEPT that one (which looked so convenient on a railroad map). The drawbacks you describe pretty much restrict it to local traffic, even when the other choices are many miles longer. Let's hope that the local shippers can keep it in business.
Until a few years ago, I never appreciated how limited the usefulness of the Siskiyou Line was. Then UP had a major landslide on the Natron Cutoff. To get around the mess, the company apparently used every alternate route EXCEPT that one (which looked so convenient on a railroad map). The drawbacks you describe pretty much restrict it to local traffic, even when the other choices are many miles longer. Let's hope that the local shippers can keep it in business.
This is not quite correct.
The Siskyous line regularly hosted trains over the summit in the SP years and CORP used to run trains over the entire line Roseburg Forest products relied on this.
However, RailAmerica didn't keep up the investment and announced end of 2007 that if someone didn't pony up, they were going to stop running over the summit. The Oakridge landslide occured in January 2008 after the announcement. CORP had left the line to rot. They had paid to fix the summit tunnel after the tunnel fire a few years before, but that was it. UP didn't have a choice, because the line was in bad shape. I'm sure had RA kept the line up they would have used it.
There have been constant rumors that G&W's going to reopen the line as well as lawsuits a plenty. Certainly Roseburg lumber would like to see it reopen as would other shippers out of weed...the ones that didn't just burn to the ground anyway.
There's little value for a through train obviously, Natron is straighter, less bumpy and better maintained, but in a pinch, But for Forest products and perhaps produce (I wonder if H&D shipped on the line) it makes sense.
I'm still curious would could be done with a "rural" passenger service. Also, when I lived in Beaverton, we regularly got reports about I5 conditions and potential closures at Grants Pass as well as at the summit.
YoHo1975 garyla Until a few years ago, I never appreciated how limited the usefulness of the Siskiyou Line was. Then UP had a major landslide on the Natron Cutoff. To get around the mess, the company apparently used every alternate route EXCEPT that one (which looked so convenient on a railroad map). The drawbacks you describe pretty much restrict it to local traffic, even when the other choices are many miles longer. Let's hope that the local shippers can keep it in business. This is not quite correct. The Siskyous line regularly hosted trains over the summit in the SP years and CORP used to run trains over the entire line Roseburg Forest products relied on this. However, RailAmerica didn't keep up the investment and announced end of 2007 that if someone didn't pony up, they were going to stop running over the summit. The Oakridge landslide occured in January 2008 after the announcement. CORP had left the line to rot. They had paid to fix the summit tunnel after the tunnel fire a few years before, but that was it. UP didn't have a choice, because the line was in bad shape. I'm sure had RA kept the line up they would have used it. There have been constant rumors that G&W's going to reopen the line as well as lawsuits a plenty. Certainly Roseburg lumber would like to see it reopen as would other shippers out of weed...the ones that didn't just burn to the ground anyway. There's little value for a through train obviously, Natron is straighter, less bumpy and better maintained, but in a pinch, But for Forest products and perhaps produce (I wonder if H&D shipped on the line) it makes sense. I'm still curious would could be done with a "rural" passenger service. Also, when I lived in Beaverton, we regularly got reports about I5 conditions and potential closures at Grants Pass as well as at the summit.
is there a reason for your reposting the prior post 3-4 times without adding a word of your own? Or is this a new forum glitch?
C&NW, CA&E, MILW, CGW and IC fan
Look at the "Tags" section.
Also, this is only his second post, so he probably had trouble with the software.
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