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[Anonymous]

First off, Noaa says Katrina is the biggest since they started recording storms. New Orleans will need our prayers as well as the region in general.

How does such a city below sea level defend against a storm that is apparently capable of destroying it. More importantly how does the railroads deal with such a disruption?

[samfp1943]

I suppose that most have been watching the disentigration of society and the ANARCHY as it is happening in front of our eyes with our morning coffee....Apparently right ajecent to the Superdome, is a station facility, platforms and tracks, yet thousands are left there to wander and wait....Is ther not a working steem engine in the New Orleans area[ steams abil;ity to wade water is well documented..why has no one thought to bring in rail cars and load the people on them and have them removed to another evacuation site...they say the buses are unable to get there, why not rail the refugees to the buses or all the way to another safer destination...Would not Amtrak be an option??? Surely the capacity could be used in this dire situation

[Anonymous]

That makes Sense. The people are complaining they can't get out but if they can't get out how can the news crews get in...???

Any idea how bad the local train clubs got hit?

any way railfans could help when things get settled.... After 3 Hurricanes last year ( and During my own power outage, Working on my layout and stock eased my tension

No one cares how much you know .. Until.. They know how much you care[:D]

[Noah Hofrichter]

While you're right that it would make sense if the railroads did something, the main problem is that much of the track is washed away, or the condition of it is unknown due to it being underwater. Really I doubt very much that there is any line left into the city that could still carry equipment without the rails spreading. And if the Buses can't get through, I highly doubt that the trains can.

Noah

[Ham549]

they should of used trains to get people out before the storm. A lot of people wanted to leave but had no way to.

[Anonymous]

Rail evacuation BEFORE the hurricane hit NO could have been possible except that there was no where near enough passenger equipment in the vicinity to even begin to do the job. When the city flooded after the hurricane only the UP/BNSF joint line to the west and the KCS to the northwest might have been passable. However these lines were underwater to a depth that diesel electric engines could not navigate without their traction motors shorting out. Guess what option this left????

Esspee 2-8-2 No. 745, the operating steamer of the Louisiana Steam Train Assn. is housed in New Orleans and could run through floodwaters 4 ft or so above the rail tops (up to the bottom of her firebox). Couple the 745 to a string of gondolas and boxcars making a half dozen round trips a day to Lafayette or Baton Rouge and a timely and major evacuation would have been possible. Wouldn't it have been grand to see pictures on CNN of this old girl evacuating the refugees from the Superdome?

Mark

[joecool1212]

Too bad no one thought of using the school buses, they were already there and they wouldent have been flooded out like they were. Thats what happens when elected officials run things instead of railroaders. I dont think any rail cars or loco's were left in the area to get destroyed. Just a thought, Joe A.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Mark Foster

Rail evacuation BEFORE the hurricane hit NO could have been possible except that there was no where near enough passenger equipment in the vicinity to even begin to do the job.

Fox News had a short piece on this tonight. Amtrak offered several hundred seats on the last trains out before the storm, but the city turned it down. Then afterwards Amtrak went to the effort of assembling those two recovery trains for four daily round-trips out of NO, but only one ran, with a total of less than 100 passengers. The refusal (whether it be the city or FEMA) to even take the help that was offered is amazing.

Amtrak, Nagin Argue Over Rescue Train: http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/9/12/103905.shtml

Hurricane Katrina News: http://www.railserve.com/railnews/hurricane_katrina.html

[AC6000CW]

THIS MAKES ME MAD. THEY SHOULD ACCEPTED AMTRAK OFFER. OH BY THE WAY THE POINT OF THE DIESEL ELECTRIC MOTORS IS 3 INCHES OF THE RAILHEAD TOP.BNSF AND CSX THEY DID OFFER ANY ASSISSTANCE.
ABOUT THE STEAM LOCOMOTIVE WADING THE WATER IN NEW ORLEANS THAT WOULD BE A SIGHT.