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[quote]QUOTE: Originally posted by Mark_W._Hemphill VerMontanan speaks the facts. James E. Vance, late geography professor of Cal Berkeley who in my opinion understood railroad geography better than anyone before or since, cogently summarizes the deficiency of the Milwaukee Road's Pacific Extension on both an operating-cost and traffic-potential basis in "North American Railroad Geography." [/quote] Hardly a case of factual discourse when Mark Meyer selectively pursues a single line of thought regarding railroad engineering. This obsession some have with grades being the primary determinent of which lines stay and which ones go is completely off the mark. If indeed grades were the prime factor, both the UP and NP lines to the PNW would have been torn out years ago, well before such a fate would have befallen the Milwaukee's PCE. Michael Sol is correct when he points out that grades are only one factor in determining a route's subjective endorsement as a "superior" route. What is left out of the "facts" is that the Milwaukee was by far the shortest route between the PNW and Twin Cities. Distance is as much a determinant of suitability as gradient. It has been offered before that one could claim a dual "champion" as far as PNW to Twin Cities. The GN/SP&S combo was the best in terms of grades, the Milwaukee best in terms of distance. The other players to the PNW, namely UP and NP, were and are by far the worst of the four PNW transcons, both in terms of distance and grades. As far as James Vance's analysis, he indeed may be correct regarding the operational costs of Milwaukee vs GN/SP&S, but he's way off in terms of traffic potential. The Milwaukee runs through the same forestlands and ag lands as the BN lines, had the necessary proximity to the PRB when low sulfur coal came into vogue, and was easily the prefered line for intermodal between the PNW and Chicago. Anyone who has taken the time to study the Milwaukee's demise knows perfectly well it had nothing to do with the suitability of the PCE alignment but rather managerial miscalculations that allowed the PCE to degrade. It is intersting that these other facts have been presented on this thread, yet some seem to make it a point to ignore these other facts, seemingly prefering to display obsequiousness when members of the rail industry status quo press opine rather than displaying independent thought.
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