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[quote]QUOTE: Originally posted by nanaimo73 [quote]QUOTE: If so, would there be anything substantive to be gained from it? [/quote] I'll leave that for others. [/quote] Alright, I'll take it from here.[:D] If by substantive gain you mean a general macro economic gain, by all means a second Northern Tier Class I would be appreciated by all rail shippers in the area. Three would be ideal (as per triopoly being statistically close to actual dog eat dog competition in terms of shipping rates), but that's a whole 'nother project. Right now, we'd just like a new PCE-ish Class I to relieve us of BNSF's onerous rates and "maybe we'll get around to it someday if we do it at all" type service attitude. As for what that would look like, some have made decent prospective proposals........ [quote]QUOTE: Originally posted by Harry_Runyon In this age of rail capacity (or excess capacity), would it be possible (or even feasible) to rebuild? the Milwaukee Road to the northwest?[/quote] It would not be possible to rebuild the Milwaukee Road as it was. It is certainly possible to have a replacement Milwaukee Road. If DME, and their IC&E [url="http://www.dmerail.com/"](Map)[/url] got together with the Twin Cities and Western [url="http://www.tcwr.net/servicemap.html"](Map)[/url], you would be at Millbank, SD. From there they would need the former CMSP&P line to [url="http://terraserver.microsoft.com/image.aspx?T=1&S=11&Z=13&X=1197&Y=12955&W"]Terry, MT[/url] now owned by BNSF. Trackage rights on BNSF would be needed to reach MRL at Huntley. MRL [url="http://www.montanarail.com/General/maps.htm"](Map)[/url] gets you to Spokane. From there you would need UP's Spokane line to the Tri Cities, and then BNSF's Stampede Pass line to reach the Puget Sound. The Milwaukee Road's line from Auburn to Chehalis is still in place, owned by UP and Tacoma Rail. Add on the CMSP&P trackage rights up to Canada and down to Portland (and Wisconsin and Southern if you wanted) and you would have a modern Milwaukee Road. There is no way BNSF would allow this to happen, but it could be done..[/quote] Dale's proposal makes a good start. What I envision is: 1. DM&E/IC&E from Chicago to Colony WY 2. A new Montana PRB line from Colony to Billings MT jointly owned by MRL and Cedar American (DM&E's owner) 3. MRL from Billings to St. Regis MT (this assumes MRL is able to renew their lease of the ex-NP lines, which comes due in 2050 or so.) 4. A rebuild of the ex-PCE from St. Regis to Avery ID, either as it was with the 1.7% grades (that portion is mostly a task of merely relaying tracks), or using the original survey for a 5 mile tunnel under the Bitterroots which would keep ruling grades at 0.8% or so. 5. A new line on the opposite side of the original PCE along the St. Joe River from Avery to Marble Creek, since that ROW is now a paved Forest Service highway. 6. A rebuild of the PCE from Marble Creek to St. Maries ID, again mostly a task of simply relaying tracks and ballast. 7. A repurchase (and subsequent upgrade to FRA regs) of the PCE from St. Maries to Plummer ID from the St. Maries River Railroad (owned by Potlatch Corp.), including fixing that trestle across Benewah Lake. 8. A rebuild of the entire PCE across the State of Washington from Plummer ID to the new urbanization zone near Seattle. This ROW is mostly owned by the State of Washington allowing for public ownership of that ROW portion of the new railroad. It would also be advisable to either re-electrify the climb up the Saddle Mountains or find a new lower grade route, but once you hit the Kittitas Valley it's easy saling gradewise to Puget Sound. 9. A new line from the original PCE to the municiple owned Tacoma railroad, wherein you have your best Puget Sound deep water port. (Tacoma beats Seattle hands down, but that's just my opinion). For an addendum.... 10. A new branchline from Marble Creek ID southwest to Lewiston ID allowing direct eastern rail access to the end of navigation of the Columbia Snake River Waterway system, wherein some Pacific Rim-bound commodities could be handed off to a railroad-owned barge line to connect with outgoing bulk freighters out of Portland. Now, it's possible that if such a rebuild were to occur, the Port of Seattle might want in on the action, and it might be wise to choose Pasco as a barge terminal rather than Lewiston since it would be easier to access Pasco geographically, but other than that a new PCE is all set. All you need is at least one Puget Sound port and some type of "controlable" access to Portland and the Lower Columbia ports. Anything else would be superfluous to the long haul, e.g. no need for branchlines or multiple West Coast port destinations.
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