Firelock76 Designated routes? It could happen. Years ago in his autobiography Captain Eddie Rickenbacker said "NEVER underestimate the power of hysteria!" He was referring to the public reaction to a series of crashes by an airliner of the time called the Lockheed Electra, but we could very well see the same hysteria develop over oil train wrecks. The best thing the railroads can do is demonstrate an immediate, agressive response to the derailments. It can be more intense and rigid track inspections, specialized training for head-end crews in handling oil trains, possibly shorter oil trains to ease handling, and so on. They have to show the public they're doing SOMETHING, because if they don't Washington will. "Don't just do something, sit there!" isn't a prevailing philosophy in DC. The last thing anyone needs is knee-jerk legislation from the blind heavy hand of government. As the old saying goes, "Hard cases make bad laws." Even Fred Frailey says oil trains are starting to make him nervous. That tells you something.
Designated routes? It could happen. Years ago in his autobiography Captain Eddie Rickenbacker said "NEVER underestimate the power of hysteria!" He was referring to the public reaction to a series of crashes by an airliner of the time called the Lockheed Electra, but we could very well see the same hysteria develop over oil train wrecks.
The best thing the railroads can do is demonstrate an immediate, agressive response to the derailments. It can be more intense and rigid track inspections, specialized training for head-end crews in handling oil trains, possibly shorter oil trains to ease handling, and so on. They have to show the public they're doing SOMETHING, because if they don't Washington will.
"Don't just do something, sit there!" isn't a prevailing philosophy in DC. The last thing anyone needs is knee-jerk legislation from the blind heavy hand of government. As the old saying goes, "Hard cases make bad laws."
Even Fred Frailey says oil trains are starting to make him nervous. That tells you something.
I no longer follow Fred's rants. Some of them are bordering ridiculous.
Norm
If they push all the oil to one route, I am going back to school to be a lawyer, because there will be thousands of lawsuits all the way up to the Supreme Court. Lawyers have steady jobs for decades.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
EuclidI don’t know if it could result in a single primary route, but I think it could result in an executive order by President Obama to stop shipping Bakken oil by rail until it can be proven to be safe.
What do you think the price of gas would do then? I'd say at least $10 a gallon.
It's been fun. But it isn't much fun anymore. Signing off for now.
The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.t fun any
Mention has been made that the only quick solution to lessen the rash of dertailments of trains carrying Bakken crude oil (in terms either the frequency or severity) may be to slow the trains down to speeds in the 25-35 mph range. However, doing so would severely slow velocity for other traffic carried over the same routes. Could the "DO SOMETHING NOW" reaction of the Federal Government result in designation of a single primary route for all loaded crude oil trains from North Dakota to a point east of the Mississippi to carry the majority of the traffic at a reduced speed?
It might be done on a rotating-route basis to spead the impact (both operationally and politically)- but if a railroad knew well advance that a route of their choosing would be effectively slowed to 25 mph while eastbound oil loads were operating over them for, say, a ten-day period, a long range plan could be developed to minimize the effect on the more time-sensitive cargo.
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