Well he did say he wanted to buy, lease or operate IHB and BRC.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/02/us-cp-outlook-ceo-idUSKCN0HR28G20141002
The bit I still don't get is why it seems he routes his freight via Craigin, when he has a 49% share in IHB. Maybe it's the fact that the IHB doesn't own all the track from Blue Island to McCook that's the problem, and CSX won't play ball. It's owned as mentioned above, by BOCT. So that's why you have to buy CSX to get a route through Chicago!
CP is also one of the six owners of the Belt Railway of Chicago.
Interestingly enough, this old PRR line is getting a good bit of use, at least through Fort Wayne, anyway.
Tuesday night I sat out to enjoy a couple burgers at a restaurant near the refueling stop mentioned earlier. And from 9:30 pm till 11:00 pm witnessed 3 westbound trains. .....WEST BOUND! Then this morning was one of the typical tanker unit trains eastbound, waiting for fuel at the pad. And tonight on the way home from work there was a westbound full of Reading Northern hopper cars (I think they were coal cars returning empty)
Anyway, pretty good for a line many seem to want to write off as "dead".
All the proposals covered on how to fix this is nothing new and is just recycled talking points. Some traffic will still take days to pass across the metro area, crews will still go over 12 hrs and in 10 even 20 yrs from now, we will stil be yaking and thinking on how to fix Chicago.
Saw a renzenberger van delivering a fresh crew to a train that had obviously timed out, only about a quarter mile shy of the fuel stop, last night.
Right up on top of the city's old elevation portion of this line
CSSHEGEWISCHCP is also one of the six owners of the Belt Railway of Chicago.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/belt-railway-clears-track-for-more-efficiency-1439335347
Best quote:
“We have to do our part to keep the Belt fluid,” said Cindy Sanborn, vice president of transportation for CSX and chairwoman of the Belt’s board. “The owners are very much the source of the problems and the solutions.”
- Paul North.
Workedout of a local motel recently and for several days in a row I noticed Renzenberger vans picking up and dropping off NS crew, who were staying at the motel. Asking them where they were based, they said "Mansfield". Couple of the guys were just qualifying, so evidently this traffic isn't going to go away, soon anyway. One of the guys mentioned that the railroad had spent $73 million updating the line between Ft Wayne and Mansfield.
That is quite a long run for NS crews, particularly getting thru the Fort and negotiating all the Chicago terminal issues.
Here is what I am seeing and hearing....it appears that NS has moved the oil and ethanol trains off of the Elkhart line, but some empties seem to be moving back on that line.
Tank trains seem to be moving on the NKP line (and not the CFE line) thru NW Indiana, which indicates that east of Ft Wayne these trains move over to the CFE.
Will keep an ear open for movements.
Ed
MP173That is quite a long run for NS crews, particularly getting thru the Fort and negotiating all the Chicago terminal issues.
I don't think those crews are going to Chicago. I believe they are working east of Ft Wayne only. Let me emphasize that I'm just speculating, but I think this is their western "away" terminal.
MP173Will keep an ear open for movements.
My guess is that you likely won't see much more NKP -> CFE movements. I noticed last evening that the Fuel pad once located at Mike Junction is no more. the tank trucks, portable office unit, and employee vehicles are completly gone. not sure what this means long term.
Perhaps the Chicago 'problem' is finally solved? (sarcasm)
Convicted One Perhaps the Chicago 'problem' is finally solved? (sarcasm)
Or was an overblown problem in the first place.
An "expensive model collector"
n012944 Convicted One Perhaps the Chicago 'problem' is finally solved? (sarcasm) Or was an overblown problem in the first place.
Or it was a NS manufacturered problem because of a seriously flawed operating plan and overzealous enforcement of the flawed plan.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
Or perhaps it was an issue with all the MOW work going on in NW Indiana...and a sudden influx of oilers. Now that oil trains are a) diminished somewhat b) moving on the old NKP with regularity, it has freed up train slots.
NS operations on Elkhart line are pretty smooth these days.
ed
It'll be interesting to see what becomes of the $73mil in track improvements NS made to the old PRR line east of Ft Wayne. Left to languish?
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.