CMStPnP Wow has this thread gone off topic! Anyhow, I wish the BNSF luck but I still think UP will eat their lunch as it has more and longer rail corridors to serve with Intermodal.
Wow has this thread gone off topic! Anyhow, I wish the BNSF luck but I still think UP will eat their lunch as it has more and longer rail corridors to serve with Intermodal.
True. One thing you see from the statistics is that intermodal represents almost as many carloadings as all other sources combined.
C&NW, CA&E, MILW, CGW and IC fan
Murphy Siding dakotafred What hydropower produces is usually worth less than what it destroys, not only in resources but in natural beauty. The flooded Missouri River valley (where I live) is Exhibit A. The test: Would the dams be built again? No way! I've always read that an important featue of the Missouri dams built in the Dakota I live in was to provide flood control in the spring. This seems to be a useful tool on the Nebraska / South Dakota border. Further north, where the river is contined in deep valleys, maybe not so much. What resources were destoyed by the ND dams?
dakotafred What hydropower produces is usually worth less than what it destroys, not only in resources but in natural beauty. The flooded Missouri River valley (where I live) is Exhibit A. The test: Would the dams be built again? No way!
What hydropower produces is usually worth less than what it destroys, not only in resources but in natural beauty. The flooded Missouri River valley (where I live) is Exhibit A.
The test: Would the dams be built again? No way!
I've always read that an important featue of the Missouri dams built in the Dakota I live in was to provide flood control in the spring. This seems to be a useful tool on the Nebraska / South Dakota border. Further north, where the river is contined in deep valleys, maybe not so much. What resources were destoyed by the ND dams?
Murphy is absolutely correct that the main idea was flood control, and Dakguy that the flood control enabled a lot of commercial and residential development in the valley.
However, as I see it -- certainly as it played out in my city of Bismarck -- the development was mainly for the enrichment of a few well-placed farmers and would have taken place elsewhere in the vicinity without the dams. And, of course, it allowed housebuilders to fill up the valley with trophy houses where there used to be cottonwood trees.
We flooded out no end of archaeology and natural landmarks. As usual, the worst damage was sustained by Indians. (A wag once suggested that the fastest way to locate Indian reservations on a map is to look for the big puddles of water.) The farming Indians of Ft. Berthold -- previously an exception to the poverty rule -- were relocated to the hilly heights and now host all the modern reservation problems.
P.S. Sure, we're off topic. And the damage to the common weal is ... what?
Ask the Native Americans about 'illegal' immigration!
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
dakotafred- I see what you mean. In S.D. Pierre, and Fort Pierre accross the river, were about the only good sized cities or town affected by the annual spring flooding. Being a lot smaller than Bismarck, I don't think the same real estate games went on. You are right about some of the indian tribes coming out on the short end of the dam projects. Speaking of off-topic, while thinking over this reply, I happened to watch all of BaltACD's meme. I guess I'd never noticed there was an ending before. On topic- the article makes it sound as if doubling the track will double the amount of freight hauled. Is that type of proportional thinking realistic? In comparison, how much freight does UP haul on its transcon compared ton BNSF on its transcon?
Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.
Jeff
schlimmTrue. One thing you see from the statistics is that intermodal represents almost as many carloadings as all other sources combined.
UP is investing a lot more than BNSF in intermodal and interior Intermodal ports than BNSF is.....in my opinion.
I am curious how CSX is going to improve with their tunnel clearance projects and addition of some North-South capacity. Seems Wall Street has a lot of hopes there and CSX stock is holding fairly steady despite the drops in Coal and Oil traffic. Have my doubts the updated Panama Canal will have as much impact as Wall Street is banking on though......we'll see. So hopefully CSX has a targeted Intermodal marketing campaign they intend to roll out.
Wall Street still thinks CSX is a merger candidate for CP though, a good chunk of people think CP is going to find a way at some point.
I think domestic intermodal is the growth opportunity, more so than imports. Buffett is smart and the BNSF goal, as the article says, is to grab traffic from trucking, which means domestic.
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.