What the OP is missing are GRADES! (You know, the reason why the train started rolling...) A straight line would contend with nasty grades in excess of 6% and/or some heavy earthwork.
Besides the early UP, nobody builds a line longer than neccesary by putting curves in it. They add train resistance and track wear. Take a good look at the topography.
Andrew Falconer Lac-Mégantic tracks were a roller coaster. If anybody bothered to look at the 2 dimensional maps or the 3D views on internet you would see that the tracks East of the lake have too many curves. It might be fun for a Steam Powered passenger train. That is a poor design for a modern freight railroad. They underreacted by not rebuilding the tracks straight East to West, just like the paved road grid. The tracks head South in a twisting manner, then cross the Quebec-Maine border, and then head back up North. There are no visible business demanding these dramatic curves. River would not have blocked the path of the tracks if they had kept the tracks futher North and straight East to West. They had chosen to follow the Moose River to get water for Steam Locomotives. If they are going to keep using tracks on a path built for Steam Locomotives, the owners of the rail line would be best going back to Steam Locomotives. Freight car weight ratings increased decades ago, but they were still following a path for freight and passenger trains from 100 years ago. It is a scenic rail line, but they are not in the business to haul people to view the scenery.
Lac-Mégantic tracks were a roller coaster.
If anybody bothered to look at the 2 dimensional maps or the 3D views on internet you would see that the tracks East of the lake have too many curves.
It might be fun for a Steam Powered passenger train.
That is a poor design for a modern freight railroad.
They underreacted by not rebuilding the tracks straight East to West, just like the paved road grid.
The tracks head South in a twisting manner, then cross the Quebec-Maine border, and then head back up North. There are no visible business demanding these dramatic curves. River would not have blocked the path of the tracks if they had kept the tracks futher North and straight East to West.
They had chosen to follow the Moose River to get water for Steam Locomotives. If they are going to keep using tracks on a path built for Steam Locomotives, the owners of the rail line would be best going back to Steam Locomotives.
Freight car weight ratings increased decades ago, but they were still following a path for freight and passenger trains from 100 years ago.
It is a scenic rail line, but they are not in the business to haul people to view the scenery.
Most all railroads that were surveyed and contstructed during the 19th Century are still following those alignments today. To steal a line from 'Field of Dreams' - "Build it and they will come!" - they built the railroads and the population built around the railroads on the properties that the railroads did own or have leaseholding interest in.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
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