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Posted by SD70Dude on Saturday, May 14, 2022 4:10 PM

jeffhergert

Back in the steam era, some railroads owned their own coal companies to supply their needs.

Even thought they don't own it outright, doesn't Amtrak still have its own dedicated hydroelectric plant to supply the Northeast Corridor?

Greetings from Alberta

-an Articulate Malcontent

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Posted by MidlandMike on Saturday, May 14, 2022 9:34 PM

SD70Dude

 

 
jeffhergert

Back in the steam era, some railroads owned their own coal companies to supply their needs.

 

 

Even thought they don't own it outright, doesn't Amtrak still have its own dedicated hydroelectric plant to supply the Northeast Corridor?

 

Unless they sold it, they have the ex-PRR generating station near Safe Harbor, PA, and they had the transmission lines.  They also buy commercial power, and phase-convert it to 25 cycle.

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Posted by MJ4562 on Thursday, May 19, 2022 8:51 AM

Flintlock76
Buying into a business isn't a good idea unless you understand how it works.    

Delta most likely found out owning a refinery wasn't the advantage they thought it was going to be.

Truth in this statement.  Business owners learned the hard way to focus on what they know best.  Even within an industry sucessful businesses focus their efforts on specific products and markets.

The only way owning a refinery might be beneficial is if the market is being manipulated but despite conspiracy theories to the contrary, no one has ever found this to be the case at a systemic level.  The cost and disruption of owning something outside your area of expertise far outweighs the limited benefits.

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Posted by BaltACD on Thursday, May 19, 2022 9:00 PM

Petroleum markets manipulated?  Surely you jest!

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

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Posted by Gramp on Saturday, May 21, 2022 3:28 PM

The one reason I'd like to see oil/gas demand dry up. To see OPEC fall apart. 

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Posted by Shadow the Cats owner on Sunday, May 22, 2022 9:52 PM

I can tell you this much from my industry view.  We're approaching a breaking point on fuel prices that well let's just say that if it gets much worse this nation may see the collapse of the entire OTR industry.  Even with fuel surcharges the increase in prices is faster than our customers pay for the freight delivery services.  I'm hearing rumors of major lines heading for bankruptcy in a hurry places that have been in business for decades.  Companies like Heartland Werner US Xpress Covenant and other large 1000 plus truck fleets are having massive problems.  If they're having issues it's 20x worse for the smaller guys that are the bread and butter of this industry.  

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Posted by tree68 on Monday, May 23, 2022 10:06 PM

Gramp

The one reason I'd like to see oil/gas demand dry up. To see OPEC fall apart. 

As I recall, we weren't buying anything from OPEC not too long ago.

How's that electric car looking?

LarryWhistling
Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) 
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Posted by Gramp on Monday, May 23, 2022 10:29 PM

tree68

 

 
Gramp

The one reason I'd like to see oil/gas demand dry up. To see OPEC fall apart. 

 

As I recall, we weren't buying anything from OPEC not too long ago.

How's that electric car looking?

 

Won't see me buying one. 
We *are* looking at going with one vehicle this coming September. 

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Posted by alphas on Monday, May 23, 2022 10:45 PM

The President today said the USA was going through an "incredible transition" away from fossil fules.    That sounds to me what is now happening and going to happen with gas, oil, diesel, and heating oil fits in with his plans.   I suspect he intends to carry out his intentions no matter what happens.  

I also suspect his border policy is also intentional based upon what my friends (two in Border Patrol and one in Customs) have been telling me.  

I can't believe he doesn't realize all the pain this is going to cause those that are less than rich in the USA but apparently he is determined in what he wants to accomplish.        

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Posted by Flintlock76 on Tuesday, May 24, 2022 9:38 AM

tree68
How's that electric car looking?

Probably not so good.

Folks that don't like paying $4.50 to $5.00 for a gallon of gas aren't likely to believe the solution to the problem is  $40,000 electric car.  

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Posted by CSSHEGEWISCH on Tuesday, May 24, 2022 10:14 AM

Until the manufacturers agree on specs that allow for a relatively quick exchange of batteries, electric cars will be tied to their home base due to the length of time required for recharging.

The daily commute is part of everyday life but I get two rides a day out of it. Paul
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Posted by Shadow the Cats owner on Tuesday, May 24, 2022 10:15 AM

40k will get you a used one right now.  New is around 55k.  Then you need a better charging system at your home for another 3 to 5 grand.  Your looking at well over a grand a month for a car payment.  Sorry most lower middle class people can't afford that.  Rents are higher than ever.  A 3 bedroom around here is over a grand a month.  

 

This should tell you how bad it's getting.  My boss was just bought out not for his customer base but for the fact he has fuel hedged for it was 4 years but the oil company has screamed force majorue and made it 2 years locked in prices.  He got bought out for that reason alone for 50 percent more than the carrier was worth we think as he swore he'd never sell for less than that.  Some place out of Canada bought us and another Illinois bulk hauler called A&R and merged us into Quantix. 

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Posted by Flintlock76 on Tuesday, May 24, 2022 10:21 AM

CSSHEGEWISCH
Until the manufacturers agree on specs that allow for a relatively quick exchange of batteries

Speaking of which, does anyone know what the plans are for dealing with worn-out electric car batteries?  Can they be recycled or are they likely to end up in landfills?

I'm asking seriously by the way, I'm not trying to be a wise-guy. 

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Posted by tree68 on Tuesday, May 24, 2022 11:03 AM

Flintlock76
Speaking of which, does anyone know what the plans are for dealing with worn-out electric car batteries?  Can they be recycled or are they likely to end up in landfills?

One of many unacknowledged elephants in the room...

LarryWhistling
Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) 
Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you
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Come ride the rails with me!
There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...

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Posted by Overmod on Tuesday, May 24, 2022 12:22 PM

Flintlock76
does anyone know what the plans are for dealing with worn-out electric car batteries?

Strange you should mention that.  RPS in Fullerton has a plan in place to provide and maintain the colossal number of cells necessary for a heavy-rail storage system on a commuter locomotive by taking scrapped batteries apart and reusing the 'better' cells and other architecture.  (Presumably they will also assume all the risks and costs of handling the batteries,  make deals with yards and dealers, etc. to be a one-stop solution for as many of the batteries as are salvaged ... equally presumably they can recover the cost of doing this in dealing with local authorities, in areas such as ecological good-neiborliness, subsidies to promote full vehicle 'electrification', and passing along costs to the district(s) that buy RPS locomotive systems.

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Posted by Shadow the Cats owner on Tuesday, May 24, 2022 2:59 PM

That was the cause of that fire in Morris IL a while back.  A company that was going to redo car battery packs along with other lithium battery packs.  Well 25 tons of their inventory decided that it needed to go up in flames.  RPS better have one hell of a good legal team especially in CA as that place will need it.  

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Posted by azrail on Tuesday, May 24, 2022 4:19 PM

Tesla don't make farm equipment. Or construction equipment. Or aircraft.

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Posted by Euclid on Wednesday, May 25, 2022 9:23 AM

alphas
The President today said the USA was going through an "incredible transition" away from fossil fules.    That sounds to me what is now happening and going to happen with gas, oil, diesel, and heating oil fits in with his plans.   I suspect he intends to carry out his intentions no matter what happens.  

The "incredible transition" is going to be for everybody to do with less.

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Posted by azrail on Thursday, May 26, 2022 3:39 PM

CSSHEGEWISCH

Until the manufacturers agree on specs that allow for a relatively quick exchange of batteries, electric cars will be tied to their home base due to the length of time required for recharging.

 

Like the electric vehicles in the early 1900s which were marketed as a way to keep the ladies from traveling too far.

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