Galesburg IL is one of the best places in the midwest to see trains (it is where the old Santa Fe and CB&Q cross). True, Galesburg Railroad Days is not the railfan event it once was but is still a good train show and decent equipment display; the Railroad Museum and proposed Hall of Fame and the many excellent train watching vantage points are going to make Galesburg a railfan destination for years to come. The other day the Galesburg Register Mail ran a story about the health of the BNSF – no small matter in a town that has lost two major employers. Here is the web address for the full article, and some selected quotes so you get the flavor. I suggest reading the full article
By the way when the article says that on some days 150 trains go through the yard – keep in mind from a train watching perspective that not all trains that go through Galesburg go through the yard!
Dave Nelson
http://www.register-mail.com/stories/061106/BIZ_BA2DDHBJ.GID.shtml
Railroad revival
Galesburg’s unique position has made it a BNSF workhorse
Sunday, June 11, 2006
By MIKE LANDIS
The Register-Mail
Galesburg is home to the second
largest classification yard in the BNSF system.
As Galesburg braced for difficult economic times with the closing of
Maytag and Butler, BNSF has emerged as Knox County’s top employer and
helped prevent the local job market from falling completely off the
tracks.
“We’ve been fortunate. We’ve seen about 10 percent growth in the last
few years,” said Rick Danielson, terminal superintendent of the
Galesburg yard. “We’ve been hiring considerably. Right now we’re
probably at 1,200 total employees, plus or minus a few.”
Danielson can point to the numbers at the Galesburg yard to demonstrate
the uptick the railroad industry is enjoying. When he arrived as
terminal superintendent in 2000, Danielson said, 85 to 90 trains went
th
[quote]
QUOTE: Originally posted by dknelson
Galesburg IL is one of the best places in the midwest to see trains (it is where the old Santa Fe and CB&Q cross). True, Galesburg Railroad Days is not the railfan event it once was but is still a good train show and decent equipment display; the Railroad Museum and proposed Hall of Fame and the many excellent train watching vantage points are going to make Galesburg a railfan destination for years to come. The other day the Galesburg Register Mail ran a story about the health of the BNSF – no small matter in a town that has lost two major employers. Here is the web address for the full article, and some selected quotes so you get the flavor. I suggest reading the full article
By the way when the article says that on some days 150 trains go through the yard – keep in mind from a train watching perspective that not all trains that go through Galesburg go through the yard!
Dave Nelson
http://www.register-mail.com/stories/061106/BIZ_BA2DDHBJ.GID.shtml
Railroad revival
Galesburg’s unique position has made it a BNSF workhorse
Sunday, June 11, 2006
By MIKE LANDIS
The Register-Mail
Galesburg is home to the second
largest classification yard in the BNSF system.
As Galesburg braced for difficult economic times with the closing of
Maytag and Butler, BNSF has emerged as Knox County’s top employer and
helped prevent the local job market from falling completely off the
tracks.
“We’ve been fortunate. We’ve seen about 10 percent growth in the last
few years,” said Rick Danielson, terminal superintendent of the
Galesburg yard. “We’ve been hiring considerably. Right now we’re
probably at 1,200 total employees, plus or minus a few.”
Danielson can point to the numbers at the Galesburg yard to demonstrate
the uptick the railroad industry is enjoying. When he arrived as
terminal superi
You’re right, Ken. Some of our officers who have served in other areas of the system say that we’re the best as far as doing our jobs. One guy says that by summertime, folks in some areas are figuring out how many more days they can lay off without jeopardizing next year’s vacation pay!