Join the discussion on the following article:
Midwest railroads battle bitter cold
A premonition: there are going to be building, bridge, track, signal problems left in the wake of this “frikken” frigid wave that many track inspectors, and those with resembling tasks in other fields on CSX and NS have never encountered, whose training never practiced, whose property, track and structures weren’t built for.
Send the company jets, pay whatever it takes, bring in track and signal, bridge and building people from the North Country before traffic is turned loose.
Too many possibilitys for unanticipated design problems for stuff at negative temps where they haven’t been…
Apparently this article was written by somebody under the age of 30 or from someplace that doesn’t get real winters, like Florida or Texas. Why? Because in the past in the Midwest, it has been much colder. Trouble is, the last time it was cold was back around 1995. And guess what? The older generations survived much easier than today’s hipsters. Why is that? We planned ahead and stockpiled for winter starting in April the previous year.
Run a diesel in winter on straight diesel? Are Metra and Amtrak high? Everybody who knows anything about a diesel knows that you don’t use straight diesel in winter. You mix it with heating oil. Or run it on straight heating oil. And you never shut down a diesel when it gets below 10F, no matter what the kook environ-mentalists say. The sooner everybody realizes environ-mentalism is not for the environ-mentalist, the better off everybody will be including the environ-mentalists. Environ-mentalists never worked a real job in the real world, therefore, they are not experts at anything.
As for metal fatigue, who in the engineering department forgot to factor in cold weather? Just because it hasn’t been this cold for almost 20 years doesn’t mean it was never cold and will never be cold. Want to know what time it is? Time to start eliminating some college educated morons and pull a few of the uneducated school of hard knocks people out of retirement to teach the remaining youngsters something about preparing for real winter.
I would hardly call -16F a record. Back in the early 1980’s, passing -20F was pretty much considered normal. It wasn’t a real winter unless the snow was measured in feet and a few days were spent around -20 or more.
Well said Francis. That is a great idea but I’m sure it will be ignored by the powers that be.
The Alaska Railroad runs year round in temps colder than those in the ‘Lower 48’. Sure, it is hard on people and equipment, but I am a little surprised at the profound level of gridlock with this current cold snap…
what a crock of you know what from the delusional one…
Interestingly since the introduction of Ultra Low Suplhur Diesel geling of diesel is not the issue it once was. Also the railroads had to move crews by train as the roads were blocked. That I-65 in Indiana is closed does not surprise me. Politicians in that state do not spend taxpayers money wisely. Rather than spend on infrastructure and public works projects they spend money on things to make politicians look good. Like defending a tea party right wing agenda in court.
I am amused by the comments here suggesting that the railroaders in Alaska are some form of alien super-race that continue to railroad in conditions that exceed what we are experiencing here in the Midwest.
There comes a time when railroad operations are quite simply impossible - like we experienced at Proviso Yard of the C&NW in January of 1979 - a record snowfall and drifting followed the next days by record low temperatures, packing and freezing the snow into solid blocks of ice beneath each and every tank, flat, and boxcar in the 69-track Hump Yard. The switches were likewise ice-packed, and, after laboriously cleaning our path to the Hump, we were able to move ONE car at a time, rocking it back and forth to dislodge the ice, setting it on the lead and returning to move the next car back-and-forth until it, too, could be pulled out. After a day of this, local management realized it was impossible and, since not a train had left in days, and Chicago’s other railroads had closed down days before (making transfer moves impossible), they closed down the operation.
Amazing how desk-jockey faux-railroaders here have no idea what it takes to run a railroad in severe Winter conditions.
Did you not read the article? There were wind chill warnings into Alabama. No, those people aren’t used to hard winters. I used to get out of school for 3 days over 5 inches of snow. I lived in Southeast Missouri, so no, we really weren’t accustomed to this sort of thing. We don’t even have switch heaters there, we still use smudge pots! Call us weak or whatever. I’m sure some of you would wet yourselves the first time a tornado siren goes off this spring.
@P MCNAMARA - It is considerably more difficult to run a railroad under changing extreme conditions than it is under a single constant “extreme” condition. Part of this is preparation, and part due to the effects of changing temperatures on, for example, long metal structures that are frequently a mile long or longer.
You criticize posters here, but the people who are actually having problems are real, practising, railroaders. If they weren’t, there wouldn’t be a story we’d be commenting upon.
Its funnt how NS nickel plate was not affected. Well built NKP!!!
Living just 2 miles west of I-65 it was right for The State of Indiana to close the road from here in Lafayette to Lake Michigan because conditions warrented it.It is totally stupid for anyone outside Indiana be in arkansas to say they know whats best for The Hoosier State.Mitch Daniels & Now Mike Pence are pretty fiscally conservative leaders that are good for this state like the tea Party is good for America.Locally I really didn t notice how & if the terrible snow of 10 inches followed by 45 degree below windchill factor affected Amtrak,The Kankakee & Southern railroad,CSX & Norfolk Southern.
I am surprised Mr Guse isn’t talking about how the bus was running between Indianapolis and Chicago, along with all the trucks. No they were NOT running, nor was there much moving in the air. What was running-the train. Late but moving. Now what was it about how great the megabus is?
On a positive note. A big thank you to Kalmbach Publishing. The February 2014 edition of Trains featured a picture on page 70 of a Wisconsin Northern train. Yes, it was a Union Pacific sand train, but it was nice to see Wisconsin Northern getting its’ foot in Wisconsin’s sand business.