Yuppers that is what we call the “Cooke Road” or the “Big 3” tracks the 60 - 65 a day number is more like a Thursday - Saturday number (especially this past Saturday, I saw 21 NS trains within a 4 1/2 hour period, truely amazing). I live within a clear (and LOUD) ear shot of the tracks I count them all day and into the night long since I work and live here at home [:)]
Actually I can hear the Weber Road crossing, the Cooke Road crossing and the Lincoln avenue crossing CLEARLY from my backyard, a fun game that my wife and I play at night when out by the campfire is to guess which direction the train is going after you hear the first set of horns. If it’s one train it’s easy but when there are 2 or a “hat trick” 3 then it gets complicated.
As for the SRS cars, I didn’t say they stop a derailment I just said that I observed NS actually looking at their rails, which is better than nothing. The funny thing about the CSX secondary line is that if you stand betwen the rails and look north or south they sure are bowed and lumpy all over the place but I know some of that is optical illusion from distance.
DANO,I also live by the NS…I can look out my kitchen widow and watch 'em roll by…[:D] I fully agree Saturday was a very busy day…I seen 2 NS trains take the old connector and head toward the East toward Crestline/ Pittsburgh.I call the old connector the Bellevue connector since train that use this connector is heading toward Pittsburgh or Bellevue…I call the “new” connector the Pittsburgh connector.[:D]
All I was saying is derailments will happen…I been told the derailment here was cause by a broken axle.
Yes Brakie I do, just check out the SEC filings that are required by every publicly owned company. Look at the growth rate, the income growth, dividends payout went from .065 TO .100 in a matter of a year, then look at CEO and board bonuses…THEN if you were an employee look at your lopsided union negotiated contract and talk to 5 old heads and see what they say about the condition, pay rate and things the company is doing for the employees (or lack there of). Am I a former employee, yes but I had a perfect safety record and I was praised by management for doing my job well; so you may ask: why did I leave? I left because I had a killer business deal I could NOT turn down and I have not looked back since.
Now don’t get me wrong, I loved working for the railroad and I would go to work for another one again if I needed to…just not CSX or UP. These companies are screwing the little guys and reaping some major profits for themselves. It’s the same problem that every other large corporation is facing, how to cut costs and maintain growth while not reinvesting in the company. They will learn eventually that they can not cut their way into the future.
As a stockholder, I’m not complaining. I bought in at $24 a little more than a year ago and the stock has been in the high 30s the last couple of months. They must be doing something right.
BRAKIE, I am not a 100% sure, but I think this is the same line. It is a shabby looking area that could use some upgrades. I know the railway runs into Charleston from points directly south, and that hits richmond. Couldn’t find any additional info to back these claims though.
That trackage where the wreck occurred is part of the old NYC waterlevel route, which is also used by Amtrack, it’s their main to Boston also, so it should be in decent shape, not a secondary line. That may or may not be the case, but a certain NY senator wants an investigation into frequent train wrecks in upstate NY.
The thing is, anything and eerything could happen anywhere anytime an sometimes there is just no explaination for it although most of the time, it can be traced to either mechanical or human error beause afterall, it’s still human behind any machinery. Just like the airplane crash in Indoesia last week.
We had a derailment in town a couple weeks ago. Traffic was jammed up for hours. Luckily I work 40 miles away in Spencer and don’t have to go to that side of town anymore
I think they’re saying the severe weather changes were the cause of the track failure. We’ve had some pretty large temperature swings and heavy snow lately (or did back then, its in the 70’s today!)
