EUREKA, Calif. – Regulators in California are calling on the legislature to form a committee to look at the North Coast Railroad Authority and its ability to restore freight service on more 250 miles of track in the northern part of the state, …
Or they could tear up the tracks and build a hiking trail… [}:)]
Not at all that farfetched. SP (by way of NWP) gave up on the line since it was expensive to maintain and didn’t generate nearly enough traffic (mostly lumber and related products) to pay the bills.
It’s hard to believe anything about transportation service that originates close to Eureka.
The NCRA must be staffed by people who have other agendas, as even the freight operator (NWP) does not wish to operate north of Healdsburg. Clearing the tunnels and landslides north to Willits would be expensive enough if there were enough possible customers (which there aren’t).
OTOH fixing the trackage in the Eel River canyon is recognized by sane people as a non-starter. Proposing restoration of service only gets the eco-wackos riled up for no good reason.
There are delusional ‘business interests’ in Eureka who say that reviving the Port will bring economic prosperity. If the Port of Oakland with excellent rail access is having issues, why would an road and rail isolated town think they have a chance?
OK, I’m just asking.
Why can’t they provide railcar service to Eureka, and other points, by carfloat?
Intriguing, a time-tested solution which is not often proposed anymore. I wonder how costs (barge, barge slips etc) and transit times would compare with the Herculean task of restoring and maintaining track through the Eel River canyon.
Where would you propose to locate the mainline terminal for such a service, I am not familiar with the area. Are there any serviceable barge slips left in the San Francisco Bay area?
Are there any domestic car float operations still operating in the lower 48?
There is the NYNJ carfloat across New York Harbor.
And near Norfolk - Cape Charles, formerly PRR, now a short line.
Carfloats are an awfully expensive way to move railcars. In addition, this route is decidedly not on an inland waterway so you would need either a carferry along the lines of a Lake Michigan boat or at least the “Incan Superior” for seaworthiness. Even if a towed barge is involved, crew requirements are more than minimal.
I think restoration to Willits COULD make sense. I think north of there is crazy. It was a crazy railroad to build in the first place. The Eel River is a horrible place to put a railroad. If you want to spend that kind of cash to get trains to Eureka, build over the mountains to a location on the Shasta route