To ALL forum members – Which news stories involving railroads most interested you this year. I will compile a list of the top 10 from stories you nominate. Don’t worry if your top news story has already been nominated. Number of nominations will be one of the factors used in selecting a story. Feel free to nominate more than one story.
My top three are:
the Glendale commuter train wreck
fishing the railroad tracks from the lake after Katrina
You said “Which news stories involving railroads most interested you this year”, so the final list should be interesting as it will give an indication of where forum members heads were this year.[:D]
Mine are (1) the continued growth and health of Class I’s in this country (can you say “INTERMODAL & COAL”?), (2) Bush administration’s blatant attempt to kill AMTRAK (we haven’t heard the last of this one, me thinks!), (3) the money and commitment Europe and China are investing in their railroads compared to what we are doing in the U.S. (and North America), (4) the impact Katrina had on the RR industry and how it is rebounding.
CN’s string of derailments, particularly in western Canada, which revealed a remarkable degree of corporate hubris (“Don’t tell us how to run our trains”). Merger meltdown with a twist–this isn’t just shippers jumping up and down, but ordinary people watching toxic gloop spill into their backyards. The question everyone was asking–is safety being compromised for a better ROI?
Ami***eam tracks and Quaker moving company.
Bnsfkline getting blown, his engine, that is…
Shackles in boxcars.
The plight of Montana Wheat farms…
The introduction of the Primatine mist defense in DUI cases…
Anything about the growing evil empire of BNSF and it’s oppression of the freedom loving Washington apple growers.
The discovery that the world is flat, and if we had open access, all our problems would disappear.
NASA’s announcement that Montana pond scum has been found growing on Mars.
The fact that the “Stupid Question” thread might contain more valid railroad information than everything the Washington Post has ever published on railroading.
Oh, and gravity works!
I might as well toss out a couple of thoughts on the Top RR News Stories.
The Hurricanes were definitely a biggie. The railroads did respond quickly and have rebuilt.
METRA derailments and grade crossing accidents. Unfortunately 2005 was a rough year for METRA.
Firing of David Gunn from Amtrak
Return of 2 Mainline steam locomotives to action. Not only did the Union Pacific return the #844 to steam and run it from Cheyenne to Omaha. Also Nickel Plate #765 returned to steam in October(I think). With plans to run in 2006, hopefully the 2006 NRHS Convention might be on the radar screen for the #765.
UP unveils “Heritage Units”. These “units” painted for the railroads that are fallen flags from past mergers made quite a splash when they were unveiled. Granted the UP admits they were done to keep up the trademark fiasco, but they are keeping the railfan community busy chasing them around, along with the George W. Bush unit #4141.
The Graniteville wreck may be a big story, but not by itself. Add to it the UP’s wreck in Texas, and a couple of others where switches were left lined into occupied sidings. We now have a whole new procedure to follow for switches in dark territory because of it.
This is one big story that hasn’t ended yet–and won’t until the issue of crew fatigue is put to rest (ouch!) once and for all.
Also the Gunn firing is just another part of the much bigger story of the administration building a coffin for Amtrak and paying the airlines to ship it.
I promise that this is as political as I ever get.
The failure (again) of Congress and the Bush Administration to create any kind of meaningful passenger & freight rail infrastructure improvement policy (such as we have for highways and aviation)
The firing of David Gunn … all he did was do the job he was hired for!
The recovery by the railroads along the Gulf Coast after Katrina and Rita… a truly remarkable story of teamwork and ingenuity… and all, I might add without a lick of help from anyone else. While other transportation-related entities couldn’t clear a street of debris, the railroads collectively showed a “can do” attitude and got back in action in as little as ten days.
Katrina, Dave Gunn, MTA strike, UP 844 returning to service,
and the SP 4449 and SP&S 700 derailing!
Hard to belive these two beautiful locos could derail. (for more info. go to www.sps700.org.)
That is what I think.
[8D][:D][^][:O][8)][:P][;)][alien][X-)][bow][%-)][(-D][swg][:-^][{(-_-)}]
Well…