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NS may lease or sell North Carolina secondary lines
As a former employee of NS in Asheville, I’m surprised this hasn’t happened sooner,
You’re just dumb Tommy. Go back to watching Thomas the Train videos.
Tommy: The future of these lines is more promising with a local (i.e. shortline) at the helm. We have an almost 30 year period that proves what the Class ones did not want are now thriving lines.
why is NSC all of a sudden wanting to get rid of these lines, especially the Saluda W Line. Oh I get it now class 1 railroads don’t care about anything but money! Employees mean nothing as well as the area. I say the Government should put more regs on them and then lets see what NSC thinks then. I know if they lease the W Line to a shortline then the traffic comes back they can redo Saluda, a lot of knew this was coming when they railbanked it.
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Gerald don’t start acting like the goose or you will be ask to leave too.
I wonder if it will be part of a larger family (I. e. G&W)?
Sounds like they may be selling or leasing to one operator. Would be nice if the GSMRR could get the rest of the Murphy branch.
Sounds like they may be selling or leasing to one operator. Would be nice if the GSMRR could get the rest of the Murphy branch.
More regulations? Look at the railroad situation before 1980 (Staggers) when the federal government heavily controlled railroad operations, line sales, etc. Before 1980, much of the railroad system was bankrupt, shippers saw only bad service, tracks were in terrible condition, etc. The industry recovery only happened after the railroads were allowed to sell off lines, determine services based upon the customer, and have the ability to negotiate rates instead of waiting months or even years for the ICC to decide a rate or service standard.
These lines see little business on them, and probably not enough to justify the huge yearly investments required by NS. However, an operation focused on the local business might have a chance to turn the business around. Its been done successfully hundreds of times, and yes failed many times too. But, the lines and the customers on them deserve a chance to try before it is too late.
It seems that the class I’s are specializing and that they prefer presumably lower cost, more specialized regional short lines to handle feeder routes. there’s nothing wrong with that
Just do NOT sell it to the folks with the G&W!!! They are trying to take over the world!!
It’s not so much that railroads don’t care about anything but money but they are under a legal duty – speaking of regulations – to act in the best interests of their shareholders, who do care about making money from their investments and typically don’t care whether that money is made from running trains or making medicines or selling cars. If a corporation is not putting its shareholders first it should presumably forfeit its charter and go out of business. They don 't exist to employ people; they employ people – and just enough people – so they can do their business.
We saw how well railroads did when the government “put more regs on them.” Ask the former Rock Island employees (or customers for that matter) how they are doing under their well-regulated railroad. Or the Rutland guys. Or NYO&W guys. Or going way back, the Colorado Midland guys. If you love railroad regulation, that era was heaven on earth: revenues and business operations were tightly controlled, but expenses were free market.
I can’t speak for the North Carolina situation but in Wisconsin the shippers are a lot better off with the Wisconsin & Southern running the lines that the Milwaukee Road ad starved with deferred maintenance even back when the Milwaukee was doing OK.
I agree with Chris. It would be nice if the Great Smoky Mountains Railway could get the rest of the Murphy Branch. Or at least be able to expand their excursions from Dillsboro eastward over Balsam Gap into Waynesville.
The NS is doing the right thing by its shareholders. These lies to be put up for lease are not paying for the level of maintance
that the railroad deems to be needed nor the labor rates the railroad pays. At least the lines are being given a chance to survive if a shortline operator steps forward.
As a long-time fan of the NYO&W it’s sad but true that there was no way to make money with its sparsely-populated route with almost no on-line industry (Norwich was shared with DL&W) and once the coal traffic from Lackawanna Valley (also shared with many others) declined the only option would have been a state-supported commuter road from Orange County – that also shared with the Erie. So sad as it is that the O&W went under in 1957, it’s the logic of a railroad that probably should never have been built, or at least dismantled as soon as modern highways came in in the 1930’s.
Business is business. That being said, it will be entertaining to see what happens next.
Make no mistake, no business cares about anything but money. One shouldn’t confuse railroads with railfans. Railroads are business enterprises out to squeeze the most money from their investment as possible. As one prior poster stated and speaking from a railfan perspective, hopefully none of the larger shortline conglomerates will buy the lines such as G&W. I’m just as tired of seeing their orange, yellow and black corporate paint scheme as I am any of the Class I’s. Variety is the spice of life you know. Unfortunately, consolidation in any form, be it locomotive rosters or paint schemes is just about as common in shortlines as it is in Class I railroads these days. Independent or smaller shortline owners are becoming a thing of the past.
It seems that Preston thinks railroads were created so railfans can see different colored engines. Hope he was just kidding. Other posts seem to ignore the dramatic comeback that Class 1’s have made and also the large increase of financially strong short line railroads. Can’t believe some of these contributors are really railfans, as they don’t seem to understand what positive changes have taken place over the past 10+ years.