Cast your gaze about 5 years down the road. There are a lot of trends in the works right now concerning transportaion. How will they play out? Five years from now, on October 26th, 2022 what will we be discussing on the Trains Magazine Forum?
We seem to discuss the same stuff today as we did 5 years ago.
What will we be discussing? Probably how those lousy, low-down, dirty, stinky, smelly, soul-less, motherless diesel assassins murdered our beloved steam locomotives and how it shows there’s no justice in this world!
Hey, that’s what we ALWAYS do! Some thing’s ain’t gonna change, nor should they!
The disappearance of the 50-foot IPD box cars.
Why can’t we have any long-distance passenger service in the country?
The wrecks caused by malfunctions in Positive Train Control.
EHH attempts to bring precision service to the Hudson Bay Railway, because the crisp air is better for him up there.
Mudchicken might retire, after which Mookie will probably consent to being declawed and be content to be lying by the fire. A certain pair of tin shoes will have corroded, and the Scoundrel Command will completely disband.
Indeed.
I suspect that much will depend on where energy goes - is coal still a player? How about oil?
And technology - has PTC been worth it? One man crews, and even self-driving or remote (as in miles away) control trains?
I suspect our two resident taboo topics will still be taboo, albeit unchanged in the real world.
And has CSX recovered from EHH yet? [}:)]
When pigs fly! [|(]
Well that took a weird turn.
For starters, I’d say in 5 years we’ll be talking about how the pendulum has swung back in the energy world, making coal and oil shipments hot items again,
Nope… the pendulum will stop swinging due to lack of energy (or interest). [|(]
I’m not sure I understand your post. Lack of coal and oil? Lack of interest in coal and oil? Lack of interest in forum discussions about cole and oil? Ot lack of energy or interest in internet forums in general?
You left out lack of energy to discust Cole and oil.
But to answer all 5 questions… Yes.
Intermodal profitability and growth - or the lack thereof.
And yes - autonomous vehicle technology. It should be far easier to implement on railraods, and in controlled situations such as an intermodal yard, than out on the public streets and highways.
Brave, very very brave…
CShaveRR
Mookie will probably consent to being declawed
When pigs fly!
[/quote]
Five years from now Brightline Florida will be running and (hopefully) extended to Orlando. By then we will certainly know if the idea is a local success or a success worthy of repeating on a national scale. It will be an interesting half-decade.
On 10/26/22 we could talk about how I celebrated my 24th year on the railroad. 10/26 is my hire date, the day I started new-hire class. My trainman’s seniority date is 11/14, the day we graduated from class. I had to wait for the conductor I was assigned to for training to return before I could mark up, so my first actual trip was 11/16. Which was also my father’s birthday.
This year I celebrated 19 years with a 9900 foot manifest that had a dynamiter. The inbound crew said the air went everytime they set air. Using a trick of the trade, I was luckier. I set air four times and it only went twice.
Jeff
For which your Conductor thanked you (under their breath).
That’s pretty much what I expect as well. I would expect some more discussion/nostalgia over the equipment from the beginnings of the passenger rail revival - Amfleet will be 45+ years old, original BART cars will be 50 years old (BART service started in September 1972.
Progress only moves that rapidly with Information Technology. Transportation moves at a snail’s pace (no pun intended).
I suspect there will be discussion of some incident that PTC was thought to protect and didn’t.