Lets see here since i do Meteorology in the Navy and I am a huge train freak Ive been keeping track of hurricane conditions again this year in the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico. Im wondeing if the railroads are doing anything different this year to prepare for another rough hurricane season. I know most of the track removed last year has been replaced but im wondering if there are strategies that the railroads have now put into play since last season. Just a heads up to the Railfans in the south and on the coast please be careful and keep an eye on soon to be Hurricane Chris. The water temps in the gulf are of the same temps as last year when Katrina and Rita hit. This is going to be another rough season.
Nick
My son plans to join the Navy and go into their nuclear power program.
Hey Nick, I see you are from Asheville and model the NS! We just visited the Biltmore House on July 4th weekend and had a blast! I am modeling a portion of the Piedmont Division of the Norfolk Southern. I too wonder what if anything the railroads are doing in response to hurricane preparations based on Katrina and Rita from last year and the hurricanes that hit Florida two seasons ago. I have been keepin an eye on Chris, any idea yet as to it’s projected path, I heard on the radio that it may hit Florida by next week?
Cheers,
Ryan
As far as my office can tell it will be a Cat. 1 by this time tomorrow and possibly a cat 2 if and when it hits the gulf. The Biltmore has a great fireworks show i watched it from my back porch they have a show atleast twice a month. if you come back into town let me know and we can meet up and run some trains. Im a member of the train club in Hendersonville at the old Train Station
I can’t speak for the railroads, but I work for one of the big plastic mfg companies found on the gulf coast. We have taken steps to build huge amounts of stock and distribute it to many various RR terminal across NA. The train yards found outside of the hurricane zone are loaded with hoppers full of resin.
No kidding??? I “do” meteorology in the Air Force! Small hobby!
The sea surface temps may be the same, but how about the location of the semi-permanent pressure features like the Bermuda ridge? Looks as if the ridge wants to keep Chris south of Florida, or at least most of the model guidance says so.
OK, sorry, I’m off topic! TRAINS. I’m not sure about repairs to the track from last season, but I know that some of the non-tropical flooding up in PA and NY earler this summer was claimed to be worse than the remnants of Hurricane Agnes in 1972, which caused so much flooding it pretty much collapsed the northeast railroad network. Coupled with the Penn Central bankrupcy, Agnes, by washing out thousands of miles of track and hundreds of bridges, helped “precipitate” Conrail (pun intended).
USAF Weather!