Maine lands $20m grant for rail upgrades

[Steve Smith]

http://bangordailynews.com/2015/10/26/business/maine-lands-20-million-federal-grant-to-support-rail-upgrades/

[Mike Fox]

I don't like the way that is worded. Sounds like they will be investing more federal and state monies into private railroads..and here is proof.

http://www.pressherald.com/2015/10/26/freight-railways-get-20-million-from-feds/

[Jock Ellis]

Mike, are the private railroads common carriers?

[Steve Smith]

I believe that some years back a good chunk of government funding went to the Norfolk Southern so it could increase the capacity of its line from Roanoke VA to Harrisburg PA--this to shift a large number of semis from Interstate 81 onto NS intermodal trains. Don't recall whether it was federal or state money, but would guess probably federal.

[Wayne Laepple]

Most projects that receive federal funds require 20-25% matching funds. Those funds can come from any other source. Often there is some percentage of state funds, along with corporate or local dollars. There are sometimes provisions to permit in-kind services in lieu of cash.

As for trucks on I-81, on a recent trip, I was astounded at the number of rigs coming north as I was going south. In 15 minutes of counting every truck that passed, I reached 212. If that rate held for an hour, that would be 448 per hour. That's an awful lot of trucks roaring up the road at 70 or better!!

[Steve Smith]

Wayne, you've created an algebra problem for us (one I'm not sure I'm up to solving anymore ) To get the actual count of trucks going north in the fifteen minutes you were counting, we need to know how fast you were going. Since you were in motion in the opposite direction, you encountered northbound trucks at a fast rate than you would have if you'd been stationary. Jason was good at algebra in school, I'll bet he can give us the answer.

[John McNamara]

As anyone who has driven at 55 on a two-lane road separated by a double yellow line realizes to their discomfort, the closure rate between you and the oncoming traffic is 110 MPH. Therefore, you would see twice as many trucks as you would standing on an overhead bridge and watching them whiz by underneath you. The bridge-stander would see only 106 trucks in 15 minutes, or 424 TPH (trucks per hour). Assuming that Wayne was going 70 MPH and saw 212 going 70 MPH in 15 minutes, he saw 848 TPH.

-John M

[Steve Smith]

Oooops! Make that FASTER rate, not fast rate. Sorry.

[Steve Smith]

John, you are assuming that Wayne was going southbound at the same rate the trucks were going northbound. But your post does call attention to the need to know how fast the trucks were going northbound. Hardly likely all were going at the same speed, so some average would need to be chosen to make an estimate.

In any case, with Interstate 81 so clogged with trucks, I wonder whether that plan to use partly government funds to beef up capacity on the Norfolk Southern actually came to pass.

[Wayne Laepple]

I never was any good at higher math. But I should have proofread what I wrote. I was just doing simple math and extrapolating that if I saw 212 rigs in 15 minutes, I'd have counted 848 in an hour. Notwithstanding the fact that I was moving south at 70 mph or so, it was one hell of a line of trucks coming the other way, and no one in a car should get in their way! After that particular trip, I started driving on parallel U.S. 11, the old four-lane highway that is now nearly abandoned except in the towns along the way. Many of those downtowns are in fact abandoned by the businesses that have moved out to the strips malls and so forth along the big road. That's a discussion for another time.....

[Mike Fox]

Perhaps my thinking is a little off, because they invest in federal and state highways all the time, and trucks benefit from that. But the investment with our money into highways is something we all can use. Not just something that is privately owned and can be abandoned with or without the investment.

[Paul Uhland]

Speaking of busy, a 'pool' count among riders of a recent wb private car/#3 trip I took showed 30 BNSF freights along 257 Transcon miles, Abq-Winslow, parallel I-40 thick with semis.
The next morning, Cajon Pass triple track main was jammed with more freight, along with  I-15 almost bumper-to-bumper with trucks/autos at 0600.

Recession? What recession?

[John Kokas]

Recession is coming,  I keep tabs on the industry and my son works for a large Class II.  Class I's are starting layoffs to include management (really not a good sign), engines are being parked as well as many freight cars.  I am also aware of one of our local shortlines which was switching 40+ car unit trains of crude every day - they have not had a train in almost 2 months and most of the crews have now been laid off.