Working rail roads and their tracks.

MossRoad · Jun 3, 2021

Hay Dude said:
Makes you wonder about the 100’s of billions, if not trillions, in cost over runs that will be paid on transportation/infrastructure projects you hear being proposed.

At least they caught it before they signed the contracts. Now they have to go back to the drawing board and find where to make cuts/additions to justify the cost.

This project is not a necessity. It's a ploy to get people to move into far away suburbs of Chicago while making it an easy commute to Chicago. Now, since it's been proven that many if not most office workers can work remotely, I think they should scrap it entirely.

Our county put in tens of millions of dollars to this project, and it's not even happening here. It's two counties away. They think people are going to move here to work in Chicago. It takes a little over 2 hours on the train now. The ultimate goal is to make it a 90 minute ride. There's a separate project being debated here as to where to locate the train station. It used to be downtown via tracks down the center of the streets when I was a kid. Then they moved it to the west side of town to eliminate the frequent car/train accidents. That made it a straight shot out of town to Chicago, but the station (shared with an Amtrack station) is in a bad neighborhood, and people were scared to drive and park there.

So they moved the train station to the airport by using an existing freight spur. That's nice to have the train and airport at the same spot, but it added 12 minutes to the commute. So now their figuring where to move that station.

It's an expensive mess for a subsidized rail line that cannot function on it's own revenue. So they try and justify it with economic impact statements.

All I know is that train goes by my house about 12 times a day. 6 cars. Maybe 20 heads in the windows.

MossRoad · Jun 3, 2021

ArlyA said:
Anyone else interested in seeing the BIG boy in August or this fall?? If they go anywhere near us, we will!

If it comes anywhere near us, I'd make an excursion.

Hay Dude · Jun 3, 2021

MossRoad said:
At least they caught it before they signed the contracts. Now they have to go back to the drawing board and find where to make cuts/additions to justify the cost.

This project is not a necessity. It's a ploy to get people to move into far away suburbs of Chicago while making it an easy commute to Chicago. Now, since it's been proven that many if not most office workers can work remotely, I think they should scrap it entirely.

Our county put in tens of millions of dollars to this project, and it's not even happening here. It's two counties away. They think people are going to move here to work in Chicago. It takes a little over 2 hours on the train now. The ultimate goal is to make it a 90 minute ride. There's a separate project being debated here as to where to locate the train station. It used to be downtown via tracks down the center of the streets when I was a kid. Then they moved it to the west side of town to eliminate the frequent car/train accidents. That made it a straight shot out of town to Chicago, but the station (shared with an Amtrack station) is in a bad neighborhood, and people were scared to drive and park there.

So they moved the train station to the airport by using an existing freight spur. That's nice to have the train and airport at the same spot, but it added 12 minutes to the commute. So now their figuring where to move that station.

It's an expensive mess for a subsidized rail line that cannot function on it's own revenue. So they try and justify it with economic impact statements.

All I know is that train goes by my house about 12 times a day. 6 cars. Maybe 20 heads in the windows.

Yeah makes me wonder about the absurd waste of spending $177,000,000 to simply refurbish 10 miles of track, some small bridges and catenary, and build a small new train station near my town.
That’s a lot of cost for commuters some of whom now will probably work from home.
Whoopsiedasies

I really like seeing rail infrastructure extended, improved and built, but I have to admit, the astronomical costs are not going to be recovered. That’s why most public rail is subsidized

BoylermanCT · Jun 3, 2021

ArlyA said:
Anyone else interested in seeing the BIG boy in August or this fall?? If they go anywhere near us, we will!

Even if it does not come near you, go see it. I flew from CT to Cheyenne to see it in 2019. Best railfanning trip of my lifetime!

buckeyefarmer · Jun 3, 2021

I saw the inactive one in a park in Cheyenne.

the old grind · Jun 3, 2021

There was a Berkshire fenced in at a park just West of Fort Wayne but I didn't log the number. When I met a young fellow who was working in Durand to restore a Berkshire he said it might be the same one when I asked. Last it heard it wasn't but both are in preservation and may be running of late. I'll try to get the numbers for them and link some info. btw, Berkshire is a 2-8-4 of considerable pulling power and but a step below the 4-8-4 Northern class. Nickel Plate Road and Pere Marquette are the familiar/campy 'Berk' road names.

the old grind · Jun 3, 2021

Looks like #1225 is the Berkshire restored and the one currently operational out of Owosso, MI (P-M, Lima #7839, 1941, "Appeared in Polar Espress movie") What I saw in Ft Wayne may now be #765 'operational' out of new Haven IN. (NYC&StL, Lima #8673, 1944)

btw, what many non-fans don't realize is that separate from the boiler the true 'motor' of a steam locomotive is really just the lower cylinders ahead of the drive wheels. All the rest is just for combustion to make the steam that drives them. (The cyls above them are valves)

You're good until your boiler ticket expires.

ArlyA · Jun 4, 2021

BoylermanCT said:
Even if it does not come near you, go see it. I flew from CT to Cheyenne to see it in 2019. Best railfanning trip of my lifetime!

Not sure we'd fly anywhere to see it, but hopefully the UP with announce the tour route. Seems they'll need to do that soon! I again signed up to the big boy email list but if anyone hears anything about the tour, please post it here.