Working rail roads and their tracks.

[ArlyA]

CN SD40u 6018 and B&LE SD40T-3 904 spot cars for dumping at Dock 2 at Two Harbors as the Michipicoten loads for Algoma Steel at Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Two Harbors, MN - July 25, 2023

Who says railroads are dead?

 

[5030]

Railroads are far from dead, however, the rail companies need to up the ante' far as ongoing maintenance is concerned and refrain from cutting employees. If that was the case, the disaster in Ohio would have never happened.

Got a good friend who is an engineer on the Toledo to Chicago run and they work his tail off. Yes, he makes good money but he lives out of his 'grip' and stays in motels and hotels a lot. Not a job for a family man.

Actually worse than over the road truck driving.

When you cut a train crew to 2 people, the quality of oversight in operation also falls.

No possible way a 'conductor' can adequately inspect a mile long train properly. Just don't happen and when derailments happen it's usually equipment failure just like the Ohio disaster.

 

[ArlyA]

Railroads are far from dead, however, the rail companies need to up the ante' far as ongoing maintenance is concerned and refrain from cutting employees. If that was the case, the disaster in Ohio would have never happened.

Got a good friend who is an engineer on the Toledo to Chicago run and they work his tail off. Yes, he makes good money but he lives out of his 'grip' and stays in motels and hotels a lot. Not a job for a family man.

Actually worse than over the road truck driving.

When you cut a train crew to 2 people, the quality of oversight in operation also falls.

No possible way a 'conductor' can adequately inspect a mile long train properly. Just don't happen and when derailments happen it's usually equipment failure just like the Ohio disaster.

Our FRC in the Department Of Transportation needs to mandate better maintenance and other safty features into the RR industry.....

 

[5030]

FRC??? It's already there, like positive train control and electronic track monitoring but it has to be used properly to be effective.

 

[ArlyA]

Photo taken in Houghton MI at a unknown date. Looking at the automobiles, can anyone guess? I say the teens or 20's. You can see across the canal the city of Hancock in the background.

 

[Hay Dude]

CN SD40u 6018 and B&LE SD40T-3 904 spot cars for dumping at Dock 2 at Two Harbors as the Michipicoten loads for Algoma Steel at Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Two Harbors, MN - July 25, 2023

Who says railroads are dead?
View attachment 812960

Come on out my way sometime. In my area, aside from the long profitable runs like you show above, they’re dead.

Dead as a door nail. Like 8” trees growing through the tracks dead. Like rails to trails dead.

 

[5030]

Had to drive to Cleveland the other day and I found it amazing that the roads here in Michigan suck as well as the rest area's. We pay huge taxes here and insurance and Ohio is night and day better. Took 23 (pothole city) to Ohio 23 south. Once we crossed the Ohio line, everything changed for the better. I never hit ONE pothole all the way to Cleveland. Ohio has real rest areas instead of pit toilets and well water. They actually have food courts and items for sale (albeit inflated prices), quite a change from Michigan.

Michigan roads and rest area's SUCK, big time.

 

[5030]

One thing I find somewhat arcane and that is, with Michigan's extremely high GVW weight restrictions (165 thousand on 11 axles) and no Federal Bridge Formula applied (and yes, for years I piloted an 11 axle Michigan 'sled', delivering steel), road building and rebuilding here follows the other states in how they are built and rebuilt and that is way sub standard for the GVW allowed here.

Working on 23 North, north of Milan to Ann Arbor and resurfacing with hot top (asphalt) instead of totally removing the road, excavating the underlayment and topping with concrete and rebar. Total waste of tax dollars and the road will be pothole city in less than 2 winters.

Only reinforced concrete can carry the weight here in Michigan and the overpasses are in the same deteriorating boat as well. That 165 kicker tag on the plate ain't cheap either.

The way it plays is:
13K on each trailer axle ( times 8, plus 34K on the drives and the balance on the steer, predicated by tire width and front axle capacity). It is possible and done often by spacing the lead axle on the trailer over 8' from the second axle (has to be on air) and that allows you 20K instead of 13 but the gross weight don't change. Sled drivers do that to increase the margin before overloading an axle and the over weight fines are steep here as well. Interestingly, all overweight fines as well as equipment fines go to the local library system under state statute, something most Michigander don't realize.

 

[ArlyA]

One thing I find somewhat arcane and that is, with Michigan's extremely high GVW weight restrictions (165 thousand on 11 axles) and no Federal Bridge Formula applied (and yes, for years I piloted an 11 axle Michigan 'sled', delivering steel), road building and rebuilding here follows the other states in how they are built and rebuilt and that is way sub standard for the GVW allowed here.

Working on 23 North, north of Milan to Ann Arbor and resurfacing with hot top (asphalt) instead of totally removing the road, excavating the underlayment and topping with concrete and rebar. Total waste of tax dollars and the road will be pothole city in less than 2 winters.

Only reinforced concrete can carry the weight here in Michigan and the overpasses are in the same deteriorating boat as well. That 165 kicker tag on the plate ain't cheap either.

The way it plays is:
13K on each trailer axle ( times 8, plus 34K on the drives and the balance on the steer, predicated by tire width and front axle capacity). It is possible and done often by spacing the lead axle on the trailer over 8' from the second axle (has to be on air) and that allows you 20K instead of 13 but the gross weight don't change. Sled drivers do that to increase the margin before overloading an axle and the over weight fines are steep here as well. Interestingly, all overweight fines as well as equipment fines go to the local library system under state statute, something most Michigander don't realize.

time for you to start a new thread.

 

[5030]

time for you to start a new thread.

Not really. I'm retired and no longer do that, other than hauling grain to the elevator under contract for local growers with a 5 axle rig that comes under the Federal Bridge formula (20-20-34 and 12) on 5 axles with a 10-2 spread on air on the trailer.