n01jd1 wrote:
If anyone thinks that NS is going to build a new Portageville Viaduct or bring back freight on the Tier between Bingamton and New Jersey, then you are very much a pollyanna. This whole power point presentation is nothing more than a cheap fluff piece put out by the NS in order to get some goodwill from NY state politicians who now think that there is some future for the Tier and keeping those jobs and taxes.
And you have evidence of this statement?
n01jd1 wrote: If Portageville becomes unusable, they will go to the WNYP routing and thats it.
That doesn't even make any sense. The WNYP route to Buffalo is long and slow... not very good for Patriot Corridor trains
n01jd1 wrote:As for the Tier between Binghamton and Port Jervis, The only reason thats not a bike path is because the NYSW (via the CNYK) is leasing it and NS doesnt have to pay to maintain it anymore and they dont want anyone else, like the CP getting their hands on it.
And the fact that it lies directly in the Marcellus Shale "Jackpot" zone...
n01jd1 wrote:NS doesnt even have crews qualified west of Middletown anymore.
Port Jervis actually.
n01jd1 wrote:Getting new crews to run road freights is difficult at best because its under the Nickle Plate agreement and there arent NKP enough people based out of NJ as there is only the yard work in Croxton and locals over the former EL.
I think there's a few crews in Campbell Hall who wouldn't mind keeping the cash flow coming in.
n01jd1 wrote:Most of those guys, having worked cushy jobs all their career will not want to suddenly be working road jobs and being away form home all the time and you cannot pull people from the NSR side who would otherwise be experienced and be able to immediately qualify the route.
9.6% unemployment rate and foreclosure rate through the roof. I think they can find a few people
n01jd1 wrote:So in order to get crews, you will have to hire them off the street which NS DOES NOT want to do if its an any way increases the ranks of NKP people in New Jersey.
They're actually hiring right now in many places including NJ and NY.
n01jd1 wrote:Then you have to deal with NJTransit east of Port Jervis. They DONT want freight on their railroad and will do anything including delaying trains to making sure crews dont get qualified to ensure freights stay off their railroad.
That doesnt even make any sense and is not even possible even if they want to. This statement is way out there.
n01jd1 wrote:The fact of the matter is NS gave up on the Tier east of Binghamton long ago. Thats why there arent any trains on it and no crews qualified west of Middletown.
Port Jervis actually
n01jd1 wrote:(where the last active industry is) Just to show you how much NS thinks of the Tier, they are in the middle of dumping the Campbell Hall cluster to the M&NJ.
Local branches actually. They'll still be delivering the material to CH. If they wanted out of the area, they could have "dumped" the whole business on the NYSW.
n01jd1 wrote:Now I know its nice to think of what might be or might have been. I understand the railfan nostalgia regarding the Tier, but we all have to face reality. The Tier has been dying a slow death since the EL decided to single track the Tier and run over the DL&W into New Jersey.
But yet it still lives on. How's that DL&W route to NJ looking these days?
n01jd1 wrote:It almost became a bike path under Conrail and it would have if New York hadnt given Conrail money for some improvements and they like NS didnt want anyone else getting it.
Finally... a little bit of truth! Conrail sympathists should remember this...
n01jd1 wrote:The reality is, what you see is what you get. There will be no change for the better, and for now, no change for the worse.
2011 will change a lot of railroads in the area, including the Tier.
n01jd1 wrote: If you want to see NS trains, I suggest you go to the Pittsburgh Line, thats the railroad NS wants and thats the railroad NS will invest in.
No one ever questioned that NS wants and will invest in the Pittsburg Line. If they didn't have that, they'd pretty much be screwed.
I think it may be possible that NJ Transit might not be the perfect, infallible organization that most people assume it is.