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  • Atlantic City Press letter about CMSL cars in Rio Grande

  • Discussion relating to the PRSL
Discussion relating to the PRSL

Moderator: JJMDiMunno

 #404379  by prsl7668
 
Letter to the editor in today's Press slams the CMSL about the trashed cars in Rio Grande along with a photo. CMSL nows says cars can't be moved because of bad track conditions. Sounds like the politicans aren't too happy with the excuses given by CMSL for the past year about the situation.

 #404427  by George W. Rosenzweig
 
Sounds like the politicians need to prioritize their concerns. Rather than continually fret about "unsightly" cars, they should be focused on the fact that vermin in Rio Grande and Middle Township overall, are defacing property with such frequency. To those not from this region, it's not reported how much distruction of a similar nature (and worse) occurs on other business properties.

The point is, when the trains are moved, the problem will still linger. How many arrests have been made for such criminal acts? Where is the town/township outrage that so much vandalism is occuring throughout the area?

 #404448  by PRSL1972
 
I cant see how he could say the track conditions are bad. That might be the case so how the hell did he get the equipment up from cape may? Over bad track conditions at 5mph. Plan and simple he has no room for the cars in tuckahoe and the folks in that area will not tolerate that blight.

 #404509  by lv414
 
Does this mean no trains to Cape May this year because thet can't use the tracks to move the equipment down from Tuckahoe?

 #404721  by PRSL1972
 
Most likely not hate to say.

 #404797  by prr60
 
So maybe the problem with Cape May service is not just the Canal Bridge? That would seem to jive with other stories that suggest that the unfortunate logistics issues raised by having to store the usable equipment at Tuckahoe makes serving Cape May financially impractical. Note that this is all pure speculation on my part, but the distance, speed and time are what they are.

Given that Rio Grande is not a secure location to store trains overnight (if you expect them to be in one piece the next day), and that there are probably no other towns on the Cape that would willingly host overnight storage (that may be a whole other story), then CMSL-friendly Tuckahoe is likely the only choice left. The bad track segment, Woodbine Junction to Cape May Court House, is about 12 miles. At 5 miles per hour that is about 2.5 hours each way or 5 hours round trip just to position equipment for the revenue moves to and from Cape May. There's a pretty big hunk of the work shift devoted to just moving empty equipment. That sure makes the Richland service, leaving right from Tuckahoe and using decent track, seem pretty attractive by comparison.

I would have a great deal of sympathy for CMSL if this were, in fact, the principal reason Cape May service has not been resumed. The security issues at Rio Grande are not their fault and the local authorities seem unable or unwilling to stop it. The other municipalities from the Court House to Cape May seem, at best, ambivalent toward the CMSL service, and some may even be hostile toward the operation.

It would just be nice to know what is going on down there. Somehow I suspect it is far more complicated both physically and politically than just a problem with a movable bridge.

 #404860  by PRSL1972
 
This is a big problem. In some of the news papers the town has said that all funding that the CMSL is getting should be suspended due to the inability of the railroad to keep its promise. Is this harsh or extreme, no and I will tell you why, the rr has promised on numerous occasions to move the equipment and it has failed to do so. A good addage is good fences make good neighbors. Can this relationship be repaired between the rr and the town most certainly. Both sides have to get together and work the problem to get a solution. It looks like the town is going to try what ever it can "leagily" to evict the cars off its own property. Stay tuned!!

 #404944  by lv414
 
PRSL1972 wrote:Most likely not hate to say.
I used to like to walk over with the kids from the campground to take the train to the zoo when they first started. I hope in the future they will start going to the zoo again since the trains always had a lot of people on them.

 #404981  by blockline4180
 
I used to like to walk over with the kids from the campground to take the train to the zoo when they first started. I hope in the future they will start going to the zoo again since the trains always had a lot of people on them.

Don't hold your breath!!!
 #405365  by louisfols
 
I would love to guard these cars a few nights a week if I lived nearby with my shotgun.
 #405490  by PRSL1972
 
louisfols wrote:I would love to guard these cars a few nights a week if I lived nearby with my shotgun.
Violence is not the answer nor a deterant. The answer is simple stick to your word that you made so you can get the twp off your back. Remember rr eguipment and unskilledfull artist are a perfect match!!!

 #409547  by prsl7668
 
JoeBas wrote:And the return salvo is today fired.

http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/opin ... 9662c.html
The guy who wrote the letter is CMSL spokesman for the NJARP. He always has updates on their site about the CMSL. Why don't they just move the cars to the other side of the Canal Bridge where they have some sidings they don't use.

 #409552  by PRSL1972
 
Do you remember the movie Convoy and how the sheriff was waiting for the rubber duck. Cape may county is waiting to see where they will go

 #409629  by PRSLFAN
 
I remember seeing alot of sidings around Cape May City. And I always wondered if the sidings were used as passing sidings to allow a lot of trains to move in and out of Cape May? I think it would be a good idea to move the cars around there. Its a matter of fixing the Canal Bridge and figure out a way to get those cars out of the sidings at Rio Grande.