Selkirk hump to shut down?

jbeckley68 wrote:Maybe a totally unrelated event, I noticed dump trucks unloading stone near the dead-ended class tracks at Dewitt?

Never see activity there?

Word is they will be block swapping in DeWitt also, in addition to Selkirk. I would guess that has something to do with what you saw.

As far as Selkirk goes, it's looking like the local yard is going to be the spot for the block swaps, but I don't think they've dropped stone yet.

The posts about what Hunter does are 100% correct. I saw the results as a BN, and CP employee. Many of the cuts are just a short term way, to save money, by deferring maintenance. Think of the price in scrap, by tearing everything up. Anything that isn't nailed down will be sold. CP has a section, of their website, for bidding on surplus equipment. You should have seen it under Hunter!

This is nothing new. Railroad historians just need to look at what Patrick McGinnis did to Boston and Maine. He told shareholders that he could make them more. Although B&M wasn't ever that profitable, the previous Edward French management team did a good job, of reinventing, in their operations. McGinnis then raped the B&M, just like Hunter has done at BN, IC, CN, CPR, and now CSX. It's the same game, only the names have changed.

And one of the characteristics of the railroad industry is that by its very nature you can cut out maintenance and capital expenditures for several years before the effects begin to show--all at once, in most cases. The trick seems to be to eliminate maintenance for a few consecutive summers, look like a hero, and--very important--don't wait too long to sell. Still, there seem to be plenty of investors who fall for the hype.

I understand they have returned to humping cars at Selkirk again. I am not sure whether it is a 24/7 operation or limited to certain tricks. I have a good friend who lives within a short distance of the hump and he has seen and heard the hump in operation and has heard them on the radio as well. I hope it is back to stay. Who knows???
Noel Weaver

Selkirk hump never shut down. It was threatened and several dates proposed as the rumor mill goes but it never stopped humping. There are at least 2 hump sets active during the day. I assume it runs 24x7. The "new" practice was to have a hump set waiting and hump the cars within an hour or so of the road power cutting off. This practice left the Receiving Yard looking pretty empty most of the time. This past Saturday the receiving yard was pretty full but they were humping the cuts one right after the other.

It's been suggested on another forum that EHH and his handlers may have gotten the message (from the customers) and have slowed down considerably with their changes.

Still, they're going to have to do some 'splainin' to the STB in a week or two, after the customers express their concerns.

I recently heard Selkirk was being re-evaluated. If they decided to keep it open, they may route more traffic through the area at the expense of other routes and yards.

Once again, Selkirk hump was never shut down. It came close to being shut down, but it did not happen. The reduced traffic in the yard was due to the changes elsewhere, which we all know didn't work.

CP4743 wrote:Selkirk hump never shut down. It was threatened and several dates proposed as the rumor mill goes but it never stopped humping. There are at least 2 hump sets active during the day. I assume it runs 24x7. The "new" practice was to have a hump set waiting and hump the cars within an hour or so of the road power cutting off. This practice left the Receiving Yard looking pretty empty most of the time. This past Saturday the receiving yard was pretty full but they were humping the cuts one right after the other.

Exactly how humps should be run in the first place, not shut down! They are more efficient than flat switching if they don't become a black hole.

I heard rumors that Hunter wanted to downgrade the ex NYC. This traffic could go via Philadelphia, and the B&O. Has much traffic been diverted that way?

Old rumor.

Engineer Spike wrote:I heard rumors that Hunter wanted to downgrade the ex NYC. This traffic could go via Philadelphia, and the B&O. Has much traffic been diverted that way?

I actually think traffic has been diverted off the B&O to the NYC.

nydepot wrote:Old rumor.

Engineer Spike wrote:I heard rumors that Hunter wanted to downgrade the ex NYC. This traffic could go via Philadelphia, and the B&O. Has much traffic been diverted that way?

There was a bad wreck and fire in the Sand Patch grade area earlier this year that might have helped spell the end of the B&O plan...

Sounds like Selkirk is running like crazy at the expense of other yards. I doubt the hump would close any time soon.

SecaucusJunction wrote:I actually think traffic has been diverted off the B&O to the NYC.

I was at Sand Patch 3 days ago- it averaged less than 1 train per hour. I also spent Saturday afternoons at Chili Jct during the spring and summer, typically seeing an average of 2 trains per hour. Given the need for helpers at Sand Patch, moving the traffic off that line seems plausible.