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Topic: Sign of the times or normal operations (Read 118 times) |
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modernone
TRAINing
Posts: 2
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So I live in Tacoma WA and last evening there was a train leaving town with the longest stretch of empty container transports I have ever seen, could not see either end. I have only seen loaded cars before and was wondering if this sort of thing is normal operations to move empty cars to where they are needed or if this is a sign of an imbalance in trade or some such sign of the economic times.
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Espee9180
Historian
Posts: 469
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I would say it's most likely all 3 factors.
One port might loose some shipments due to the bad world economy while another might increase some. So a railroad would move the cars to where they are needed. Or they could be being moved to storage or even out of storage. So all 3 factors might have something to do with the movement you saw.
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"In the old Pennsylvania Station, one entered the city like a god, in the new, one scuttles in like a rat." - Vincent Scully.
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ClydeDET
Historian
Posts: 3150
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Have seen a lot of stored cars of late, including a bunch of container and TOFC flats in New Mexico and Texas (most noticeable bunches were between Santa Rosa and Fort Sumner in New Mexico and north of Snyder in Texas) on our recent vacation trip. Nothing to be surprised about given the current economy. Have also seen a bunch of covered hoppers obviously sitting idle waiting for a call back to service.
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modernone
TRAINing
Posts: 2
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Thanks, that is pretty much what I expected but had not seen this before.
So is there a yard where I could find a huge stash of cars? Would love to get photos. I may post this as a new post too.
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ClydeDET
Historian
Posts: 3150
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A yard? No, probably not. Storage usually is on sidings on lines that aren't heavily used so the sidings can be devoted to storing un-needed cars instead of being used as passing sidings.
After they quit using the Giddings-Brenham line, but before it got pulled up, there were a LOT of cars parked on the old SP line east of Giddings, Texas. For one example of a storage site.
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| « Last Edit: Nov 8th, 2009, 3:09pm by ClydeDET » |
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Warren_Thompson
Historian
Posts: 401
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on Nov 8th, 2009, 3:07pm, ClydeDET wrote: (Click here for original message)
After they quit using the Giddings-Brenham line, but before it got pulled up, there were a LOT of cars parked on the old SP line east of Giddings, Texas. For one example of a storage site. |
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As I recall from my days in Austin, Texas, the SP ran from there through Giddings to Houston. So the tracks from Giddings to Houston are long gone?
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ClydeDET
Historian
Posts: 3150
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The branch line runing east out of Austin through Giddings and Brenham long ago stopped at Brenham (ran to the east side, serving Blue Bell and some other things out that way, but stubbed there - that is still in service, as an industrial spur operated by BNSF), and some few years ago everything east of Giddings got pulled up. Was used as storage track for a few miles east of Giddings for a while after service terminated. The line as far as Giddings was sold to a short-line (Austin & Northeastern, I think, but it seldom or never sees traffic these days).
These days, any service to Houston out of Austin would be through San Antonio, or potentially via the old Katy line through Elgin from wherever the ex-MoPac line crosses it, or ex-SP to ex-Katy.
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