Orlando - New Orleans

[AlanB]

I seen to recall seeing some report that one section of the line which was unsignaled was being considered for signals, but I'm not positive about that.

Alan, when/where did you hear this? It would be great if they did; it would probably take off about 2 hours of running time.

I honestly don't remember where I read it, but it was well over a year ago, if not longer. And again, from what I recall, this was not a done deal. It was just something that was being talked about. Since I've never seen anything more on it, I'm guessing that it died in the talking phase, but who knows?

 

[Green Maned Lion]

CSX putting money into their plant? Surely you just.

 

[jis]

CSX putting money into their plant? Surely you just.

Wait till CSX gets taken over by the hedge fund that is sniping at it. Then we will know what "not spending any money on the plant" really means!

 

[George Harris]

CSX putting money into their plant? Surely you just.

Wait till CSX gets taken over by the hedge fund that is sniping at it. Then we will know what "not spending any money on the plant" really means!

Exactly! My opinion on this organization is thus: These guys make the 19th century Robber Barons look benevolent. Even their name smells. "Children's Investment Fund" Ha! Any financial organization with a name like that should make you want to check the status of all your assets. Kind of like the worst dictatorships on the planet like to call themselves the "People's Democratic Republic" of whatever.

And: CSX has been spending significant money in some areas.

 

[had8ley]

Just to add a few gallons of hi-test to the fire I do remember borrowing out to run trains in Oklahoma on the MKT (Katy) in the late eighties. The UP had taken over what was once a great and proud railroad. The Katy even took on some Rock Island track but it was in horrible shape. A roadmaster showed up one day and walked a mile of the right of way in order to report cross tie needs to Omaha. He said there was only one cross tie in the entire mile that was worth saving and it was a switch tie that had been recently replaced. Moral of the story; the state of Oklahoma had paid the Katy $35 million to run trains. They took the money and forgot to run trains. I wonder if the Trail's End Motel is still in Enid. It certainly was the end of a railroad.

 

[George Harris]

had8ley, You got to remember that the MKT was always very marginal financially. I think the takeover of the CRIP track was more of the state of Oklahoma begging them, "please take it so it does not get abandoned" than anything else. The MKT did not spend much money on the CRIP track because they did not have it. 35 million probably went to run trains. It would have been near to the effect of a gallon of water on a forest fire to put it into the track.

In 1986 I went with a group from DART in Dallas up to the MKT rail welding plant in Dennison. They were welding up well worn 112 lb rail that had been rolled in 1943. The oldest welding of second hand rail that I ever saw in the flesh. Two things here: 1. their traffic density was such that 40 year old rail was not really that badly worn 2. their need for rail was such that they were willing to crop, weld up, and put in track a rail section that had turned out to not be that good to begin with. (Almost as old: I also saw some 131 lb welded rail with 1946 rolling dates in the CSX line near Pensacola. It replaced 100 lb jointed rail rolled in the 1920's. Older, but I did not see it: The CRIP track charts showed 90 lb welded rail in some parts of the branch line from Little Rock to Alexandria LA: rolling dates in the teens, put in track in about 1970.)

 

[had8ley]

George;

Just as an add on to the KATY mess~ there were about 10 sidings between Enid and Duncan IIRC. At least half were out of service from cars being derailed inside the sidings with no plans to ever re-rail them. El Reno yard had tracks of box cars. Only problem was the lead had been pulled up to get to them. A horror story of railroading to say the least.