PTC At Howell

[BL2-1843]

Much to my surprise, there were several CSX trucks working at the PTC tower and bungalow boxes at Howell this morning which has been there for at least a year or more. There is now a satellite dish attached to it and pointed upward towards the south. Have been under the opinion the main reason why CSX wants nothing to do with the Plymouth Sub anymore is because they don't want to have to hook this up, and now this? All for three trains a week on average, all locals. As is, it is now 3:18pm on this Tuesday afternoon and they have not run a train by Howell since D708 went west last Friday. Sort of like spending big bucks installing new ties, rails and signals only to next abandon or sell the line.

[SousaKerry]

That used to be the old trick. Spend a bunch of money on a line and then file to the STB and say "look how much it costs us to maintain this line compared to what we earn." The old heads used to have a saying "beware the painters" that referred to this practice. Of coarse since deregulation this is not necessarily true anymore.


I am sure someone somewhere did their business case for the upgrade.

[Doktor No]

Beware The Painters! GOOD ONE! I had the conductor on D708, back in 1992, complain that after I had washed the windows in HIS cab that they would now take it away from him. At least he could see where he was going ...