NS Peavine talk

[midland sub]

FWIW I don't understand why Sardinia Ready Mix would ever use rail for stone. Look at the size of the place and how small it is and then do some math in your head of how long 100 tons of stone would last. Let's say they go thru 300-400 tons of stone a week when busy. How do you justify the cost of unloading pit they have to build somewhere. Then there's he cost of leasing true hoppers that unload from the bottom and not junk old coal gons that are used to haul scrap now. For CCET what limited revenue a handful of cars each week would bring the cost of running to Plum Run and minimal maintenance would be dwarfed by the revenue made by filling the main with storage cars...

[heypal6878]

Midland it appears that that news was only rumor. I have a buddy who works for Sardinia in Cincinnati and he said yesterday that there is no deal with Hanson for any shipments. Ready mix doesn't need any more store than what they have now. For the CCET I guess the extra rail is for more storage of tankers. Yesterday I took a drive up to Batavia to look at some property and noticed that plenty of tankers are sitting on the tracks and several spots. Not sure how many side rails are on the Peavine to store cars but with the business they have at the present time I guess they need more siding to store tankers this winter. That will be their only source of income with the Ag slows down.

Still with rusty tracks or not the more the CCET uses the tracks up at Plum Road the signals that are not working properly will need to be fix down the road. The have a history of getting away from the CET in the past. If one of these lose tankers would hit a car and kill someone that would be in for the CET and the Peavine. Can't blame it on rusty tracks.

[CSX_CO]

Anyone know if Walters sells their "bright boy" track cleaners in 1:1 scale? Might be a good job for someone going out and keeping the rail heads shiny...

[northstar16]

I don't think the CET will need it as they will have enough tanker traffic to keep the rails rust free.

[CSX_CO]

Running once a week isn't going to clear up rusty rail conditions...

[northstar16]

I agree with CSX that but the CET will be libel if any tankers get away like they have before and cause any injury or death. Just makes more sense to fix things than to leave as is and blame an accident on rusty tracks. Now that the track is opened more out east away from towns vandals can cause one heck of a mess since these tankers will just sitting there. I sure the CET will secure them yet if one did break loose it would not be good.

[midland sub]

I heard the Hoosier Valley Rail Musuem wants to run excursions but the person that knows won't share the info.....

Running once a week isn't going to clear up rusty rail conditions...

[CSX_CO]

I agree with CSX that but the CET will be libel if any tankers get away like they have before and cause any injury or death. Just makes more sense to fix things than to leave as is and blame an accident on rusty tracks. Now that the track is opened more out east away from towns vandals can cause one heck of a mess since these tankers will just sitting there. I sure the CET will secure them yet if one did break loose it would not be good.

I think you need to research how the crossing signals activate.

If someone has malicious intent in their heart to start cars rolling, they'll find a way.

[CSX_CO]

I heard the Hoosier Valley Rail Musuem wants to run excursions but the person that knows won't share the info.....

Running once a week isn't going to clear up rusty rail conditions...

So much more fun to allude to things and be vague. When you go looking, nothing to be found.

Never mind the track record on "when you figure it out" isn't very good (re: IMC reactivation, cloverleaf reactivation, etc)

[TC Man]

I still don't see this as a railroad with "tanker traffic". It's just a long storage siding (not "side rail"). So why would they bother fixing grade crossing signals for rare movements when they can just flag the crossings or just replace the signals with cross bucks/yield signs and call it good. Seems this thread just goes in circles over and over again.

[Muleskinner]

Seems this thread just goes in circles over and over again.

Yeah! Isn't it fun! It's like riding a kidding ride that goes in circles!

[h2466]

http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/r ... ?2,4165473 Ken

[northstar16]

Good article h2466 thanks for posting kind of sheds a better light on what is going on with the Peavine. I think they ship three days a week on most weeks as I have seen the CET down at Clare on Monday picking up cars and tankers. They do run on Tuesday and on Thursday and NS does pick up on Friday. NS pretty much wrote the line off four years ago yet it is doing rather well with the short line as written in the article. Not sure if it would ever go to Portsmouth but that remains to be seen. Who would have thought they would be out to Plum Road two years ago? So never say never.

There are only two working railroads on this side of town the I&O and the CCET. The I&O is doing very well yet the CCET is holding their own with what they have!

[Muleskinner]

I heard the Hoosier Valley Rail Musuem wants to run excursions but the person that knows won't share the info.....

LOL! Yeah, and I heard General Electric wants to build a spur off the Peavine in Adams County so they can ship/receive there engines by rail, but the person who knows this won't share the info....

[TC Man]

Good article h2466 thanks for posting kind of sheds a better light on what is going on with the Peavine. I think they ship three days a week on most weeks as I have seen the CET down at Clare on Monday picking up cars and tankers. They do run on Tuesday and on Thursday and NS does pick up on Friday. NS pretty much wrote the line off four years ago yet it is doing rather well with the short line as written in the article. Not sure if it would ever go to Portsmouth but that remains to be seen. Who would have thought they would be out to Plum Road two years ago? So never say never.

There are only two working railroads on this side of town the I&O and the CCET. The I&O is doing very well yet the CCET is holding their own with what they have!

I would not say the trainorders post was an "article", it was just a post on a forum like this one (in other words, just another persons making guesses/dreams).

[northstar16]

Surely the one from Mullskinner is just a slam on the Peavine. There are a few guys on this site that really like to slam the Peavine. Really, for railroad buffs like myself I think history and even railroads like the Peavine that limp along should be supportive and not put down a small railroad like the Peavine. NS could have let the Peavine sit and rot if they wanted to years ago until they decided to lease to the CCET. Sure the CCET doesn't have much business on the line as it all dried up when NS found an easier way to run trains north instead of using the Peavine that can't do double stacks and their are far too many hills and curves for the trains to make the grades. Yet the CCET is getting tankers for storage and the Ag keeps them going


I look at it this way, if the CCET wasn't making money on the Peavine they would pull out. Yet they keep asking for more track and they get it. So they are doing something right and are making enough money to keep the line going. NS continues to haul tankers and cars down to Clare and if they weren't making enough money they would also pull the plug.

I didn't work on the railroad so I am a novice to railroads. I love to watch trains always did when I was a kid. I grew up on the east side watched the trains on the Peavine when I was a kid. I hate to see this line die so I'm very happy that the CCET is plugging away keeping the line going for a few more years.

[Muleskinner]

Surely the one from Mullskinner is just a slam on the Peavine.

Don't read it the wrong way Northstar. I'm making fun at Midland. Hoosier Valley Rail Museum wants to run excursions?! Where? Not on the Peavine! Common, that's as ludicrous as what I said about GE. Midland needs to post that where its more relevant.
I like the Peavine. I have been on 3 excursions rides on there from Cincy to Portsmouth and back. I remember the days when the NW controlled the line & had little to no problems with the line. The excursions rides had to have a little help up the inclines, but still had no problems.
It was when NS took over the line and did nothing on up keep with the Vera bridge or the line. They let things go in so despair it will cost millions to fix now. They say the line is to hilly and curvy, bull crap, past rail companies for 50 or more years had little problems.
Now they lease it out and expect some other company to fix it and keep it up. Hopefully CCET can keep it going for a long time. Only time will tell.
Out past Rardon the line has been severely damaged by erosion and will cost millions just to fix that. So I don't see any trains on that part ever again.
Its sad, rail companies like NS close lines & further more thin there routes out to only 1 choice for a detour.
Maybe some day the CEOs of NS or even another rail company will replace them. It may not have any effect on the Peavine, but maybe it will stop line closures and abandonments.
I guess you can tell I don't think much of NS or Conrail.

[h2466]

[quote} I would not say the trainorders post was an "article", it was just a post on a forum like this one (in other words, just another persons making guesses/dreams).[/quote] Yes TC Man, the STB's known for spreading rumors.

[midland sub]

It's called sarcasm and an inside joke between CSX_CO and myself about a subject somewhere else with someone very, very similar to a couple of you. People get a good laugh out of stuff that comes out of a couple of you. It's great your passion for something, but it's almost a blinding devotion as some of us have wasted more of our time than we should trying to get you to understand why and how things how gotten to this point.

[heypal6878]

Mark, I'm trying to get my head around your comments. You been saying the far east part of the Peavine is going to be sold, scrapped, tracks being pulled up. All of this never came about so your information is incorrect. Yet you put it out there. I didn't know this forum is only for retired and working railroad buffs who know all the answers. I thought it was for anyone who liked railroads not just your I&O but for any railroad including the Peavine. Some of us here never worked on a railroad before yet we know people who do or are presently working with NS and the CCET. So we do have some facts.

The fact of the matter is the CCET is doing rather well on the Peavine. If they didn't they would pulled out a few years back. If there wasn't a future with the Peavine the CCET would let their contract expire and move on. The CCET asked for more track twice now and received it from NS. Mainly to store cars. The I&O doesn't need to store cars because they have enough business on their line so storage is something they rather not fool with. That is how I look at it maybe you see it differently.

I understand your answers to the questions you give me and to the rest of us....we understand. The Peavine may never open up entirely at least under the CCET management. The tracks out east of washed out in several spots. The bridge at Vera may need major repairs and the CCET is not going to spend millions to fix the far east side. It is sad the American rails are being abandon by major railroads. Some I can see as all the business on the rails have dried up yet NS in recent years is selling off property, pulling up rails to keep their shareholders happy. Hey no problem if the rails is not going to be ever used again or has major damage that would cost millions to repair. Yet the Peavine for 78 miles is still a good working railroad for one storage and for some business transport. Maybe in a few years from now commuter trains may run the rail...it could very well happen as traffic on the east side of town going west is complicated at best and rail could be the answer to moving people. So you may find our questions funny but we don't feel the same way. Foamers, maybe yet we believe the CCET has worked the Peavine in a way to save that small part of history at least for the time being,