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Rail News 2012

 

 

 

“Trains chuffed into the world in the 1820s and ‘30s, bridging physical and temporal chasms that had held humans back for millennia.  The historian Walter A. McDougall has described the upheaval wrought by this revolutionary technology (with supplemental help from the telegraph):  “When [Andrew] Jackson entered the White House in 1829, people, goods, and information – even in the most advanced countries – could not travel overland any faster than they did in the time of Julius Caesar.  Then all concepts of space, time, and volume exploded.”  In the following two decades, chain reactions to the explosion rippled through the Eastern, Southern, and Central United States.  By the 1850s, almost half of the world’s railroad tracks rested on American soil.”  Dennis Drabelle, The Great American Railroad War

 

Yes, railroad opened up this country; and yes, truck transportation later took over for rail.  Today many of the abandoned rail lines have been turned into public trails by local communities.  However, with higher fuel costs and an interest in selling natural resource products abroad, there is a renewed business interest in rail.  Read Canadian Geographic’s Railway Revival by Monte Paulsen and Tobin Grimshaw.

 

Now people have to decide whether to let go of their public rail trails and allow trains to chuff through their communities once again.

 

Sample Rail Advocacy:

 

 

 

Questions/Points to Ponder:

 

-          Who owns the rail right-of-way today?  If the rail right-of-way was given to The People.  Does the local council have the right to sell the right-of-way to private interests?  This question may have to be answered in court.  Should the right-of-way be sold or leased?

-          How much of the route is being established through expropriation/eminent domain?

-          If the rail right-of-way has been adopted as a public multi-use trail system used for walking, biking, hiking, horseback riding, atving, skiing and snowmobiling, what social clubs are being affected?  Are they aware of the issue?

-          Do The People have any say in this matter?  Let your local government know your opinion.

-          Good things could come from rail – cheaper agriculture shipping and passenger commuter service (GO Train) for instance – but other scenarios are garbage from the city or aggregate from the country.  Don’t forget uranium, radioactive or other toxic materials (crude oil traveling in inferior DOT 111 rail cars).

-          Are all the existing bridges and overpasses safe or will they have to be rebuilt?  Who is responsible for regularly checking for structural safety and to what standard? Who will pay the bill? 

-          Today the technology for rail is substantially different, even from 5 years ago.  Rail cars are physically lighter.  Distributed power – the practice of placing remote-controlled locomotives along the length of the train – has improved handling and performance and made longer trains possible.  All the changes mean that Canada’s freight railways can move a tonne of freight nearly 200 km on one litre of fuel (source article).  However, the downside is that container-carting intermodal trains can be 4 kms in length.  These trains cannot stop quickly and can take 2 kms to come to a halt.  If somebody or something gets in their way or the train derails, the damage is significant.

-          Rail companies are asking for higher and higher track speeds.

-          Rail crossings are a common site for train accidents especially with trains traveling at higher speeds.  What safety precautions are being taken?  Who pays?

-          How much say will your community have in decisions being taken by the rail company (i.e. increasing track speeds, closing crossings, upgrading safety measures)?

-          What kind of detailed record keeping does your community expect from the rail company, especially in regard to health/safety/accidents?

-          If a 4 km train stops in your town, does traffic also stop?  What is the impact?

-          If the rail route goes past a school or through town, will the track be fenced? Who pays to keep the fence maintained (often fences are deliberately cut)?

-          Rail companies operate under the premise that tracks are off-limits and people who cross or walk along rail tracks are trespassing.  Therefore, rail companies refuse to take any responsibility for pedestrian deaths, which can include making any safety enhancements, reducing speeds, and/or keeping records, among other things.

-          Do communities have the right to ticket slow or obstructive trains?

 

 

News – Rail (2012 & earlier)

 

Date

Source

Title

Comment

2012-12-29

GreatFallsTribune.com

American railroad wars foreshadow current events

Carole Ann Clark

Dennis Drabelle “The Great American Railroad War: How Ambrose Bierce and Frank Norris Took on the Notorious Central Pacific Railroad”

2012-12-27

Petaluma360.com

SMART explains railroad issues

Janelle Wetzstein

Rail vandalism + 70 mph

Do you think Amtrak slows down just because it is in a town? No. Do you think freight trains slow down just because they are going through town? No. Speed limits on railroads is strictly on what class of track the railroad wishes to maintain it as. Now, weather (sic) or not SMART will do 70mph is based upon the class of track, the distance between stations, acceleration, and deceleration rates of the trains. Comment by Lawrence Labranche

2012-12-24

Mlive

Police: Midland man drunkenly drives SUV onto railroad tracks, where it catches fire

Cole Waterman

2012-12-23

theTimesHerald.com

Chemical leak contained at CN Railroad

Dipentene

2012-12-23

ChartiersValleyPatch

Driver crashes into Kirwan Heights Railroad Crossing Gate

 

2012-12-23

The Republic

Newspaper: Pedestrian railroad accidents receive little attention, despite numerous deaths

Todd C. Frankel, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

2012-12-21

Redding.com

Copper wiring used to control railroad crossing arms stolen, deputies say

 

2012-12-20

Bloomberg Businessweek

The Silk Railroad of China-Europe Trade

Dexter Roberts

Transportation costs

2012-12-20

Daily Herald

Making railroad crossings safer is father’s crusade

Marni Pyke 2nd of 3 parts

quad gates

2012-12-19

Daily Herald

Suburbs fail to mirror state’s drop in train collisions

Marni Pyke 1st of 3 parts

3 people a month die from collisions with trains in Chicago region

2012-12-19

Colorqadoan.com

Car stuck on Mason St. railroad tracks in downtown Fort Collins

Trevor Hughes

2012-12-19

Manassas Patch

Train strikes car at Gainesville railroad crossing

Jamie M. Rogers

2012-12-19

Mining Weekly.com

More support to revitalise ONTC

Henry Lazenby

2012-12-17

TheStarPress.com

Mayor brings community concerns to railroad

Keith Roysdon

Train types and speeds.

2012-12-15

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Editorial: Railroad industry, government, can work together to save lives

Crossing the rails:  It’s illegal. It’s stupid. It shouldn’t happen.  But it does.

2012-12-14

Union Pacific press release

Union Pacific Railroad using ultra low-emission locomotives in Chicago Rail Yard

 

2012-12-14

Alabama Blog

Van attempting to turn around on Gurley railroad crossing clipped by train, knocked into ditch

Lee Roop

Ensure enough room to turn around?

2012-12-13

WLKY.com

WLKY investigates: Louisville’s railroad chemical trail

Duane Pohlman

2012-12-13

DC.Streetsblog.org

Pedestrian Deaths on Railroad Tracks:  The Failure of Design

Blog - Tanya Snyder

Does Cdn federal law require that railroads provide GPS coordinates of pedestrian/train crashes?

2012-12-13

LaCrosseTribune.com

Bar owner objects as railroad revisits PdC crossing closure

Chris Hubbuch

Citing safety concerns, company seeks to close at-grade crossings to reduce potential risk

2012-12-12

Fox 28

Dangerous railroad crossing getting safer

Amir Abbas

Who pays for railroad crossing protection? Cost cited at $450,000

2012-12-10

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Towns, train fight over fences – and responsibility for safety

Todd C. Frankel pedestrian-train accidents are leading cause of death on USA’s railroad system

2012-12-10

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Criticism of fencing disappears from railroad regulator’s memo

Todd C. Frankel

2012-12-10

Bloomberg

This week in the Great Depression: Working on the Railroad

Philip Scranton

2012-12-09

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Hundreds die walking the tracks each year

Todd C. Frankel  Based on the miles driven each year, pedestrians are killed by freight and passenger trains at many times the rate they are killed by motor vehicles.

 

2012-12-08

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

A mother killed, her son injured, yet the railroad refuses to whistle

Todd C. Frankel

2012-12-08

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Railroads avoid responsibility for pedestrian deaths

Todd C. Frankel Railroad companies across the country at times refuse to take even small steps to deal with the problem of people walking on their tracks + death statistics

2012-12-07

Milford Daily News

Upton officials mull railroad noise complaints

Mike Gleason

Idling trains, noise at crossings

2012-12-07

ChillicotheGazette

Bus driver pulled woman in wheelchair off railroad tracks

Matthew Kent

Melvin Parks

2012-12-07

Chicago Tribune

Railroad will allow track, signal tests in Texas crash probe

Matthew Waller

Road signal warning times

2012-12-05

Miami Herald

Brazilian company to build $1B railroad in Malawi

Associated Press

to ferry both passengers and minerals

2012-12-02

CBC News Toronto

Girl, 11, dies after being hit by train in London, Ont.

 

2012-12-04

Associated Press

Alaska Railroad curtails idling locomotives

Pollution & cost savings – applies also to truck idling

2012-12-01

The Republic

Texas rail crossing deaths rise in 2012 despite federally mandated plan for improving safety

Danny Robbins

Associated Press

2012-11-30

Associated Press

NJ Train Derailment Tips Tankers, Sickens Dozens

Geoff Mulvihull

Paulsboro, New Jersey, USA

Who is responsible for inspecting the rail line and bridges for structural safety?

 

2012-11-29

WQOW.com

Repaired railroad almost ready for train traffic in Barron County

Wisconsin, USA

frack sand

2012-11-26

Mining for the Truth in Melancthon (Blog)

Rob Adams Wah Wah Wah

Check blog for other “rail” entries

2012-11-26

Telegraph

310mph ‘floating’ trains unveiled in Japan

Julian Ryall, Tokyo

electromagnetic

2012-11-24

Associated Press

New Trail Spurs Interest in ex-Atlanta Rail Route

 

2012-11-22

Orangeville Citizen

Highland abandons plans for both mega-quarry, rail-line purchase

Dan Pelton & Wes Keller

2012-11-21

Highland Companies

The Highland Companies Withdraws its Application for a Quarry in Melancthon Township

Press Release

Also discontinuing efforts to restore rail corridor through Dufferin County

2012-11-17

Associated Press

Egyptian Train Hits School Bus, 49 children killed

Mamdouh Thabet

2012-11-17

 

Associated Press

 

War-time instinct takes over in Texas Train Crash

Juan Carlos Llorca

 

2012-11-16

ABC News

4 Dead as Train Hits Truck Carrying Veterans at Parade

Steve Portnoy

2012-11-16

Associated Press

West Texas Rail Crossing Had 10 Previous Accidents

Joan Lowy

2012-11-15

Science Daily

Technology Harvests Energy from Railroad Train Vibrations

Stony Brook University

2012-10-28

TheStarPress

Teens killed in car-train crash officially ID’d

Farmland USA

2012-10-26

Daily Commercial News and Construction Record

Ontario Northland Transportation Commission eyes Ring of Fire Future

“The new Ring of Fire rail line will be designed and built to ship thousands of tons per day of chromite, nickel and other minerals and finished products to markets globally.“

Any limestone or limestone alternatives?

2012-10-18

Daily Commercial News and Construction Record

Better rail for a better future

Korky Koroluk

2012-09-28

Toronto Star

Ontario Northlander Train to Makes Its Last Run Sept. 28

 

2012-09-05

Orangeville.com / Orangeville Banner

Peaks and Valleys of Dufferin’s Rail Corridor

Chris Halliday, County may consider multi-use recreational trails

2012-07-23

Daily Herald

Most derailments are harmless.  But what about the one that isn’t?

Marni Pyke

 

2012-07-22

Daily Herald

Derailments fact of life in the suburbs

Marni Pyke

 

2012-07-11

ABC News

Train Derails in Columbus, Ohio, 100 Homes Evacuated

Kevin Dolak

2012-04-17

Telegraph

Japanese trains shame British

David Millward, Japanese trains up & running normally 50 days after earthquake & tsunami

2012-04-11

CTV News

Friends, family mourn ‘beautiful’ girl killed by GO Train

Port Credit, ON

2012-02-26

National Post

Three killed in Via Rail train derailment in Burlington, ON

Joe Rayment

2012-02-09

Orangeville Citizen

Highland, town renew railway sale deal

Dan Pelton

2011-11-03

Daily Herald

Images: Freight train derailment in Elgin

Brian Hill

2011-08-02

New York Times

Cities See the Other Side of the Tracks

Kristina Shevory

2011-07-31

Canadian Geographic

Railway Revival

Monte Paulsen / Tobin Grimshaw

2011-07-22

Mining for the Truth in Melancthon (Blog)

Tale of the Troubled Train

Check blog for other “rail” entries

2011-03-30

Orangeville.com

Possible Sale of Rail Lands Ruffling a Few Feathers

Chris Halliday

2011-01-27

Barrie Examiner

Train derailment “pretty wild”

Sara Ross

2011-01-26

CNews

Area evacuated after Ontario train derailment

Sara Ross

Severn Falls

2010-07-23

Youtube / Manudomaes YT

Track Building Train Ever wondered how they build mile after mile

Laying new track

2009-04-21

The Highland Rail Group

A restored railway means jobs, a cleaner environment and local economic development

 

2009-02-18

The Highland Rail Group

Open Letter to the Members of Dufferin County Council

 

2008-14-15

 

Orangeville Ontario Canada

Town signs agreement to sell Orangeville-Brampton Railway

 

2008-06-05

Orangeville Citizen

Getting rails back to Owen Sound a big challenge

Editorial

n/a

Wikipedia

Orangeville Brampton Railway

 

1980-10-22

 

Peat Marwick and Partners; M.M. Dillon Limited

Mineral Aggregate Transportation Study

Commissioned by Minister of Natural Resources.  Report is “not to be construed as statement of government policy”.

 

Other Information:

 

Barrie Collingwood Railway http://www.bcryrr.com

 

AO News Rail 2013

 

 

 

"Death should not be the penalty for making a mistake, and yet it is the penalty if you make a mistake at a railway crossing."  Lanny Wilson, Chairman of the DuPage Railroad Safety Council (article)

 

 

 

*** Notice that the information on this web page and the associated website have been compiled through private amateur research for the purpose of allowing the reader to make an informed and educated decision.  However, while the information is believed to be reliable, accuracy cannot be guaranteed. ***

 

 

 

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