As I recall, some folks on this forum know somethings about railroads.

Here's the question: Have you noticed an increase in railroad traffic in your area, or a change in the types of trains you're seeing while waiting at the crossing?

I'm beginning to wonder if a lot of big manufacturing companies in the industrialized north have commenced stockpiling operations. I live near a railroad and have been hearing a LOT of trains going by lately.

Just curious.

:)

-- FM (vidprof@aol.com), May 22, 1999

Answers

We live in the suburbs of Kansas City and trains are common. Live close enough to tracks to hear them. Night traffic seems to be going along normally. Got caught three mornings this past week, and yesterday coming home there was a double-header at 5:30pm. That was a little odd. See mostly coal and open carrier cars. That hasn't changed, just the number of them rolling through town. Interesting point.

-- lvz (lvzinser@hotmail.com), May 22, 1999.

hmm,coal boxcars,you say?....hmmm....coal stockpiles,'eh?.....hmmm....

-- zoobie (zoobiezoob@yahoo.com), May 22, 1999.

That's a good question. I stay up late most nights (till 3 or 4) and I'm used to setting my it's-time-to-go-to-bed clock by the 3 am train which I hear from about 3 miles away. But I've noticed there is now one at 2:30 and at 3:30 and 4...my clock is broke!

-- Shelia (Shelia@active-stream.com), May 23, 1999.

Interesting. The train quit running through our small town about two years ago. Just heard they are reopening the route.

-- GeeGee (GeeGee@madtown.com), May 23, 1999.

We're approaching the June 1st merger date for Conrail. There are going to be lots of rail traffic changes in the northeast and upper midwest as a result. Some lines are going to see increases in traffic by up to five times. In other cases, rail lines that haven't seen more than local traffic since the federal government formed Conrail in the seventies, are going to see a return to through route service.

WW

-- Wildweasel (vtmldm@epix.net), May 23, 1999.

A few days ago, we had a report of a power plant stocking 6-9 months of coal. GN says a big power plant uses 3 mile long trains of coal a day. Can anyone confirm this? How much coal does a big plant use every day?

If so, even a medium plant would use, say 1 mile, which is about 100 cars I guess. So we're talking about 18,000 - 27,000 car loads of coal. This sure seems like alot to me. Where are they going to stash this much? Looking for clues, any help out there? <:)=

-- Sysman (y2kboard@yahoo.com), May 23, 1999.