‘Monster train’ rolls through SoCal

Posted by Lou on Jan 13, 2010

LOS ANGELES — An apparently unprecedented, super freight train extending about 3-1/2 miles rolled through Southern California over the weekend, catching state regulators off guard and prompting concerns about potential safety risks and traffic delays, The Los Angeles Times reported.

Union Pacific said that the train was used to test equipment and find ways to improve operating efficiency, but that the company had no plans to run such trains regularly.

Some officials worry that the train may be a harbinger of things to come in a crowded region where passenger and freight trains already share tracks that cross hundreds of intersections bustling with cars and trucks.

“I will be asking a lot more questions,” said Democratic U.S. Rep. Grace Napolitano, whose San Gabriel Valley district includes part of the train route.

“If they’re testing to increase the size of trains in L.A., I have a problem with that,” she said.

The state Public Utilities Commission raced a team to Imperial County on Saturday to monitor the train as it headed toward the Inland Empire. The train originally left Texas on Friday night and reached its ultimate destination, a large intermodal facility near the Port of Long Beach, on Sunday.


Down she goes

Posted by Lou on Jan 7, 2010

railfax1Not unexpected but still shocking – the last Railfax Report shows not a good future. Look forward for the rush coming soon . . . .


Freight trains a vital link in the global supply chain

Posted by Lou on Jan 5, 2010

More than 4,000 miles of train tracks stretch through California, winding up the blustery Cajon Pass and snaking through the desert surrounding Barstow.

Those tracks could be seeing a lot more traffic in the next few years as trains loaded with Chinese-made toys, electronics and clothing roll eastward, connecting West Coast ports with cities across the United States.

Warren Buffett is a believer. In November, the world’s second-richest man paid $34 billion for railroad giant Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp., despite a deep downturn in the railroad industry. Buffett characterized his investment as an “all-in wager on the economic future of the United States.” But it’s also a bet on globalization and the renewed importance of rail in the nation’s transportation network.

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