Coal trains fewer as Appalachian railroads keep rolling

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Coal trains fewer as Appalachian railroads keep rolling

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
May 28, 2017 at 11:28 pm

By Michael Virtanen, The Associated Press

MATOAKA, W.Va. —
....

As the coal industry has fallen on lean times, so too have the businesses that supplied the mines, equipped miners and hauled coal out of the West Virginia mountains none more visible than the trains that once thundered around the clock along the shoulders of these hills.

Now, with a coal operator in the governor’s office and an outspoken advocate for coal in the White House, many are watching for signs of life from a business that once represented the living embodiment of an industry on the move. The major railroads here, Norfolk Southern and CSX, each formed from decades of mergers, have continued to post profits while shedding personnel, idling equipment and cutting overhead. And lately they’re expressing measured optimism about what lies ahead.
....

CSX and Norfolk Southern, West Virginia’s remaining Class I railroads, still operate across much of the state. West Virginia’s rail plan showed them using 2,100 miles of track four years ago. ... Norfolk Southern currently has about 33 of its 800 miles of track idled. CSX declined to say how much track is idle but says it hasn’t made any major changes this year.

The state’s 2013 rail plan cited freight trains carrying more than 115 million tons on almost 1.1 million cars, 88 percent coal. Tonnage was down 28 percent from a dozen years earlier as Appalachian coal lost ground to western and foreign mines and other fuels.

[Wellstone ruled]

1. Just the reality of our Nations changing Energy needs.

As a Rail Fan,what has become a eye sore are the hundreds of empty Coal Hoppers parked and stored on abandoned Sidings and once used Rail Lines.

With several Coal Fired Power Plants scheduled to be decommissioned later this year,there will be several hundred more Hoppers parked or scraped. Two of the major Coal Hopper manufacturing plants have closed their doors idling several hundred workers.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

2. I had a post about a month ago about the railcar facility in Roanoke closing.

FreightCar America Halting Production in Roanoke in June

I loved coal trains. Now THIS is coal traffic.

Dubbed sound in this one. Get a load of the clean stack on the 2165:

Newer, but just as loud, if not louder. I took a picture about a mile east of here in November 1975 of four Western Maryland F-units on the front of a westbound train. They were running on B&O tracks, which is what you're seeing here. The old WM right of way can be seen at 1:20. The WM went over the B&O on the Salisbury Viaduct.

You'll want to check out more videos by jackmp294.5™.

Thanks for writing.

[NCjack]

3. Bad times coming. Photons are transported by railroads. nt

[mahatmakanejeeves]

4. They have been for a while, if you mean fiber optic cables. NT

[NCjack]

5. I want to go long on 100 contracts of photons and short on

100 contracts of coal.