CSX vs Tri-Rail

Yesterday's Sun-Sentinel "Delay derails construction of Tri-Rail bridge over New River"
South Florida Regional Transportation Aukthority, which runs Tri-Rail,
wants to use fly ash to build concrete bridge supports. Fly ash, known for
its ability to fortify concrete, is a by-product of coal burning.
CSX does not approve of using fly ash in bridge construction and CSX
still maintains and dispatches the line so all work was halted on Nov. 17th.
Some work was resumed a month later but the bridge remains suspended.
It is in the works for RTA to take over the maintenance and dispatching on
the line and apparently after that has been accomplished, the bridge work
will be able to be resumed.
They still claim that the bridge will be finished in March, 2006.
The 55 foot tall, 3700 foot long bridge will be used for both Tri-Rail and
Amtrak trains but the drawbridge will continue to be used for CSX freight
trains due to the heavy grades and the Fort Lauderdale yard.
In my opinion, this is just another among many reasons that maintenance
and operation of this line should be handled locally and not by CSX, a
freight railroad in far off Jacksonville. The sooner the better as CSX
has amply demonstrated that they have no interest nor desire to handle
any passenger service on any part of their system.
This link is too important to the local area to be dictated from Jacksonville.
Noel Weaver

We now have a new situation on Tri-Rail here in the general area of Fort
Lauderdale. The CSX (remember as of today, they still dispatch this line)
are using taxpayer paid second track for storage of cars.
There was a long string of cars on one of the fairly new second track in
the area of 19th Street and then yesterday, there was a string of cars on
the east track a little bit north of Oakland Park Blvd.
Maybe when the locals take full control of this line instead of allowing CSX
in far off Jacksonville to control it, maybe these practices will cease.
CSX should be treated like a guest instead of acting like the owner that
they no longer are.
Noel Weaver

Those wern't ballast hoppers were they Noel ? A matched pair of Ex-Con Paint G.E. C-36s.#7123 and 7124 are on secret agent train WW007,dumping rock south of Sterling Rd.I believe they are tying up north of Ft. Lauderdale Yard.Amtrak P098 hit a truck or something at Hammondville Rd. about noon .Dispatcher was frantic because she could not raise the crew on radio.She stopped P613,and track inspector to find out if they were OK.

I don't think so, there were stored cars on one of the tracks visible from
I-95, south of Oakland Park Blvd. A bunch of tank cars with some other
mixed freight cars also.
Yesterday, it was mixed cars again, north of Oakland Park Blvd. They
were still there Wednesday afternoon.
Did not look like any kind of ballast train to me.
Noel Weaver

The stuff that was parked north of Oakland Park Blvd. is gone but there
is a big string of cars parked south of NW 19th Street crossing.
I sure have to wonder why this is being allowed?
Noel Weaver

I have been thinking about these stored cars Noel,and prepaired to get myself in trouble with some speculation.The last time CSX,and Tri County Rail Construction opened new track,(Soo-fly at North End of Daina)they stopped all the freight at Fort Lauderdale.Put the line on temporary block signals,and ran tests of the new signals and track.This took about two or three days.When they run the double track through Fort Lauderdale Yard,I think they will loose one or two storage tracks,(It looks like they are adding new capaicity at Little Yard at Daina,jointed rail is being layed along Ravenswood Rd).Track that has been ballasted,allinged and profiled is resticted speed till a certian amount of traffic has passed safley over it.

262 wrote:I have been thinking about these stored cars Noel,and prepaired to get myself in trouble with some speculation.The last time CSX,and Tri County Rail Construction opened new track,(Soo-fly at North End of Daina)they stopped all the freight at Fort Lauderdale.Put the line on temporary block signals,and ran tests of the new signals and track.This took about two or three days.When they run the double track through Fort Lauderdale Yard,I think they will loose one or two storage tracks,(It looks like they are adding new capaicity at Little Yard at Daina,jointed rail is being layed along Ravenswood Rd).Track that has been ballasted,allinged and profiled is resticted speed till a certian amount of traffic has passed safley over it.

Makes sense. I just have a lot of misgivings about CSX in general and
their attitude toward passenger trains in general all over their system.
It will make a lot of sense at least to me when Tri-Rail and its parents take
over full operation including dispatch and maintenance of this line.
I just can't believe that they can't get the talent to "do it themselves".
Noel Weaver

Saturday, March 12th, the Sun-Sentinel has an article stating that
"Railroad bridge work to resume".
Work will resume for at least the next 90 days while Tri-Rail and CSX try
to settle a dispute over design standards that halted construction four
months ago.
They are still negiotiating over state takeover of maintenance and
dispatching.
Board member Jim Cummings said "They (CSX) are an albatross around
our neck".
Stay tuned on this one.
On another front, I haven't seen the stored cars on a main line track this
week like I have seen earlier.
I think part of the problem might be that CSX does not want to be nailed
for the cost of maintenance and operation of the single track drawbridge
that will need to be retained for their freight trains while Tri-Rail and
Amtrak use the high level fixed span double track bridge.
Full article on the bridge should be in

www.sun-sentinel.com

After you pull up the paper, go to the left side partway down and find
CHANNELS
South Florida News
Broward

You should be able to pull the article here, don't know how long it will
remain active or available.

Noel Weaver

Thank you for the link Noel.Personally,I would not like for CSX to be out of the operation,and FLODOT more involved.Because of their,(track record)with the high speed rail ammendent.This will make it more easy for them to pull funding from the whole project.One tactic would be delays and cost over-runs,which may be what is happening now.If a new tennant railroad could be found that would be great.As CSX has embraced the,(New COKE) management style,and FEC and others are giving them the,(the Pepsi Challange).When the present funding runs out look for deep cuts from the Federal DOT.I would not like to see this property be given to politically connected free booters,after government has paid for improvements.I also have this fear for the North East Corridore.

262 wrote:Thank you for the link Noel.Personally,I would not like for CSX to be out of the operation,and FLODOT more involved.Because of their,(track record)with the high speed rail ammendent.This will make it more easy for them to pull funding from the whole project.One tactic would be delays and cost over-runs,which may be what is happening now.If a new tennant railroad could be found that would be great.As CSX has embraced the,(New COKE) management style,and FEC and others are giving them the,(the Pepsi Challange).When the present funding runs out look for deep cuts from the Federal DOT.I would not like to see this property be given to politically connected free booters,after government has paid for improvements.I also have this fear for the North East Corridore.

I don't think the state will try to back out here. A huge amount of money
has been spent on the double track project with all of the new stations
and other goodies involved in this. A lot of federal as well as state funds
involved here.
The state already owns this line so I think it would make much more
sense if it were operated locally and dispatched locally as well. I do not
think CSX cares much about the riders of Tri-Rail.
Noel Weaver

They were working like beavers today,on both the north and south banks of the New River.On the south side, steel concrete forms are being erected.On the north bank,a crane being assembled all last week has started swinging,and a steady stream of dump trucks are using the temporary grade crossing near Flamingo Park.Interrupted only by the flag men and wemen for passing trains.

Yesterday,tuesday they were pouring concrete in the forms under State Rd. 84.so issue over mix must be resolved.

CSX is doing it again. Article in the Saturday Sun-Sentinel concerning
Tri-Rail seeks control to beat delays.

Try this www.sun-sentinel.com/news/#browardcounty

after you get to the paper, you should be able to go down the items until
you find the article.

Tri-Rail needs control of this trackage, I can't buy that it would cost
$21.3 MILLION to cover CSX labor agreements. What are paved with?,
gold?, this whole thing makes absolutely NO sense to me.
They need to give CSX the boot and take over, period.
CSX is taking them to the "cleaners" and I do not think they are able to
deal with it.
Noel Weaver

I thought CSX stopped serving Miami.

So far as I know, the only state owned tracks are the main line between
Mangonia Park (north of West Palm Beach) and Miami Airport. There are
numerous spurs as well as the Homestead Branch that are still owned by
CSX. The whole bunch are still dispatched and maintained by CSX.
My beef is as much as the dispatchers are in Jacksonville when they
should be in this area for this particular line. Every time there is a problem with the lines between Jacksonville and south Florida, we lose
control of the signals or something else happens and the result is delayed
trains and late passengers.
I don't think CSX really cares but the state and Tri-Rail management
should care.
Noel Weaver