Grafton & Upton Railroad (G&U) Discussion

apple1 wrote:kenny sounds disgruntled for getting laughed out of the room that one time when he added tie disposal costs to whatever proposal he wrote. EPA calling ties hazardous material is one more example of liberal environmentalism run amock...how can you calssify the tie as hazardous when the entire rail line is comprised of ties, under the rail, on the ground, etc etc!? what about telephone poles and high voltage lines? Cripes.

Now that is an excellent point. How are the old ties, in a pile, in an area already zoned for industry really any more of a hazard than the ones on the active ROW? OR, on the row currently under rehab... or ANY ties in the ground anywhere?

KEN PATRICK wrote:my point. why is there a 'huge pile etc' anywhere? g&u doesn't want to pay for proper disposal. the towns should file a complaint with epa. ties do present an environmental problem. ken patrick

Please cite your source of information on how "g&u doesn't want to pay for proper disposal."


Oh, right...that's our obligatory 100% made-up factoid for this round of threadjacking.

Hey, you know, now that I think about it,...
...doesn't Pan Am bur ties up in Milinocket?
Granted, that's not "Mass burn plants" but...

Mattawamkeag

MEC407 wrote:Mattawamkeag

Hey, I was close.

All those northern Maine towns that have 4+ syllables sound the same anyway

Just to add some fuel (or creosote) to the fire here....

The Railway Tie Association wrote:How are wood crossties disposed after their useful life in track? (about ¾ of the way down the page) Wood crossties have many recycling and disposal options. The best source of information are these two publications Management of Used Treated Wood Products and its companion Addendum For the Western United States. Please note that California and other western states have additional requirements under certain circumstances and you can consult the Western Wood Preservers Institute for the most up-to-date information. Crossties are also used for landscaping timbers and a significant quantity are burned in approved co-generation plants to produce electricity and gas. More information on this is available under the heading Why Wood Crossties?
Additional information on topics such as the safe disposal of used crossties and special regulations is also available under Environmental Literature.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency wrote:Preliminary Risk Assessment for Creosote In December 2003, EPA announced the results of its preliminary assessment of potential health risks, as well as ecological effects and environmental risks, associated with creosote. The assessment includes an evaluation of the potential risks to handlers and post-application workers from exposure to creosote. Creosote is a possible human carcinogen and has no registered residential uses. It is primarily used on utility poles and railroad ties. It is important to note that since this draft risk assessment is in the public review and comment phase, its findings are preliminary in nature and are subject to additional analysis. It is, therefore, premature for EPA to reach conclusions about the potential for creosote-treated wood products to contribute to cancer risk in workers and handlers of this wood. The full preliminary assessment is available for public inspection in EPA's Docket (# OPP-2003-0248). The Federal Register Notice can be found at http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr.

A search for "creosote railroad tie disposal" of the Mass. DEQE's section of Mass.gov failed to turn up any regulatory information, so I'm wondering if there even is an issue here.

Disclaimer (aka. "the fine print"): It wouldn't be the first time I missed something and it probably won't be the last.

Sandy Quadros Bowles - The Grafton[color=#00cc00]Patch[/color] wrote:Grafton Man Guilty of Stealing Railroad Ties May 29, 2012.

A second charge against Nicholas Vokes is dismissed.
A Grafton man was found guilty of stealing metal ties from the Grafton & Upton Railroad.

Rest of the story is >>HERE<<.


My comment/question: Metal ties?

papabarn wrote:

Sandy Quadros Bowles - The Grafton[color=#00cc00]Patch[/color] wrote:Grafton Man Guilty of Stealing Railroad Ties May 29, 2012.

A second charge against Nicholas Vokes is dismissed.
A Grafton man was found guilty of stealing metal ties from the Grafton & Upton Railroad.

Rest of the story is >>HERE<<.


My comment/question: Metal ties?

Obviously a mistake in terminology.
I'm guessing ti was either spikes or Tie PLATES.

Possibly a case of the reporter not knowing the correct terminology. Maybe they were tie plates?

Jinx!

SOMEBODY OWES ME A COKE!

Cosmo wrote:Obviously a mistake in terminology.
I'm guessing ti was either spikes or Tie PLATES.

MEC407 wrote:Possibly a case of the reporter not knowing the correct terminology. Maybe they were tie plates?

Hmmmmm......

Jennifer Lord Paluzzi - Grafton [color=#f41f41]Daily Voice[/color] on May 25th wrote: On March 23, two off-duty Grafton Police officers, Liam O'Rourke and James Crosby, observed Vokes, accompanied by Luis A. Falcon of 239A Boylston St., Shrewsbury, carrying and dragging scrap metal into the cargo area of a Jeep. The officers found six heavy solid metal ties, each about four feet long.

Story >>HERE<<

Gauge bars? (I forget the correct term).

The "Fact Finding" Committee will hold it's next meeting (navel gazing session?) on Tuesday June 5th..

Here is the Transmittal Letter from the RRFFC dated 4 May 2012.

Here is the Draft Report of the RRFFC dated 4 May 2012.

It may be of interest that the committee included two differing viewpoints regarding preemption from local regulations.

DISCLAIMER: I'm just the messenger, not responsible for any resulting arguments! That being said, have at it!