The hits keep on coming...

Talk of the Housy's condition: wamc.org

We've all in some manner of form pilloried the management of the Housy here, but really, is there much they could do if they don't have the capital? It seems to be feeding on itself at this point. Remember, P&W abandoned adverse abandonment proceedings without much to say about it. Maybe they did so because they realized the cost to fix it is prohibitive.

Conn. MTA Train Crash Highlights Need For Rail Investment in Berkshires

But railway safety has also been a topic of discussion in the Berkshires.

Since November of last year, there have been three derailments along a stretch of track from Pittsfield south to the border of Connecticut. All of the trains were carrying freight and derailed on the line owned by the Housatonic Railroad Company.

Clete Kus, a transportation planner with the Berkshire Regional Planning Commision, said that the rail infrastructure in Berkshire County is aging and that accidents will become more common if something isn’t done to replace it.

"The rail that exists there was manufactured in the 1920's and it's getting real close to being 100 years old," said Kus.

In HRRC's case,the ties and roadbed are the big problems,it's rotting away!
At least put in some good ties to hold the gauge.

Kus is a transportation planner, and he doesn't realize that it's the ties, not the rails?? Geezums.

And this is EXACTLY what the HRRC people want, for the gov't to step in and pay for the track repairs that they themselves couldn't be bothered to do. As mentioned previously about the HRRC they'll do literally the bare minimum and only repair something if there's an accident, which after enough of them would almost inevitably lead the state to kick in with some dough just to keep something potentially worse from happening. Why do you think they kept pushing for someone to invest in their own passenger train?

CDOT has given CW rail and ties to HRRC, recovered from Concrete tie projects in Connecticut.
yet the stuff was misplaced and not used where it should have been (Connecticut)

Housy's recent troubles--legal and...um...horizontal--have all been on their own track in MA. So it's going to take a two-state tag team to enforce some accountability here. Especially if we've got stuff going on like Dutch is hinting about CDOT-donated hardware possibly being used on private track in MA.

Yes Jaap is right that CDOT gave the HRRC rail but what he wont say is out of the train load metro took the best sticks for the danbury yard rebuild a few years back and gave the Housy such crap that it would cost way to much to install as welded rail because of all the joints, torch cut, and curve wear that would have to be cut out!! As for the using in other places maybe he should stick to running the buses out of danbury because the rail lies right wear it was dropped years ago between hatch pond and bellspring curves !!! As for the ties maybe someone should look at the pile in canaan that CDOT gave and if anyone can find more then 100 good ties that could maybe be used in siding i would be surprised, all CDOT did was hand their trash out for free ! I also know for a fact that the recent derailments weren't anything to do with ties but verticle split rails caused them and that came right from a FRA inspector I saw at the Sheffield wreck and if anyone would look into the agreement with HRRC and the state of CT on the BL i believe they would see the HRRC is only required to keep the railroad at a class 1 status and required for reasonable up keep, 37 miles of 100 year old rail is capital expense not expected to be eated by any railroad !! I'm not defending the HRRC but some should get the truth before writing a soap opera of crap because what you see is not always what you get ! Thank YOU

The main question is, why does state even entertain helping a private industry with questionable safety record.
The HRRC keeps holding out for more, even if their told its trash, like the 6 FL-9's and Constitution liners.
HRRS wants this stuff and hundreds of million Dollars to run a passenger operation ??
they can't keep their trash on rail as it is.

and the rail dropped for Danbury yard was not for HRRC as all rail in Danbury yard is new rail, heaviest yet installed on any CDOT track.
HRRC was getting older CWR no longer used.