Hurricane Irene Damage

From CSXEngineer:

As of this morning,8/29, On the Southern Division,there is: a washout just west
of Rte 15 crossing; 2) a washout At the Edison Rd crossing in Odgensburg;
3)Significant and major flooding between MP 43 and 44 just near the
Charlottesburg Resevoir; 4) a washout near MP 73 with about 50 feet of track
suspended in mid air; 5) serious threats to several bridges, notably in the
Butler area, plus numerous trees down.

I dare say trains won't be going west of
Butler for several weeks at this point. And that's a conservative estimate.
Major damage.

i wounder if there will be rerouting via njt from hudson jct. to saddle brook? the only problem on the line is in harriman, just flooding there, no washout i am told. that will be a train to chase!

CP has a washout at Central Bridge and was trying to negotiate with CSX. NYSW is cool Syr - Bing, but CSX has their own troubles with Fonda and Mohawk Bridge. Yikes.

With this many washouts, I just wonder if they won't embargo the whole thing west of Butler and be done with it....as was done years ago before Walter Rich rebuilt it after another hurricane?

CarterB wrote:With this many washouts, I just wonder if they won't embargo the whole thing west of Butler and be done with it....as was done years ago before Walter Rich rebuilt it after another hurricane?

Probably not, but i guess anything is possible today with the way the economy is!

I hope your wrong!

I can't get one update on the CNY on the Delaware Hancock east. Anyone got anybody back on-line in the Catskills?

What's the effect of the loss due to washouts on MNRR trackage east of Port Jervis?

Several railroads continue to restore service today after shutting down parts of their Hurricane Irene-damaged lines last weekend.

In prepared statements, officials at the following railroads and rail service providers provided updates to their service restoration and cleanup efforts:

• Norfolk Southern Railway “continues to make good progress” in restoring service. Operations in North and South Carolina and Virginia generally have returned to normal. On the Delmarva Peninsula, high water and power outages remain in a few areas around Edgemoor, but trains have begun moving into the area. In the Philadelphia/South Jersey area, operations have been restored even though some track areas remain under repair. Work on washed-out track continues around Binghampton, N.Y., affecting shipments into New England. An embargo of some shipments remains in effect until repairs are completed later this week.

• CSX Transportation’s freight operations “are moving steadily toward full recovery,” and commuter train service in the Washington, D.C., and Boston areas was restored yesterday. Power outages in several areas required the Class I to use generators to operate signals and grade crossing warning devices in several areas. Flooding in New York and New Jersey “remains a significant obstacle.” Export piers served by CSXT in Newport News, Va., are expected to resume operations today.

• New Jersey Transit officials anticipate restoring most rail service today, with several lines subject to delays resulting from storm damage. An exception is the Port Jervis Line, which will remain suspended due to flooding and storm damage.

thebigham wrote:
I dare say trains won't be going west of
Butler for several weeks at this point. And that's a conservative estimate.
Major damage.

CarterB wrote:With this many washouts, I just wonder if they won't embargo the whole thing west of Butler and be done with it....as was done years ago before Walter Rich rebuilt it after another hurricane?

Some one may want to tell the work train that was heading west past Oak Ridge road (WELL west of Butler) this morning these "facts"

The damage is not any where near as bad as being described by the fans, or in this case the haters.

Just a reminder to keep it friendly..........a polite correction will do.

Thanks in advance,
Charlie

It is possible that thebigham was referring to revenue trains, something quite different from one work train. "One swallow does not a summer make," as the fellow said. I mean, the work train may have been going out there to find out how bad things really were.

The NYS&W has work trains out and about, getting stone, rip rap, and ballast from the Quarry in Pompton Lakes, NJ. Its going to take time for ALL railroads to get back on their feet. Unlike Agnes in 1972, there are carriers with money, and are in much better shape to restore whats been damaged, including the NYS&W. NJ Transit will partner with Metro North to get the Southern Tier between Suffern and Port Jervis up and running ASAP, and as both are state agencies, the respective states of NJ and NY will likely go for federal relief to make repairs. As for the NYS&W, I think "abandonment" is a pretty silly word to throw around at this point. The NYS&W is in MUCH better shape financially now than it was at the time of the Smoke Rise(Kinnelon, NJ) washout in 1971. Their customer base is more solid than it was back then, and there is no ICC in Washington to strangle the railroads earning abilities as it did back in the 60's and 70's. The rail;road will likely seek some federal relief(as will CSX, NS and just about all the other affected carriers) to assist with the restoration of service ASAP. But its going to take time, patience and some blood sweat and tears. The NYS&W, like its bigger bretheren in the region will be back up and running soon enough. The railroads cannot survive extended periods without being able to service their customers, and I'm pretty sure the customers will be somewhat forgiving(but to a point), given this was an act of God, and not the result of a labor dispute, financial instability, or some other controllable force. The sooner the railroad gets back on its feet, the better for all involved and traffic can resume flowing. And if the railroad WAS to file for termination of traffic, embargoment or abandonment, then the petition would be filed with the Surface transportation Board accordingly. If any one sees of such petitions filed, please share them with us. Otherwise, the assumption is that service WILL be restored, ASAP. Stay tuned, as the further along we get from the days of the storm, the better the recovery and restoration efforts will be.

ExCon90 wrote:It is possible that thebigham was referring to revenue trains, something quite different from one work train. "One swallow does not a summer make," as the fellow said. I mean, the work train may have been going out there to find out how bad things really were.

Okay, then how in the world did the work train get past Butler if it was actually EAST of or in the Butler vicinity where I thought most of the floods/washouts were???!?!?

The southern division is inspected by hi-rail at regular intervals (every week?), per FRA guidelines. I'm sure they sent one out before a 500K lbs work train.

By 9AM Sunday morning, it was still coming down, but the Q had moved all equipment out of the Ridgefield Park facility - anyone know where they parked mom & dads Geeps for the duration of the storm? Where is the work train gear stored on the east end these days? Haven't seen anything tucked-in on a stub down by the turntable in some time.

Cheers!
~R

ExCon90 wrote:It is possible that thebigham was referring to revenue trains, something quite different from one work train. "One swallow does not a summer make," as the fellow said. I mean, the work train may have been going out there to find out how bad things really were.

I was NOT the original poster.

I quoted someone from the Yahoo Email Group.

Obvuiously they were wrong. That posting was made right after the storm.

Now that they've had a few days to check out the railroad, we are getting corrections.

Like the Mod said, please keep it friendly!