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  • Pan Am Coal Trains

  • Guilford Rail System changed its name to Pan Am Railways in 2006. Discussion relating to the current operations of the Boston & Maine, the Maine Central, and the Springfield Terminal railroads (as well as the Delaware & Hudson while it was under Guilford control until 1988). Official site can be found here: PANAMRAILWAYS.COM.
Guilford Rail System changed its name to Pan Am Railways in 2006. Discussion relating to the current operations of the Boston & Maine, the Maine Central, and the Springfield Terminal railroads (as well as the Delaware & Hudson while it was under Guilford control until 1988). Official site can be found here: PANAMRAILWAYS.COM.

Moderator: MEC407

 #1527643  by eustis22
 
>I wonder if they propose alternate fuel sources: wind turbines?? solar panels??

Yes they have because they are much cheaper solutions to the subsidy the Bow coal plant is getting now. What I DON'T get is why trains carrying coal are preferable to trains carrying solar panels, windmill parts, geothermal equipment. Nostalgia?
 #1527653  by newpylong
 
If there were cheaper options/KwH they would have been done by now. There is only so much natural gas coming into the region for power generation, and they killed the Northern Pass. Who is going to pay to install 500 megawatts of renewable overnight?
 #1527658  by 690
 
Exactly. If you want to protest the use of coal, come up with a cleaner, cheaper alternative.
 #1527660  by MEC407
 
I don't condone trespassing and I wish they hadn't done that, but aside from that they certainly have the right to protest whatever they want for whatever reason they want. One of the unfortunate realities of present-day American society is that people expect to be entertained when they turn on the news or read the newspaper. They don't want to hear about people protesting on a public sidewalk; they want to hear about people getting arrested and pepper sprayed or worse. This is what drives otherwise law-abiding people to protest in ways that sometimes aren't legal.
 #1527914  by jwhite07
 
Empty coal train was parked at Barbers last night, 12/11. The lead loco (a CSX GE of some variety) was facing long hood forward.
 #1527959  by Dick H
 
I have a report from a good source that they have been trucking coal from the Schiller Generating Station along the Piscataqua River in Portsmouth/Newington to Bow. Coal arrives there by barge. Maybe 6-8 years ago, PAR ran a test train of 30 cars and two GP40s from
Schiller to Bow. However, it turned out to be a one time event, so must have not been economically feasible.
 #1527990  by 690
 
Sure, it's their right to protest, but people also needed to be reminded that sometimes actions have consequences. Disrupting interstate commerce, trespassing on private property, and taking away police officers from actual emergency scenes are all things that they should be punished for, regardless of their right to protest.
 #1528009  by BowdoinStation
 
The radical activists that were arrested for trespassing and stopping the LCT in West Boylston and Ayer got their charges dismissed in Mass. The DA asked for the dismissal of all charges and the Judge sent them on their way. Can you believe it ? What message does that send ? I hope the arrested Hooksett NH mob is served with a much greater penalty and huge financial pain. I agree, think of all the services they tied up, luckily those people were not needed to deal with a real crisis elsewhere. Let's hope any future coal trains, fly under the radar as much as possible.
 #1528028  by jwhite07
 
Probably didn't help that the LCT in question sat at Burncoat Street for the better part of last Saturday in full view of anyone driving on Route 12. Demonstrators had plenty of advance notice it was coming! Would help to keep them moving, and at night as much as possible.
 #1528031  by eustis22
 
>If you want to protest the use of coal, come up with a cleaner, cheaper alternative.

They have. Its why the Bow plant only runs dec-mar.

>What message does that send?

I dunno, that America is still a pl;ace you can protest without going to jail? I blame the Dixie Chicks.
 #1528043  by MEC407
 
690 wrote: Thu Dec 12, 2019 8:19 pm Sure, it's their right to protest, but people also needed to be reminded that sometimes actions have consequences. Disrupting interstate commerce, trespassing on private property, and taking away police officers from actual emergency scenes are all things that they should be punished for, regardless of their right to protest.
I'm sure they knew all that when they made their plan. I don't believe for a minute that any of them were unaware of that or surprised by it. Disrupting commerce and provoking law enforcement is the only way to get cameras and reporters to show up, unfortunately. Again, I don't condone or endorse it, but it's a symptom of a much bigger problem.
 #1528046  by MEC407
 
BowdoinStation wrote: Thu Dec 12, 2019 10:15 pm The DA asked for the dismissal of all charges and the Judge sent them on their way.
That's actually very surprising. Any further details or information on this?
 #1528052  by newpylong
 
eustis22 wrote: Fri Dec 13, 2019 7:53 am >If you want to protest the use of coal, come up with a cleaner, cheaper alternative.

They have. Its why the Bow plant only runs dec-mar.

>What message does that send?

I dunno, that America is still a pl;ace you can protest without going to jail? I blame the Dixie Chicks.
If there was enough, the plant wouldn't have to run at all.

Blocking a train (or a highway, anything) and interstate commerce is not protesting.
 #1528086  by BowdoinStation
 
I would hope that when / if there are any more loaded coal trains making a run to Bow, those of us in the Railfan Community would use common sense and NOT advertise their locations and movement details after what we all witnessed with last weeks movement debacle. To think these fame seeking clowns would not try a repeat performance is poor judgement. On the other side of the equation, if you see something that doesn't look right, say something. Call the Pan Am police 800-955-9217 or your local PD.
 #1528116  by eustis22
 
Perhaps a reading of Civil Disobedienceis in order

Or Google Rosa Parks and Lunch Counter SitIns.

Is there such a thing as a NORMAL protest? What does it look like?

[edit}Never mind. I apologize for the diverting of the thread into non-rail related subjects.
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