Pan Am Coal Trains

[eustis22]

> Perhaps out next President will have a better appreciation for the almost eternal supply of coal our country has.

um, what? You think Clinton is going to order utilities to use dirtier and more expensive goal instead of natural gas? Why do you hate capitalism?

[newpylong]

FYI - not a big coal fan but taxing something (in this case fossils fuels/coal) to the point that they cannot be competitive in an "open" market is the opposite of Capitalism.

[eustis22]

except for the fact that we have no carbon tax that's almost spot on.

What tax is it you think coal pays that natural gas doesn't?

[newpylong]

It does not have to be a "tax", it just has to be something that artificially alters the playing field like a tax. Currently, the Mercury and Air Toxics Standard is one such law. In the future, the Clean Power Plan, etc. Coal plants that have already spent millions adding environmental control equipment will again either need to spend more or stop generating. Combined with the declining price of natural gas it is uneconomical for many coal plants to continue operating.

Again, I am not fan of coal, but we need to call a spade a spade.

[eustis22]

OR it could be a worldwide reduction in coal usage which has absolutely nothing to do with US tax policy. Most coal plants AVOIDED the extra expense of scrubbers by using Wyoming coal vs eastern coal as it was lower in sulphur, thus requiring less..well..scrubbing..... But Wyoming coal production is off 30% from 2015. Vietnam is opting to not use coal at all, and China is converting their coal burners to natural gas.

Feel free to blame Obama first, though. Next year you can blame Clinton.

[F-line to Dudley via Park]

What does this have to do with Bow? Or prospective PAR coal traffic when there is only one coal-fired plant on the whole damn railroad that only consumes its coal fast enough for monthly deliveries? Does any political argument about coal policy change a single thing about the volume of coal PAR handles to its one and only coal customer?

[eustis22]

about as much as any industry using rail does with the actual railroad that services it, I'd say. ymmv

[BowdoinStation]

Well, I guess I can admit to putting out information in error.. In a recent post, I mentioned that NHB-07 was going to be it for Coal Trains in Bow for a long while.. I got that info from what I consider a credible source. However, things do change, andl in that time, NHB-08. a Limestone train have been through Bow, and currently NHB-09 is residing on the World Famous Perini Siding in Bow with a sharp SD70ACU, a former SD9043MAC "Big Mac" on the southern lead.

[newpylong]

Another loaded coal has come onto the railroad yesterday.

[johnpbarlow]

And yet another 532 coal train just arrived at Binghamton mid-day today after a struggle up Clarks Summit when one if its 4 engines failed this morning. I believe it got an assist from 11Z's power.

[BowdoinStation]

The 10th Loaded Coal Train Power is currently stored on the Perini Siding in Bow, after arriving in Bow on Saturday (9/3) afternoon. The 11th Loaded Coal Train is starting it's trek eastward..

[newpylong]

Another coal train by Shelburne Falls

[F-line to Dudley via Park]

Have they increased power output all of a sudden because of the hot summer, or is this just mass-refilling the coal pile to the max in one blitz so they don't have to schedule any coal trains till winter? This is a pretty jarring and sudden change in the delivery spacing.

[doublestack]

It's called purchase all the coal you can now, because if the wrong person becomes the next POTUS, there won't be any more mining done in this country.

[CN9634]

Who cares, industry changes, railroads adapt and life moves on. Besides, my opinion of coal going away is optimistic towards our environment, which we happen to only have 1 of.