Oil Trains (RJMA / MARJ, OI-x, etc)

[gokeefe]

Or they can focus on pre-treating the product before they move it... probably will take some kind of legislation to force companies to cough up $$ to do that....

This is the strange part in the situation here. Pre-treatment is standard practice everywhere else, Texas, Oklahoma, you name it.

[BandA]

How about putting firefighting / containment equipment on the front & the back of these big unit trains? In the occasion where something happens it is unlikely that the locals have a foam tanker nearby.

[gokeefe]

How about putting firefighting / containment equipment on the front & the back of these big unit trains? In the occasion where something happens it is unlikely that the locals have a foam tanker nearby.

We have foam and a lot of it. No problem there.

[CN9634]

How about putting firefighting / containment equipment on the front & the back of these big unit trains? In the occasion where something happens it is unlikely that the locals have a foam tanker nearby.

We have foam and a lot of it. No problem there.

In my limited amount of firefighting experience (All from family no self) and from reading things on the internet (credible I know).... this would be highly costly (both equipment installation & maint. wise as well as training for proper use) and about as useful as using a fire extinguisher on a 4 alarm fire....

Remember the price volatility of this stuff and think that any small adjustments will dramatically change the economics of this vs. foreign sources.

[farecard]

I see DOT and its cousin will be requiring requiring ECP on unit trains in the near future.

Does ECP have any requirement for anti-lock brakes? ISTM this is the ideal time to bring this to the rail world.

[fromway]

Was in St. John this weekend. Irving had oil cans all over the place. All rails along Rt. 1 were packed as well as the racks at the Irving download facility. It looked like they were filling two tankers at a time. NBS was busy moving MTs and loaded cans around, along with Potash hoppers for another freighter.

[WN&P]

Irving says no more oil train movements in maine:

http://bangordailynews.com/2015/07/14/n ... egionstate

[KSmitty]

Irving says no more oil train movements in maine:

http://bangordailynews.com/2015/07/14/n ... egionstate

Big difference between "no plans" and "not gonna happen."

I'd wager if Brent prices climb and Bakken is comparably cheaper like it was in 2011-2012-2013, we'll see either/both CMQ or PAR pick up some oil business again. Or if we get a really cold winter again, to the point Albany has ice issues again.

[MEC407]

I agree.

[WN&P]

At the peak of traffic a few summers ago what percentage of St. John bound oil was going via MMA and PAR? With it coming from the Bakken area it seems strange that they wouldnt do all oil over a completely Canadian route to avoid Chicago plus multiple interchanges

[MEC407]

From the Portland Press Herald:

Pan Am, whose trains travel through Portland, carried just 15,545 barrels of oil in all of 2014, according to records the company filed with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. In 2015, Pan Am has carried 37,128 barrels. All those shipments occurred in February, the last month the railroad delivered oil to the Irving refinery, according to the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting.

Read the rest of the article at: http://www.pressherald.com/2015/07/15/i ... ugh-state/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[newpylong]

“I’d like to believe that’s true,” she also said. “We’re paying attention, and if they change their minds about that, we plan not to make that an easy process for them,” meaning, she said, “creating a lot of public discourse.”

Who do these people think they are? Getting in the way of Interstate commerce.

None of these people have a problem that they get most of their crude by ship?

[WN&P]

big ships in the ocean are just out of sight - out of mind

[NHV 669]

Who do these people think they are? Getting in the way of Interstate commerce.

None of these people have a problem that they get most of their crude by ship?

Chances are these are the same clowns that think that protesting something by sitting in the middle of the interstate is a wise idea. Low IQ, and minimal-to-none going on in the common sense department. Of course they've got nothing better to do, they're likely unemployed as well, because jobs are "oppressive".

[Hux]

“I’d like to believe that’s true,” she also said. “We’re paying attention, and if they change their minds about that, we plan not to make that an easy process for them,” meaning, she said, “creating a lot of public discourse.”

Who do these people think they are? Getting in the way of Interstate commerce.

None of these people have a problem that they get most of their crude by ship?

Well, given the propensity for these things to end up under smoke and flame, I don't doubt there will be a great effort put forth to stymie movements through New England. Until the oil in the Bakken is less volatile and/or the tanks are upgraded, it doesn't make sense to drag a unit train of the stuff through densely populated areas.