Re: Freeway collapse in Oakland (nDc)


"DGDevin" <dgdevin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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"Commander Salamander" <commander.salamander@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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Any guesses on how long the rebuild will take?

Union Pacific replaced that recent burned-down rail trestle so fast it was
unbelievable, and now Cal Trans is predicting weeks or maybe months to fix
this, maybe they should turn over the job to UP.

The Union Pacific isn't a government agency, it's an incredibly profitable
company, and the only Railroad to operate under it's original name and it's
original routes since the 1860's. Every other railroad in the country has
either merged with other railroads, been absorbed or abandoned either
partially or totally. There are only three other major US railroads left CSX
transportation, Norfolk Southern, and BNSF (Burlington Northern Santa Fe)
These three are actually made up of what was once 30+ "Class One" railroads,
including The New York Central, Pennsylvania, Baltimore and Ohio, Chesepeake
and Ohio, Southern Pacific, Santa Fe, and a bunch ot others. I don't think
any one of these mega railroads has a better bottomline or P & L than the
Union Pacific. And geographically speaking, I suspect that the UP has the
most trackage, locomotives, rolling stock, etc.

An interesting sidebar about the Union Pacific is they are the only RR I am
aware of that still owns and regularly operates some of it's own, original
steam engines on a regular basis, on excursions and occasionally in actually
"revenue" service. All of the other operating steam engines I am aware of
are owned and operated by museums (I used to have a video of the UP's
"Challenger" articulated locomotive-one of the biggest Steam locomotives
that was ever made-pulling a 150 car train over Sherman Hill outside of
Cheyenne, Wyoming by itself in the mid 1990's)

http://www.uprr.com/aboutup/history/loco/locohs01.shtml

ODC-When the Dead played "Casey Jones" at RFK Stadium in 92 the video on the
screen was of a "Challenger" or "Big Boy" going over Sherman Hill

The point is that the UP can't afford to have routes out of service or
reroute traffic. They don't screw around when the have damaged
infrastructure. I doubt that the State of California will be anywhere near
as efficient as the UP is when it comes to fixing that bridge

Scot (rereading this I realize that I am such a geek-I really need to get a
life : )



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