CN WINS THE EJ&E!!!

[Norm]

http://www.stb.dot.gov/__85256593004F57 ... enDocument

[AARR]

Let the "death trains" begin

[hobojim]

Now we will have 7 years of lawsuits. Remember how DM&E was held up about that long in its petition to access the Powder River Coal Basin? Obstuctionists have no agenda other than obstuction and delay.
jim

[amtrak1007]

The DM&E was held up due to their lack of a safety record. CP is in the process of acquiring them to up the safety on the line so that eventually they will be able to make it into the coal region.

[Racer]

.........and now Chicago is not worth railfanning anymore. Now the orange SD38-2s will become nothing but red and black SD70M-2s.

[CSX_CO]

Now go buy the csx trackage from Trowbridge to Porter to get to Kirk Yard and I'll be happy.
You heard it here first...
Doc

CN said Kirk wouldn't play that big of a role in their plans for the CN in Chicago. If anything it will lose traffic as it becomes a support yard for USS Gary Works only, instead of handling classification for much of the EJE. I'm almost certain the CN and EJE already connect at Griffith, as the UP used to get a rack train off the CN via Griffith called the A-GFSH (AG-FiSH as they called it). Just means one less railroad in Chicago, and more conjestion on the IHB, unless you think the CN is going to let people use *their* railroad to get around Chicago.

May help the CN, but the other railroads will continue to use the IHB for that 'terminal switching charge'. This is why the EJE was never a serious alternative around the city. This is why NO railroad that bypassed Chicago ever reached expectations (NYC's II&I, TPW/PRR partnership, etc). They'll put up with the conjestion to get that 'terminal switching charge' for going inside the IHB. The CSX portion of the IHB (Blue Island to Canal/McCook) has 3 mains for most of it, new interlockings, etc. Yard conjestion still is the problem. The problem has never been getting 'across' town, its been getting onto the railroad you are destined for. CN would have been just as well to set up operating plans with its connecting railroads in Chicago, then to buy up a whole nother railroad. Having trains with end points beyond Chicago would alleviate conjestion more that simply being able to by pass it. From what I remember of the IHB, I recall more CN moves than anything else. CN taking over the EJE will probably help the conjestion on the IHB because the CN won't have to be using it.

We'll see if this whole operating plan holds up. CN seems to 'flip-flop' on things quite a bit. A big push a few years ago was "Get interchange out of Chicago." So other railroads were doing that, and interchanging at out of the way places in the middle of Illinois and Memphis. Then CN said "Get the interchange out of Memphis" so it shifted back to Chicago. The CN/NS connection at Tolono, IL doesn't even get used much anymore, two trains each way a day of interchange dried up, and is probably behing handled in Chicago.

Hopefully the employee's of the EJE can experience a 'seamless' transition. Their world just got tossed upside down.

Practice Safe CSX

[CERY]

NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well this just sucks CN, will destroy another great railroad.

[Racer]

Norm, you may want to post that link under this thread :

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=11534

[hobojim]

The DM&E was held up due to their lack of a safety record. CP is in the process of acquiring them to up the safety on the line so that eventually they will be able to make it into the coal region.

The fact remains they were held up by a lawsuit. The excuse used to file a lawsuit is really immaterial to the complainents. The "antis" will list everything possible that they think is wrong,"including that the engines have no toilet paper" just to get a court hearing and another delay in the proceedings. Just watch, you will see some of the silliest reasons expounded on to try to get a court injunction.

[TrainWatcher]

Well, good Bye EJE, another good road bite the dust.....

[GTW6401]

From a logistical stand point it makes sense for the CN to acquire the J. Trains running on the former WC, CC&P, IC, and GTW can all access the EJ&E between Griffith, Indiana and Leithton, Illinois.

Another thing to consider is the BNSF and Union Pacific trains that operate between West Chicago and Joliet, which may be affected by CN ownership.

The only CN line I could see losing a large chunk of traffic on is on Waukesha Sub if trains are run on the EJE will avoid most of the terminal issues of having to run on the Alterheim Sub and the BRC or on the IHB South of B-12 in Franklin Park. I could see CN building a connection between the EJE and the former IC into Markham.

[Racer]

Wasn't there an issue with Metra expanding on the EJE if CN bought it? What's the outcome expected of that project now?

[trainjunkie47]

I'm looking forward to seeing those orange J 38's running on the Holly and Shoreline subs.

[geeps]

This just in on WGN News...CN has won approval from the STB to purchase the EJ&E from US Steel. This paves the way for vastly improved service Around not THRU Chicago.
Good for them ! How a group of NIMBY's can hold North American commerce and trade hostage was beyond me. This is for the betterment of the whole continent and shouldn't have been held up. Evidently the STB must have felt the same way.
Now go buy the csx trackage from Trowbridge to Porter to get to Kirk Yard and I'll be happy.
You heard it here first...
Doc

CN is just gunna F@#$ everything again, I know from a business point of veiw they are doing awEsome. But from a competition stand point, their going to screw their customers over just like on the WC.
I wish CN would just be split up like any other monopoly.
Look at the phone company, they got split up some years ago. Became SBC, Ameretech AT&T, now its AT&T again, they are just reforming into one large system again.

Those Nimby's you speak of are people who dont wanna live next a busy railroad line, and I wouldn't blame them. I'm glad those "NIMBY'S" held them off for as long as they could. I hope somewhere down the road CN gets a big a$$ lawsuit for screwing people over.
Class one railroads are just out to serve the big guys, small shippers are getting screwed over big time. Shortlines provide better customer service.
CN is just gunna take over everything and screw everyone over.
And its not really CN its that bastard CEO Hunter Hairrison or whatever from the IC.
Screw the CN

[Typhoon]

Those Nimby's you speak of are people who dont wanna live next a busy railroad line, and I wouldn't blame them.

Then

[penn central]

Good point GTW6401 Franklin Park Ill. will see a decrease in train traffic. But look out Chicago Hieghts Ill. Its a hot spot already. but it will get a huge infusion of train traffic. I railfan there already but will do a lot more in the future.

[hobojim]

This just in on WGN News...CN has won approval from the STB to purchase the EJ&E from US Steel. This paves the way for vastly improved service Around not THRU Chicago.
Good for them ! How a group of NIMBY's can hold North American commerce and trade hostage was beyond me. This is for the betterment of the whole continent and shouldn't have been held up. Evidently the STB must have felt the same way.
Now go buy the csx trackage from Trowbridge to Porter to get to Kirk Yard and I'll be happy.
You heard it here first...
Doc

CN is just gunna F@#$ everything again, I know from a business point of veiw they are doing awEsome. But from a competition stand point, their going to screw their customers over just like on the WC.
I wish CN would just be split up like any other monopoly.
Look at the phone company, they got split up some years ago. Became SBC, Ameretech AT&T, now its AT&T again, they are just reforming into one large system again.

Those Nimby's you speak of are people who dont wanna live next a busy railroad line, and I wouldn't blame them. I'm glad those "NIMBY'S" held them off for as long as they could. I hope somewhere down the road CN gets a big a$$ lawsuit for screwing people over.
Class one railroads are just out to serve the big guys, small shippers are getting screwed over big time. Shortlines provide better customer service.
CN is just gunna take over everything and screw everyone over.
And its not really CN its that bastard CEO Hunter Hairrison or whatever from the IC.
Screw the CN

Your Point?? Other than you question the legitimacy of Harrison?

[pfs]

I'm looking forward to seeing those orange J 38's running on the Holly and Shoreline subs.

One could only hope.

[tazer]

I think I read somewhere that the CN would use a yard at Joliet more so than Kirk Yard
I would imagine they will close Markham and Hawthorne in Chicago first and Battle Creek will be a note in the history books unfortunately.
The CN can easily run from Port Huron to South Bend if they don't stop at Flint, Durand, Lansing or Battle Creek.The CN will probably give up Kalamazoo to the NS or the GER (if they get approval from the STB to take over) Therefore the CN would set out and exchange cars at Pavillion . I don't think there is another customer until they get to Edwardsburg going west. There is plenty of open area west of Olivers yard in South Bend to change crews for east bound trains or east of the signal at MP 100 at the NS interlocking to change crews going west Actually they could pull up the signals on either side of the NS main and change crews there are very few crossings west of Olivers Yard
and none east of the NS main that couldn't accomodate a train stopped to re-crew.
These are just my thoughts on the subject and have no bearing in real fact (my 2 cents worth)
Thanks .

[geeps]

[/quote] Your Point?? Other than you question the legitimacy of Harrison?[/quote]

That saying CN WINS THE EJ&E makes this seem like a good thing, What your overlooking is the fact that large corporations,run by money hungry people like Harrison, and btw i never questioned his legitimacy.
A class one railroad pays the bills by hauling the big stuff, intermodal, coal, automobiles. they want to pick it up and move it from Point A to B. Remember it cost money to pay a local crew to pick up a few box cars from a warehouse, paying money for branch line thats have customers who rely on rail service. A class one will screw these people over just to save a buck.

Now, my point again, you make this sound like a good thing. Someone brought up the not living by the railroad thing, well its easy to just say that, but look at what is going on. You have people who have lived there for a long time, who could put up with a light amount of traffic. Just because you say "well then dont live by the railroad" well if you lived there before CN is in the picture, now what are you gunna do? Move? What if you lived there your whole life? What if you cant afford to move? If you read into this more indepth you would find that in 1995 the STB made a rule that when a community protest a ruling that could effect their community's health, safety, and financial that the STB must hold off until it is further investigated. Furthermore, the STB can reject a proposed acquisition, if the impact on the community out way the transportation benefits. CN will only pay 10% of taxes to mitigate problems such as increased air pollution, increased exposure to Hazardous materials, and the community is left to pay the rest of this transaction which SOULY benefits a private companies.
Here's another fun fact, there are three crossings in Barrington, IL one of the towns EJ&E now CN run through. Representatives of these communities noted that CN tends to run trains longer than 10,000 ft which would block the moment of local traffic, emergency vehicles, etc. CN's respones to this problem is "Well, we'll make the trains go faster".
On average Barrington's crossings will see school buses passing 840 times a day, thus increasing risk to children, may not be your children but someones children.
In other words, Thanks to greedy CEOs and politicians, ruined another great railroad, community, putting more people at risk, and making people pay money out of their own pockets for something they fought to prevent. ALL TO SAVE A FEW PENNIES.
And if your thinking, CN was making a better transportation route to releave congestion, no they are simply moving a problem from downtown Chicago to the suburbs.
I know I sound pissed, but I just hate that major companies can just do this and effect people in bad ways, just so a few people at the top can live the high life. Because thats all it is in the end.