Monthly railcar loadings

[farming101]

The majority of processed grains leave the country in a rail car. So farm production gets trucked to a mill or crush plant, but it ultimately has to be railed out of here.
I'm in total agreement with you on the disconnect between the big push to increase prairie crop production and the lack of investment in infrastructure.
Actually, some of the biggest investments in rail improvement were funded by the prairie economy. The tunnels in the mountains-income from grain and settlers. Mount MacDonald tunnel initiated the same year as the WGTA was passed. Coincidence?
Farmers were let down by the system in 2013 and 2014 has turned into a hangover.

[bucket]

If you look at your second graph and use the trend line yield formula that the usda does - what would that tell you about rail and grainco infrastructure?

Also realize the US government invested in warehouses for excess.

It's not a hangover it's incompetence by those in government that have facts and figures by statscan and fail to a dress the issues.

They simply don't care to do what they identified prior to getting into office.

And yes that is you Anderson Ritz Hermanson and anyone else lurking and sitting on their hands.

That isn't pointed at you Farming101 unless you are one of those people. Lol.

[farming101]

Ha hardly! Just another small farmer staring retirement in the face in a few years.

[bucket]

But your retirement package requires the primary industry to be healthy.

It's not.

Big or small operator these issues have to be fixed or primary production will stagnate or be reduced.

That shouldn't be up to graincos or railways to decide whether our end users discontinue doing business. Right now they are and eventually it will hurt their bottom line as well.


WIT was a first example maybe PH is next or Patterson. Eventually some one is going to come gunning for richardsons if they continue to **** the primary producer.

[TASFarms]

Need more short lines to move rail cars. Order cars on Friday load Tuesday. Why can't CN or CP do that.

[bucket]

Tasfarms

New one just announced today. Melfort to birch hills - northern lights railway..

Funded by the province.

Wish the province would just force railways to do their job.

[TOM4CWB]

Farming 101,

Why are we operating at "maximum capacity"?

Hunter is primarily responsible... " in 1998, Harrison was appointed Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer by CN. Upon the retirement of Paul Tellier, he was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of CN on January 1, 2003, serving in that position until his retirement on December 31, 2009."

Then in 2012 he took over as CEO of CP.

On railbed infrastructure:

"Years ago I remember the federal government announcing double tracking in western Canada at huge expense. It was a MAJOR initiative.

Well, a few weeks ago I was talking with a former rail company employee and he said something astounding to me. That some of that double tracking was ripped up and the rails sold off.

I presume that IF this is true that the company was counting on computerized dispatch to better control the logistics and so it was deemed that the double tracking wasn't necessary. However, now I'm hearing of grain shipment problems due to transport logistics. If so, that likely means cost increases are on the horizon for our economy.

Either way, if double tracking was reduced, that act seems like a major short-sighted action and a slap in the face to those with foresight to build out major infrastructure for the long run.

Any thoughts or knowledge on this?"

SO who was responsible for ripping out millions of $$$ taxpayers invested in the CN railbed???

"CN Rail rips out line on double track near Jasper
Oct. 18th, 2001 by Adrian Ewins
excerpt:

"Railway track that was laid 20 years ago to help move grain to west coast ports more efficiently is being torn up by Canadian National Railway.

The company is removing 64 kilometres of double-tracked line from its main line ...

“It will have no effect at all on our ability to handle traffic to the West Coast, including grain,” said CN spokesperson Jim Feeny.

The track being torn up represents about 16 percent of the roughly 400 kilometres that were double-tracked between Edmonton and Vancouver in the late 1970s and early 1980s.""

There was also double track in the Saskatoon area that was laid down in the 90's I believe. The story goes that not one train used the track before it was ripped up. Just this year, they've been relaying that track in Saskatoon to double track the line again. Also, in my old stomping grounds near London, Ontario, they ripped up double track mainline (CN's mainline between Chicago and Toronto).

As far as I've been told, all of this track was ripped up under Hunter Harrison's reign at CN. He was very short-sighted, which makes me a little worried about CP's future. Make a quick buck now, but sacrifice much needed capacity for tomorrow.

Also, another interesting tidbit about the Jasper double track. Apparently CN asked Parks Canada if they can put the double track back in. And they said no..."
Excerpt:

CN Rail rips out line on double track near Jasper
Posted Oct. 18th, 2001 by Adrian Ewins

"Railway track that was laid 20 years ago to help move grain to west coast ports more efficiently is being torn up by Canadian National Railway. ..."

“It will have no effect at all on our ability to handle traffic to the West Coast, including grain,” said CN spokesperson Jim Feeny."

...
"The double tracking was laid to ease congestion..."

“There’s a fewer number of trains running on the track at once, so they... “Trains aren’t competing for track.”

...

“It seems extremely shortsighted,” he said. ..."

“...ripping up double track that was put in at the expense of taxpayers to send that to shareholders as well, seems really illegitimate and shortsighted,” he said."

http://www.producer.com/2001/10/cn-r...k-near-jasper/


http://www.connect2edmonton.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=34590

[bucket]

And probably happened while politicians elected by farmers and were farmers themselves sat in Ottawa in meetings being stupid.

As I said before politicians are incompetent and don't give a shit.

They have known about these problems for decades. Same players just refuse to do SFA.

And yes I am talking about anderson ritz hermanson goodale and any other lurker in government doing sweet **** all.

[farming101]

Tom, accurate as far as I know.

Ripping up track only 20 years old doesn't seem reasonable. Shortsighted yes.

[farming101]

Some CPR history and some references to double tracking in the first section under Canadian Pacific and Rogers Pass.



<a title="CPR" href="http://www.okthepk.ca/dataCprSiding/articles/200502/pass00.htm">CPR</a>