DownWeek 29; 69 percent of Hopper Cars ordered, Delivered

[TOM4CWB]

Wm,

I have not had a grain freight provider... EVER... that was not responsible to assure clean properly maintained grain transport equipment.

That is a simple part of the equipment maintenance required... truck or train should not matter.

[wmoebis]

I agree Tom, when should the RR be inspecting the cars?

Usually when cars are rejected for sanitary reasons grain or other material is left in when unloaded at port. So should the RR be on sight at port at time of unload to insure they are properly cleaned out? This is also when the bottoms get damaged so I guess that would be the time.

Often it is raining in Van, snowing in the mountains and very cold on the prairies, cars were fine when leaving terminal but the lids get froze down and require large bars or other tools to break loose, this is when damage happens to lids and they are then bad ordered either by that elevator or the next time they are to be loaded. So maybe they should be inspected at elevators after loading. Or should they be inspected both on loading and unloading?

Not sure how it would work or how much time and manpower it would take the RR to physically inspect every car every load and unload. But someone is damaging cars and are not held accountable.

I wonder if the rail employees could even inspect at terminal and elevator because of safety concerns, they would need fall arrest unless they were on site all the while cars were being loaded. Or would you suggest that all cars go back to Rail yards every time they are unloaded, for inspection and repair.

[sawfly]

if they can't move it this year.
what hope is there?
too much investment south of the line and nothing here.

if trump can build a wall, why can't we build another railroad.
a great make work project for the next depression .
and this time , keep it public forever.

[Jdhot]

As much as I worry about a public system, I think that some/all of the main lines in the country should be public, just like the highways. U.S. In the centre of the prairies feel the grain transport issues the most. This rail performance reinforces the fact that when their is a big crop, rail performance will determine inland price, not the port price.
In order for the RRs to operate at peak efficiency they have to have freight orders waiting, guess what commodity will wait.
There are those that think, we'll get rid of/ tinker with the entitlement formula. Then you get into a peeing match with other commodities at peak shipping times $$$. How would it go if the highways were built just enough so that some traffic was always waiting?

[Hopalong]

Older ones among us will remember when CNR was a government owned railway.
Not a lot better performance and subject to political pressures and payments of financial losses.
On a recent trip through Montana beside BNSF line, saw a lot of equipment sitting idle.
Grain company official says US farmers are dissatisfied with price and choosing to store grain, pulse crops moving well. Crunch time for grain will come this fall if decent crop, farmers will run out of storage space.
From number of cars and engines sitting idle, shipping should not be a problem unless needed for other commodities

[bucket]

Why not lease that equipment up into canada and get the crop moved?

Idling equipment instead of generating revenue?

Pretty hard not to believe collusionary tactics are not being used?

Open running rights and a costing review before the removal of the MRE.

[bgmb]

Tom, we should "open up and free" the rail transportation industry from interventions such as revenue caps and use of gov hopper cars. That should fix the problem. You support free markets, don't you Tom?