Western Railroad Discussion > Santa Cruz line shut down

http://www.ksbw.com/article/santa-cruz-polar-express-train-suspended-due-to-safety-problems/8401426

Posted from iPhone

Sounds like there may be some local politics involved.  Honestly, what are the chances that the FRA gets involved on a track maintenance standards violation on a small-potatoes passenger operation?  Slim to none in my opinion.  I'm sure I've traveled over worse class 1 track than is out at Santa Cruz...

-Martin

From the newspiece:

Residents living along the tracks in Capitola noticed last week that the slow-moving railcars appeared to be swaying.

Wow.  Imagine that.  By that standard, I guess we also need to embargo the entire U.S. rail system.

Sounds to me like this is a simple case of the anti-rail / pro-trail NIMBY train haters having more political clout than Iowa Pacific.  

Where is the guidebook that explains whose palm or palms need to be "greased" and with how much money?  Will "wining and dining" do the trick?  How about a junket trip to the Carribean or something?  

From the Betty Monro / Mary E. McAuliffe arrangement of a few years ago, maybe we can get some tips from Ms. McAuliffe as to what it is, specifically, that makes the FRA "tick." 

Class 1 track is class 1 track regardless if it is 1 ft or 100 miles. So yes, they can and do get involved. Not at least class 1 track, no passenger choo choo. And if you figure it out, every 5th tie has to be goo and at least 1 good tie under a joint. 

bowtie Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Sounds like there may be some local politics
> involved.  Honestly, what are the chances that
> the FRA gets involved on a track maintenance
> standards violation on a small-potatoes passenger
> operation?  Slim to none in my opinion.  I'm
> sure I've traveled over worse class 1 track than
> is out at Santa Cruz...
>
> -Martin

What happens if FRA ignores the situation and there is a mishap? Then everyone would be screaming about government inefficiency and ignoring a problem.... You can't have it both ways,

Bill Deaver
Tehachapi, CA

I sure hope Iowa Pacific works around the clock to get the railroad back up and running...

Local tracks to bike trail advocate Brian People's got it all started with a Facebook post of video of the swaying cars.

Posted from iPhone

Someone needs to take Peoples out behind the barn and show him what life is all about.

Class I track is ok for passenger - Ref: 49CFR Part 213.9. Fifteen mph for passenger and 10 mph for freight.
Excepted track (213.4) is not ok to run pasenger trains. 

*Perhaps I may have misinterpreted below and it is meant if track is not up to Class I standards there is no passenger choo-choo.


SP4360 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Class 1 track is class 1 track regardless if it is
> 1 ft or 100 miles. So yes, they can and do get
> involved. Not at least class 1 track, no passenger
> choo choo. And if you figure it out, every 5th tie
> has to be goo and at least 1 good tie under a
> joint. 
>
> bowtie Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Sounds like there may be some local politics
> > involved.  Honestly, what are the chances that
> > the FRA gets involved on a track maintenance
> > standards violation on a small-potatoes
> passenger
> > operation?  Slim to none in my opinion.  I'm
> > sure I've traveled over worse class 1 track
> than
> > is out at Santa Cruz...
> >
> > -Martin



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/02/16 12:00 by train1275.

From informaiton posted on another site, the "safety" problem is a paperwork/notificaiton oversight.

“After we did the repairs, we should have notified FRA we were lifting the excepted track status, which is a ten-day notice. They correctly noted that we did not provide the notice, which has now been provided. So we can’t run until next Saturday.”

The writer of the above paragraph is said to be the President of Iowa Pacific RR.