Western Railroad Discussion > Petition to Reject Approval of UP's Lease Agreement Tenn. Pass

Good evening everyone,
If you're against monopolistic practices costing farmers billions of dollars each year, please consider signing this petition. Each and every signature goes a long way in ensuring we at Colorado Pacific Railroad can prevent the approval of UP's agreement with Rio Grande Pacific. Under this agreement, trains won't run on the Tennessee Pass Railroad, and it won't be brought back into service. After all, trains haven't run on the railroad since it was bought by UP over 20 years ago. All they are doing is creating smoke screens and mirrors. Please share with anyone who you believe would agree. Email me at hsolov4@gmail.com with any questions.
https://www.change.org/ColoradoPacificRailroad
Best wishes,
Hayden M. Soloviev
Colorado Pacific Railroad



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/11/21 19:50 by ColoradoPacificRR.

Rio Grande Pacific is the better bet to see trains on those rails again one day.

ColoradoPacificRR Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Under this agreement, trains won't run on the Tennessee
> Pass Railroad, and it won't be brought back into
> service.


This seems to be an opinion and not a fact..  How would you know that would be the case?

SouthWest RailCams
CA, NM, CO, TX, AZ
https://SouthWestRailCams.com

Ummm, this is really awkward.

ColoradoPacificRR Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Good evening everyone,
> If you're against monopolistic practices costing
> farmers billions of dollars each year, please
> consider signing this petition.

Guessing you have no idea about captive ND/SD and eastern MT grain shippers since the 70s. Nice try but purchasing TP won't end that as you're not getting a free ticket to the West Coast by trying to run 2-3 trains per week on TP. Hint...it won't help get YOUR cash crops (and that's what this is partially about not those poor farmers you mention) any closer to the West Coast.

> Each and every
> signature goes a long way in ensuring we at
> Colorado Pacific Railroad can prevent the approval
> of UP's agreement with Rio Grande Pacific.

Sounds more like sour grapes for the failed real estate transaction.

Under
> this agreement, trains won't run on the Tennessee
> Pass Railroad, and it won't be brought back into
> service.

You don't know that and there is no guarantee you will either, so why should I trust you?

After all, trains haven't run on the
> railroad since it was bought by UP over 20 years
> ago. All they are doing is creating smoke screens
> and mirrors.

Maybe they are, maybe they're not but they have a deal with Rio Grande and it doesn't include you as that's how it works in the USA.

Please share with anyone who you
> believe would agree. Email me at hsolov4@gmail.com
> with any questions.
> https://www.change.org/ColoradoPacificRailroad
> Best wishes,
> Hayden M. Soloviev
> Colorado Pacific Railroad

No thanks.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/11/21 21:27 by AaronJ.

You come to a RailFan Hobby Website, signup for an account to try to start a petition for your company for commerical purpose?

You can count me out on this request.

SouthWest RailCams
CA, NM, CO, TX, AZ
https://SouthWestRailCams.com

Amen to that. Just confirms what I thought about the Soloviev clan.

RailFanAZ Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> You come to a RailFan Hobby Website, signup for an
> account to try to start a petition for your
> company for commerical purpose?
>
> You can count me out on this request.

Another vote against your company, and the UP



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/12/21 07:31 by SP4360.

It is all smoke and mirrors on UP's part.  By "leasing" the line that "may see train service", they can tell Colorado that they made a "good faith effort" to make the line useful again.  Legally, it gets them out of a jam, but it's still just a stunt.

UP never, ever should have been given so much control of Western rail infrastructure.  I wish we could go back to the days of rail barons battling it out for market share----something that UP is losing more of every week.

If this is for real, I'll sign it.   This is the guy who brought the towner line back from the dead, and ur doubting he really wants to run trains on the TP?   The UP CMP deal is just a dodge, to keep anyone else from operating the line.  If you really think the CMP/UP is going to run any trains, I have a bridge to sell you. 

IDK why anyone whould be in UP's corner on this.  Obvioulsy their main objective over the last 2 years has been to shud down as much of the RR as possible...  And you think the CMP, which apparently has no originating traffic anywhere at this point, is going to open the TP line?
 

Regardless of anyone's beliefs, the timing of the Rio Grande Pacific lease is very suspect.

pdt Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> IDK why anyone whould be in UP's corner on this. 
> Obvioulsy their main objective over the last 2
> years has been to shud down as much of the RR as
> possible...  And you think the CMP, which
> apparently has no originating traffic anywhere at
> this point, is going to open the TP line?
>  

I don't think anybody here is in UP's corner on this.
And it seems they're not in Mr Sololev's corner either.
I know I'm not.

         The line belong to Union Pacific whether anyone likes it or not. This attempt to force the UP to 'let him have it for scrap value'  sounds more like back alley thuggery. 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/12/21 04:32 by dcfbalcoS1.

dcfbalcoS1 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>          The line belong to Union Pacific
> whether anyone likes it or not. This attempt to
> force the UP to 'let him have it for scrap
> value'  sounds more like back alley thuggery. 

I agree with you but hey the TO internet railroad experts see it diffrent just saying.........................

Pretty pathetic to come to a hobbyist website to ask for signatures to try to force a private company to work with you...

ColoradoPacificRR Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Good evening everyone,
> If you're against monopolistic practices costing
> farmers billions of dollars each year, please
> consider signing this petition. Each and every
> signature goes a long way in ensuring we at
> Colorado Pacific Railroad can prevent the approval
> of UP's agreement with Rio Grande Pacific. Under
> this agreement, trains won't run on the Tennessee
> Pass Railroad, and it won't be brought back into
> service. After all, trains haven't run on the
> railroad since it was bought by UP over 20 years
> ago. All they are doing is creating smoke screens
> and mirrors. Please share with anyone who you
> believe would agree. Email me at hsolov4@gmail.com
> with any questions.
> https://www.change.org/ColoradoPacificRailroad
> Best wishes,
> Hayden M. Soloviev
> Colorado Pacific Railroad

No matter who gets the line west of Pueblo the K&O has allowed another party to "rebuild" (likely to  25 or 10 MPH max.) the former MP west of Towner for them. This will possibly give them another outlet for grain movement west, eliminating back hauling it to Wichita for BNSF or UP.

Exprail

     I am open to the thought of trains over Tenn Pass, why chase him away, he is close to demonstrating  one save  all ready with the Towner line, wish Mr. Hemphill would weigh in.   Regardless many nimby's all ready are crying to the STB.  Think RGP and CMP should pool their assets and form a subsidiary, with ownership based on investment.   He maybe referencing the fact the RGP is still at the mercy of UP and their non-competitive practices, which is part of  the reason they bought SP.  You cannot blame  UP for locking in more market share, but the unwillingness of UP  to work with small shippers, and abandon treasured Colorado assets like the Julesburg line show the shortsightedness of Omaha.   They have not been innovative as some would like in getting traffic.   It has been rumored from time to time UP wants only to keep Denver-Chian which doesn't seem true at all, as the Moffat is very well maintained.   They would rather turn the KP into a parking lot for unused cars, than run any freight on it last spring.  Why did they not store auto racks in Kersey or Salida?  Does this knee jerk reaction,  is to pull the plug when things get slow?     At the worst if you sign the petition it seems their would be demonstrated more interest in the line.

---

Ummm, TP doesn't create that western haul as they are already rebuilding the connector track at NA Junction to hand off trains to UP and BNSF. Even with TP they have no access between NA Junction and Parkdale, hence TP is not needed to avoid the haul to Wichita.

So you have to ask yourself, if the Soloviev clan was that concerned about the farmers by expanding their western haul another measly 160 miles knowing that it still won't get them anywhere near the West Coast, why aren't they also asking for Raton Pass??? BNSF would love to hand off that route including Amtrak maintenance and gets BNSF an easy interchange partner in Albuquerque. Colorado Pacific gets a line that could be ready to operate on day 1 instead of years of upgrades and essentially gets them no farther than they did previously with TP... although both would still require some intermediate haulage agreements. MAYBE...JUST MAYBE the reason has nothing to do with caring about farmers or running trains but that the TP real estate value on the open market has developers ready to hand over major cash! The Soloviev clan aren't dumb as they see this but the people believing in their farmer and running a few trains gibberish, might fall into the gullible category.

You also have to ask who is really going to sign the petition in large quantity? The people most likely to sign it in say Leadville or Salida fall into the NIMBY crowd that want ZERO trains, as they could care less whether it says Rio Grande or Colorado Pacific as they just want nothing running.

exprail Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> No matter who gets the line west of Pueblo the K&O
> has allowed another party to "rebuild" (likely
> to  25 or 10 MPH max.) the former MP west of
> Towner for them. This will possibly give them
> another outlet for grain movement west,
> eliminating back hauling it to Wichita for BNSF or
> UP.
>
> Exprail



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 01/12/21 09:17 by AaronJ.

RailFanAZ Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> You come to a RailFan Hobby Website, signup for an
> account to try to start a petition for your
> company for commerical purpose?
>
> You can count me out on this request.
Absolutely right on. This is not the place to beg for support. Also, I have no opinion whatsoever as to who does or does not get Tennessee Pass. I would bet some amount of money that no trains run on that for another 25 years regardless of ownership/leasing rights. And just by chance, I saw the last revenue train run on it years ago because I just happened to be driving by at the time, not railfanning.

Basically I would like to see the TP line re-opened and trains running, any DRG/DRGW fan would want that!  After all, TP was the main DRG(W) line thru the Rocky Mountains until the State of CO completed the construction of the Moffat Tunnel in 1927/28 and the Dorsero Cut-Off was completed a few years later.  Yes, I think we would all agree that the line was expensive to operate, given the grades involved, especially from Mintern south/east, and the terrain(other than the grade) that the line runs through.
My question is WHO OWNS THE ROW? I am sure that the UP owns the track, thanks to the UP/SP merger.  BUT I understand that the ROW is owned by a third party, who in turn owns the "Fiber Optic" lines that runs from Royal Gorge to Minturn and beyond? Is there any basis for this speculation?

David Ketchum
Cheyenne WY