Passenger Trains > RFP Proposals and Scoring Sheets for Indy's State Fair Train Line

RFP PROPOSALS AND SCORING SHEETS
Below you will find copies of each operator proposal submitted in response to the HHPA's Request For Proposals (RFP) for a new operator of the Nickel Plate Railroad.

http://www.savethenickelplate.org/rfp-results.html

This time there are two strong candidates for operation of the historic NKP like on the north side of Indianapolis. They include Iowa Pacific (IPH), former operator of the Hoosier State Train. The other frontrunner is the Nickel Plate Heritage Railroad, it has star power with former Indiana Railroad President Tom Hoback.

The big difference between the two front runners is that Mr. Ellis' group (IPH) wants to save the entire line, while the NKP Heritage RR led with Mr. Hoback wants to gut most and save a spur south from Tipton.

Mr. Hoback was known for abandonments at INRD, particularly the south end of the Milwaukee and giving up adjacent trackage rights on the Monon into Louisville. He was also instrumental in moving freight off the Monon between Greencastle and Bloomington to allow another CSX abandonment.

Friend or Foe of IPH, this is the time to get behind them and Mr. Ellis if you want to see passenger and freight trains to continue on NKP's IMC Line... When it's gone, it's gone.

Did anyone do a background check?!

Such as:

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?4,4339908

Mr. Hoback knew how to run a railroad.

With all due respect: Mr. Hoback may know how to run a railroad and perhaps he's a really nice guy. However, there is nothing nice about tearing out track that could be used to keep a rail line intact. If removing rail is his thing, the answer is obvious. The same tear-up-track mantra is being bantered around the legendary Adirondack Scenic and other railroads. Sickening.

If IPH commits to keeping the entire line intact, GO with IPH. Give them a chance.

santafedan Wrote:
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> Mr. Hoback knew how to run a railroad.


Into a scrap pile.

Quote: "Did anyone do a background check?!"

How right you are. There's no lovefest with either operator, for me it's the choice like we have now in government... The least of two evil's..

Keeping the RR in place does that for me...

I believe the INRD was a success.

santafedan Wrote:
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> I believe the INRD was a success.

It is an absolute success. The main east-west line today looks NOTHING like it did back in 1987 right after INRD was created. A single 100-car coal train pulled by several CF7 at 10 MPH hoping to hell they didn't derail was the norm back then. Today you have a mainline that any Class I could be proud of, modern locomotives and plenty of traffic. Yes, some trackage was abandoned and while I personally believe that no trackage should be torn out, there are business realities that must be dealt with. Without certain abandonments, the whole system would have suffered. We are lucky that the line to Indianapolis wasn't abandoned in the mid 1980's, it came dangerous close to it.