As you may recall, the Port of Coos Bay declared a state of emergency to facilitate repairs along the Coos Bay Rail Line in order to help Roseburg Lumber take advantage of an opportunity to ship wood chips from its North Spit facility. June 20 was set as the date to get the rail cars back on the track and rolling at 10 mph. At last night’s Port meeting it was announced that October is now the expected date to complete the repairs.
Eyewitness accounts of the bridges and the extensive rust damage to steel structural supports indicate it may be much longer than that.
Aye, Gene, big oil and gas and dare I say Roseburg Lumber
Exactly, gut it all and start over, the right of way is established, now get the right people at the drawing board and go for it. Take the rail out of the ports hands and get it up the ladder to a National Level Project, if the state can’t pry it loose from the hands pulling the levers now. These yokels are only protecting their masters interest’s. Big Oil and Gas are their Masters.
As much as I would love to see passenger rail transportation from here to Eugene I wouldn’t ride a bicycle across some of those bridges, much less a train.
The notion of riding the rail to Eugene is not beyond the grasp of possibilities, unless there is an agenda against the idea from the outset. When our current President came into office plans were set in motion to build a high speed rail from northern Washington State to Eugene Ore. A spur line to the central coast would set the bay area of Oregon at the tip of the spear for these new Industries involved in Maglev Trains. Jerk out the old rails, stop wasting money on 1800’s technology, and build the next generation of Electric Maglev Rail service, here, now.
Oh, but I forgot, if you need to transport tanks of propane and butane to market, you need the rails to stay the way the are, slow, otherwise people might want to ride it and they don’t mix well with tanks of gas.
Dang, I should be Ima Brillyunt not RU Serious. The Bishop, Braddock and Kronsteiner railroad is planned some day – a day hopefully prior to Harold Camping predicting the correct end of the world date or December 21, 2012, whichever comes first – to travel between Eugene and Coquille daily. And at the whopping planned speed, it will be a full day. What a way to solve one of the counties highest priority and most urgent problems; save the people money; and please our newest county commissioner. Why not give him a desk in the BB and K Rail Road caboose. The caboose is not “cramped”. It has beautiful views, it is well lit, it has a fire place for warmth and a kitchenette. He may have to pee out of the rear door. There is plenty of room for Mr. Messerle’s needs. He can sleep, phone, read, conduct meetings, count the cows along the route, or even scout for a location for his needed slaughterhouse. He can visit with a majority of his constituents in relative comfort daily. And, since the people own the railroad, the rent can be free. At a max planned speed of 10 mph, he can probably attend meetings along the route and get his daily exercise by running to catch the train before it goes far.
It is answers like that, Gene, that make you feel really special, huh? As to hurrying on the rail repairs, something tells me “hurrying” will not long be an option or even a sales pitch
My last letter to our last governor, and I did present an Idea for our local rail spur.
This was right after the port was allowed to purchase it. Now wouldn’t more of you be in favor of a publicly owned railroad, it you could ride it to Eugene.
The word is The State of Oregon did one Brilliant Job on their Request for Rehearing to FERC on the Jordan Cove / Pacific Connector Project. Yet the truth is the Governor appointed the port members whose only goal is to promote this project. Rein in these port members and their tax paid staff. The contradiction is asinine. This community will not progress until this bad idea dies, everyone I know has their plans on hold until this is settled. The financial gain for a few should not outweigh the greater threat of property values dropping on our homes as many of us will try to move away from the danger zone. Our lives will be flipped by these corporations with the help of our government. Do the right thing, use your power as Governor and fix the agenda problems at the Port of Coos Bay. The railroad from Coos Bay to Eugene should be made into a high speed rail spur, a maglev capable of transporting people and freight, the people would cheer you. and our economy would Boom.
Thank you for sharing your ideas and concerns. I believe citizen
input is vital to a strong and healthy society and I urge your
continued involvement. Should your comments
require an additional response, appropriate staff will contact you.
I look forward to hearing from you in the future.
Sincerely,
Theodore R. Kulongoski
Governor
Why hurry on the rail repairs. The port didn’t buy the railroad to ship logs or wood chips, They need the railroad to ship the tanks of byproduct gas to market, without the rail, they couldn’t build the LNG terminal, They have sell the waste gas, because that would be too much pollution to just release or burn off. So they don’t really have to have it working until they start building the terminal.
There is a lot of fuzziness emanating from the Port, a fact that will be graphically illustrated here next Wednesday at the very latest.
As to having Caddy sitting on the Energy Trust or visiting Portugal and Germany to talk renewable energy…. well, let’s just say there are others who might do a much better job.
First, I just read my earlier posting. I need glasses more than I thought. Fingers move faster than brain – spelling sucks. I just read in the daily bird cage liner that it’s September 1 for availabily of a rail line. AND, Roseburg does not need it until then. Nor does Americcan Bridge. The bull crap coming our way from that Port is unreal. Caddy McKeown going to Gemany and Portugal to discuss renewable energy. RU Serious!!! Why not send a person who can put two sentences together, is articulate, understands renewable or any other type of energy? Why are she and Bishop going?
The question is, October of what year? They knew damn well when they declared the emergency in May it wouldn’t happen and I wouldn’t be surprised if Roseburg Lumber doesn’t really have a customer or a pending opportunity dependent upon a ten mph rail line.
AND A PARTRIDGE IN A PEAR TREE! Now folks, who among us will admit to believing that on Thursday, 16 June 2011, Mr. Bishop found that work promised to be completed by his sole source contractor by next Monday, 20 June 2011, will not be copmplete until October? Who among us wants to admit being so giullible? Thanks again Mr. Bishop for wasting the people’s money by avoiding the competitive bidding process. When do the taxpaying people – property owners and renters – of the Port District – primarily Coos Bay and North Bend – who are paying Mr. Bishop’s exorbitant salary and generous perks (a package that most of you reading this can only dream about) going to say ENOUGH! Wasn’t it up to 500 rail cars of logs per month coming west for export to Asia that we were told needed that rail line completed by 20 June – next week? Has Roseburg ever stated that they have a business opportunity or an urgent need for the rail line? Or is it Bishop and the downtown Coss Bay daily bird cage liner who have the need? What happens to that business oppoprtunity that relied upon rail service to be available by 20 June – rail service that will be slower than the Pony Expreess rider? Is there still a need for “expedited” repairs? Is this whole pile of crap to get a rail line up to avoid legal action by Coos County shippers who were promised a rail line by the Port? What’s next folks?