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Re: Lawsuit not filed; letter sent: Smart is hurting and impeding north bay business
Author: ron
Date: 07-20-2014 - 09:20
Max Wyss Wrote:
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>>
> It is very well possible that the switches to the
> industrial spurs were not to the standard required
> by the new line. Now, as it is claimed that those
> switches were private properties, their
> replacement is in the hands of their owner. So, it
> is simple, replace or remove. How much that has to
> do with extortion is open.
If SMART desides to remove a switch a customer or potential customer is lost to the freight railroad. SMART should replace existing turnouts on their dime. Charging the customer $400,000 is a type of extortion. Once the SMART system is built and running SMART would love to see the freight railroad shut down for lack of customers. They would no longer have to "share" the ROW with those pesky freight trains.
> About gauntlet tracks: it seems that there are
> issues with the loading gauge and the high-level
> platforms, meaning that the (freight) railroads
> request more free space than given by the loading
> gauge (may have something to do with "operational
> practices").
The gauntlet tracks are lined for station movement meaning the freight trains have to slow to 15 MPH at each station to run around the station platform. This is designed backwards. The SMART doodlebugs have to stop at each station anyway so why not design the system allowing for mainline movement.
-------------------------------------------------------
>>
> It is very well possible that the switches to the
> industrial spurs were not to the standard required
> by the new line. Now, as it is claimed that those
> switches were private properties, their
> replacement is in the hands of their owner. So, it
> is simple, replace or remove. How much that has to
> do with extortion is open.
If SMART desides to remove a switch a customer or potential customer is lost to the freight railroad. SMART should replace existing turnouts on their dime. Charging the customer $400,000 is a type of extortion. Once the SMART system is built and running SMART would love to see the freight railroad shut down for lack of customers. They would no longer have to "share" the ROW with those pesky freight trains.
> About gauntlet tracks: it seems that there are
> issues with the loading gauge and the high-level
> platforms, meaning that the (freight) railroads
> request more free space than given by the loading
> gauge (may have something to do with "operational
> practices").
The gauntlet tracks are lined for station movement meaning the freight trains have to slow to 15 MPH at each station to run around the station platform. This is designed backwards. The SMART doodlebugs have to stop at each station anyway so why not design the system allowing for mainline movement.
