Re: The problem with YW's freight business...
Author: Shortline Sammie
Date: 03-10-2017 - 11:21
Bill K. Wrote:
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> I'd like to make one additional bit of info for
> Jeff, and all of you:
>
> Before the CORP vs Timber Products dispute over
> shipping rates; and when Troy Hubbard was the
> managing CEO of the YW, we were taking 2 to 5
> chipcars, 2 to 4 bulkheads and or center-beam cars
> of veneer and maybe a bulkhead car of peeler-cores
> six days a week. The larger consists would
> normally follow a weekend when freight was not
> shipped. However, it was not unusual for me to
> have to return to the mill after completion of the
> Blue Goose Excursion to replace full cars with
> empties on those weekends. Often, the train would
> have to be bifurcated at the Shasta River bridge
> so the YW's old SW-8 could pull the consist up
> Pumphouse grade to Montague. On a few occasion,
> I'd have to assist the freight up the hill with
> the 19 as a pusher ... which was always fun!
>
> I believe Troy had an honest desire to make the YW
> work. He agonized how to keep things going during
> the repair of tunnel 13. He had a vision and was
> in the process of expanding the service to TP by
> adding a new siding west of the mill to receive
> logs. It appeared that Mr. Hammond disagreed with
> this ambition as bad blood developed between
> Hammond and Hubbard. That was followed by the
> mysterious and untimely disappearance of Troy.
>
> My point is ... successful freight operations are
> possible. If someone with deep pockets could take
> the YW out of the hands of Hammond and his
> cohorts, the "Little Railroad That Refuses To
> Die" could and would continue to serve the
> community.
>
> Thanks for taking the time to read this.
If I were a bit younger and and didn't mind the distance between the two operations I would accept the challenge so the YW could become the "California Pacific" sister to the Oregon Pacific and a once again successful operation...but that's not gonna happen!
Dick Samuels