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Re: Port of Long Beach expansion project What changes, every rail should see it, if they can...
Author: BOB2
Date: 08-09-2019 - 10:17
For those of us who worked in the POLA-POLB back in the 70's and 80's, out of Pier A with Harbor Belt jobs, or out of Dolores, or out of Long Beach it has been an amazing transformation.
My first experience with the Alameda Corridor, was as a UTU Officer, and Mike Burke's office suggested they talk to some of us, about delays, traffic problems at crossings, and such. And, later in my career, a good friend and colleague who did the final plans and environmental for the Alameda Corridor, went over to build it. They had originally looked at as many as 70 coal trains a week, that would be using the Alameda Corridor, by 2010, in the earliest days of the planning..... Assumptions can change...?
I remember the ICTF going in and the "sky is falling" "rumors" that now the "Shops" would now probably be down to two jobs, because the dray traffic would stop coming from the ports, and the trailers would load at Industry (ICTF couldn't even begin to load the traffic boom in international trade that exploded in the late 80's, through the 90's, 2000's, until now). So far the "Shops" has managed to last another 35 years...
I remember making "speed" runs at the drawbridge, with 20 loads of tuna, through the mud and wobbly tracks of the old Island yard, with a broken down pile of an old UP SW-?, with the low oil button taped down, and the wheel slip disabled, because it had a broken oil pump, spilling oil all over the wheels, and stalling on the bridge, with wheel being "peeled" and throwing a fireworks show of sparks, before the pleasure boats below honking their horns, at my amazing fete. They sent another job over from Pier A to save us, and Star Kist was happy....
I remember taking scrap to Hugo Prowler at night, and watching and "hearing" the giant "Prowler" machine, grinding up whole cars, and spitting out a continuous clanking conveyor of scrap all night into the ships for export.
I remember the Russian grain ships, with their always "on-duty" "zomplot" "scowling" and making sure that the crew didn't get to chummy with the ILWU or RR guys, and those "cat faced" painted rat barriers on the mooring lines.....
Today, this is a completely rebuilt, modern, signalized "automated" container RR wonderland, complete with container megaships, and container mega cranes, and container mega trains, which you all should visit and see, if you get the chance.
HDR is a good company, I've done work with them in the past. They did a great deal of work on the earliest LAUPT run-through proposals, and passenger access. HDR has done cutting edge modeling and micro-simulations of everything form vehicles, down to walking passengers, entering and leaving major airports, to that same level of detail for downtown Houston's LRT stops, as well as, rail and truck operations.
And, speaking of world trade and the Ports, Broadway just sent out it's new "post tariff" price mark ups for their model locomotives.... Broadway, as a profit making business, is under some strange impression that their customers will have to pay those new tariffs (aka "taxes") that are being imposed on their product, and not the Chinese, as the President just told me a bit ago on TV...?
What a long strange trip it's been...
My first experience with the Alameda Corridor, was as a UTU Officer, and Mike Burke's office suggested they talk to some of us, about delays, traffic problems at crossings, and such. And, later in my career, a good friend and colleague who did the final plans and environmental for the Alameda Corridor, went over to build it. They had originally looked at as many as 70 coal trains a week, that would be using the Alameda Corridor, by 2010, in the earliest days of the planning..... Assumptions can change...?
I remember the ICTF going in and the "sky is falling" "rumors" that now the "Shops" would now probably be down to two jobs, because the dray traffic would stop coming from the ports, and the trailers would load at Industry (ICTF couldn't even begin to load the traffic boom in international trade that exploded in the late 80's, through the 90's, 2000's, until now). So far the "Shops" has managed to last another 35 years...
I remember making "speed" runs at the drawbridge, with 20 loads of tuna, through the mud and wobbly tracks of the old Island yard, with a broken down pile of an old UP SW-?, with the low oil button taped down, and the wheel slip disabled, because it had a broken oil pump, spilling oil all over the wheels, and stalling on the bridge, with wheel being "peeled" and throwing a fireworks show of sparks, before the pleasure boats below honking their horns, at my amazing fete. They sent another job over from Pier A to save us, and Star Kist was happy....
I remember taking scrap to Hugo Prowler at night, and watching and "hearing" the giant "Prowler" machine, grinding up whole cars, and spitting out a continuous clanking conveyor of scrap all night into the ships for export.
I remember the Russian grain ships, with their always "on-duty" "zomplot" "scowling" and making sure that the crew didn't get to chummy with the ILWU or RR guys, and those "cat faced" painted rat barriers on the mooring lines.....
Today, this is a completely rebuilt, modern, signalized "automated" container RR wonderland, complete with container megaships, and container mega cranes, and container mega trains, which you all should visit and see, if you get the chance.
HDR is a good company, I've done work with them in the past. They did a great deal of work on the earliest LAUPT run-through proposals, and passenger access. HDR has done cutting edge modeling and micro-simulations of everything form vehicles, down to walking passengers, entering and leaving major airports, to that same level of detail for downtown Houston's LRT stops, as well as, rail and truck operations.
And, speaking of world trade and the Ports, Broadway just sent out it's new "post tariff" price mark ups for their model locomotives.... Broadway, as a profit making business, is under some strange impression that their customers will have to pay those new tariffs (aka "taxes") that are being imposed on their product, and not the Chinese, as the President just told me a bit ago on TV...?
What a long strange trip it's been...
