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Re: Coos Bay Rail Line Purchase Saved
Author: sp_redelectric
Date: 02-07-2009 - 09:25
It has nothing to do with hating trains.
I'm not going to put on pom-poms and a short skirt to promote a railroad just because it's a railroad, when taxpayers' dollars are being used for no good reason.
The arguments in favor of "saving" this line just don't support it:
1. Coos Bay is one of the few deep-draft ports in Oregon.
So what? The bay has existed for decades. The railroad existed for decades. Nobody is using the port. The railroad has seen huge declines in carloads - long, long before the current economic "crisis". If there's all this great big business to be had, why didn't it come to Coos Bay during any of the last five economic revivals?
The bay is simply out-of-the-way, there are few good workers in the area, and transport in/out of Coos Bay takes about two days longer than, say, Portland, which has plenty of capacity and supports all the same vessels as Coos Bay. Add to Portland - Vancouver, St. Helens, Kalama, Kelso/Longview, Rainier, and Astoria -- all of which have better road AND rail access (Astoria doesn't currently have rail access, much for the same reason as Coos Bay) and a better job pool and lower costs.
2. The economy will get better.
Clearly, anyone who preaches this line has no clue what the economy is like in Coos County, or much of southwestern Oregon.
The fact is, the economy hasn't recovered from the 1982 recession. That's right - 27 years ago. Talk to any of the locals down there. I do on a daily basis since I happen to work for the power company serving Coos Bay. The economy sucks and every time there is a promise that someone will come in and make it better...it just doesn't happen. Yes, American Bridge came in. That's one new employer for TEN that left. There's a reason why every county in that part of the state is a bare-bones operation and some counties are at risk of simply ceasing to exist. It's true - call 9-1-1 in some areas and you will be told on the phone that nobody will show up, depending on the time of day and your address.
3. If we don't save the railroad now, it'll never return.
So? Why MUST we have the railroad? Clearly the "shippers" weren't using it, and it's not good for anything else - the last passenger train ran in the 1950s and nobody is calling for it to return -- not to mention that the population wouldn't support a passenger train.
Even if, even if I want to accept this argument, why can the land not be railbanked? We already know it requires extensive rebuilding; and even if a major steamship company comes in and wants to ship containers or cars or unit grain or coal trains, the existing rail structure is no good. So it would have to be rebuilt regardless which means all new ties, rail and ballast. Why not make it easier, remove what's there right now and scrap it while the scrap value is good - and then come back in and relay the line when new materials when someone commits to it? Meanwhile the land still exists and can be used as a recreational trail in the meantime.
4. You're just a bunch of train-haters.
Yes, we hate trains. That's really our goal, to eliminate all trains.
Get real. I know I don't want to eliminate trains, but I do know that it's my money as an Oregonian that goes towards this railroad if it's purchased with state funds. What's more important to me -- "preserving" an under-used railroad with some false hope that some magic white knight in shining armor is going to somehow revitalize Coos Bay and make it the economic capital of Oregon? - or putting the money towards fixing broken highways, schools, police departments, etc.?
Since the railroad is effectively for sale, why don't any of the "train-lovers" band together and buy up the line? Because even you know it's not economically viable, so you won't put your own money down on it but you expect me to do so against my wishes.
I'm not going to put on pom-poms and a short skirt to promote a railroad just because it's a railroad, when taxpayers' dollars are being used for no good reason.
The arguments in favor of "saving" this line just don't support it:
1. Coos Bay is one of the few deep-draft ports in Oregon.
So what? The bay has existed for decades. The railroad existed for decades. Nobody is using the port. The railroad has seen huge declines in carloads - long, long before the current economic "crisis". If there's all this great big business to be had, why didn't it come to Coos Bay during any of the last five economic revivals?
The bay is simply out-of-the-way, there are few good workers in the area, and transport in/out of Coos Bay takes about two days longer than, say, Portland, which has plenty of capacity and supports all the same vessels as Coos Bay. Add to Portland - Vancouver, St. Helens, Kalama, Kelso/Longview, Rainier, and Astoria -- all of which have better road AND rail access (Astoria doesn't currently have rail access, much for the same reason as Coos Bay) and a better job pool and lower costs.
2. The economy will get better.
Clearly, anyone who preaches this line has no clue what the economy is like in Coos County, or much of southwestern Oregon.
The fact is, the economy hasn't recovered from the 1982 recession. That's right - 27 years ago. Talk to any of the locals down there. I do on a daily basis since I happen to work for the power company serving Coos Bay. The economy sucks and every time there is a promise that someone will come in and make it better...it just doesn't happen. Yes, American Bridge came in. That's one new employer for TEN that left. There's a reason why every county in that part of the state is a bare-bones operation and some counties are at risk of simply ceasing to exist. It's true - call 9-1-1 in some areas and you will be told on the phone that nobody will show up, depending on the time of day and your address.
3. If we don't save the railroad now, it'll never return.
So? Why MUST we have the railroad? Clearly the "shippers" weren't using it, and it's not good for anything else - the last passenger train ran in the 1950s and nobody is calling for it to return -- not to mention that the population wouldn't support a passenger train.
Even if, even if I want to accept this argument, why can the land not be railbanked? We already know it requires extensive rebuilding; and even if a major steamship company comes in and wants to ship containers or cars or unit grain or coal trains, the existing rail structure is no good. So it would have to be rebuilt regardless which means all new ties, rail and ballast. Why not make it easier, remove what's there right now and scrap it while the scrap value is good - and then come back in and relay the line when new materials when someone commits to it? Meanwhile the land still exists and can be used as a recreational trail in the meantime.
4. You're just a bunch of train-haters.
Yes, we hate trains. That's really our goal, to eliminate all trains.
Get real. I know I don't want to eliminate trains, but I do know that it's my money as an Oregonian that goes towards this railroad if it's purchased with state funds. What's more important to me -- "preserving" an under-used railroad with some false hope that some magic white knight in shining armor is going to somehow revitalize Coos Bay and make it the economic capital of Oregon? - or putting the money towards fixing broken highways, schools, police departments, etc.?
Since the railroad is effectively for sale, why don't any of the "train-lovers" band together and buy up the line? Because even you know it's not economically viable, so you won't put your own money down on it but you expect me to do so against my wishes.
