Alomost Hired-

Thank you for filling in some missing pieces. I appreciate it a lot.

I was aware that IW actually did get quite a ways down the path towards opening, and that some union concerns were present, but your answer fills in more of the story.

I did want to ask you one clarification about your statement of the Oregon Eastern. That railroad is a division of the Wyoming/Colorado, at least according to everything I've seen. You do state that "Supposedly it is real quiet now since their last major customer has closed". Ever since WYCO abandoned the line into Burns, their major shipper has been the EP Minerals diatomaceous earth plant at Celatom (end of trackage west of Vale). I could find no mention of this plant closing down; most of the recent news stories about the operation is some news from a year ago in which EP Minerals was actively seeking state and Federal approval to expand the mines. Two years ago there was a newspaper article in which local officials had heard rumors that Western Railroad Builders intended to abandon the Oregon Eastern, and they sent a letter to WRB/WYCO seeking information on that, but I can find no follow up stories and, to date, WYCO has not filed any such applications. Finally, WYCO did just get a little less than $30,000 in Connect Oregon funding to replace 250 ties and expand the toe path around the wye at their UP connection near Ontario; this news came out this past Friday.

If you have heard anything more specific about EP Minerals closing, please share!

Jeff Moore
Elko, NV