Got several topics here, on EWG, one SD-45 should handle 26 car units loaded just fine, if it's a good unit it could probably do a 52 too. I agree, MRL is not known for selling junk as operating units, although they don't usually sell much---this sale makes me wonder if they are getting out of the leasing business (I know some at MRL were not too pleased with the condition of units returned from leases this last time). The Moscow situation bugs the heck out of me for several reasons, the tree huggers that can only find train tracks usefull for bike trails, the shippers that sit back and wait for someone else to fight their battles for them---an attitude that seems to plague farm communities "let George do it" or "we need another government program to help us" and the rest. I don't think there is any question that what Watco is illegal, but when you have shippers that can't or won't fight their own way out of a wet paper bag, what can you do?? It's their battle to fight or not. Just hope that W&I people really do have some new customers coming on line---their efforts on the BGCM seem to have been mostly talk and ideas of the week things that just frustrated people to no end.
MOFW PRIORITIES??? If the WSDOT is setting the priorities and not the operators it could turn into a real mess. Remember the WSDOT decided the best way to deal with the burned bridge near Colfax was to immediatly tear down the undamaged 60% and then complain loudly about how much it was going to cost to fix the thing. They also haven't delt with the slip out that is slowly eating up the Palouse yard that is getting bigger and more expensive (and more dangerous) with each passing winter (not to mention introducing cinder ballast into the North Fork of the Palouse River---a hazardous material that is needlessly being introduced into the river, but is being introduced by their continued lack of action on this problem.) It still has potential to be interesting. EWG office in a hearing aid center?? I guess it's a close way to deal with railroaders hearing loss. Sorry, I find humor in the strangest things.