I would dare say that - every good thing that ever happened on this planet - and even some bad ones - started out as "Pipe Dreams"

As to the Tennessee Pass Route, at least BNSF did express interest, in a filing with the STB within a couple of weeks of UP submitting its abandonment application. But UP immediately responded by withdrawing the application - all this according to "Railway Age"

So the Tennessee Pass pipe dream at least had some real smoke to it - contrary to modoc, or Monterey, or Humbolt, or. . . . .


Unfortuantely, just try to blow those smoke rings while a doginthemanger UP throws cold water in your face and puts out your pipe!

UP has title, and has no intention of allowing its competition, which had been exercising its trackage rights, to have any viable central transcon route. That IS the main reason Tennessee Pass was closed in the first place - to force BNSF traffic into a circuitous detour around it. While at the same time, STB remains a totally useless waste of taxpayer money - a public interest protector of competition they are not!

If they ever were of any use, Ex D&RG and WP lines would have immediately gone to the BNSF (or others) as a condition of the SP/UP merger. But instead, UP was allowed to keep it ALL, with the STB taking a feeble and phony wait and see additude.

The fact that truck traffic in the central west has since exploded (to the breaking point), while the rail traffic share to Central California has sunk; is a fact completely lost on the STB. Lack of effective rail competition will sink the rail industry in the long run - as businesses continue to try to avoid rail monopolies at almost any cost, and especially their stinking customer service attitudes that result.

Worse yet , the need for "at almost any cost", ain't helping Central California businesses stay in business either. And if yours is not the easy for them "low hanging fruit" sort of business, UP will refuse to serve you - forcing you to trucks; even if you're still allowed to even have a siding connection. And as many smaller enterprises are finding out, being forced into expensive trucks while your competition somewhere else still has access to less costly rail, can put you out of business in this razor thin economy - in a hurry.


So maybe - economic recovery itself is just another pipe dream also - let alone any sort of railroad route expansions or restorations. And while the UP likely could not care less about that, and might take the attitude of "the public be damned" - I am more and more approaching the attitude of "The U.P. be damned!"