Deal Reached on Rail Line to Churchill - Finally!

[bill barilko]

CN use to hire trappers....to keep the rodents under control, one of VIA's cut backs on cost saving was to eliminate these positions and just bring in explosive experts on demand and stay within their ROW, trappers with the low pelt prices weren't interested in trapping Beaver aggressively for market price.

My Dad's cousin used to make a tidy living doing just that but these days the market price is less than back in the day-little money for anyone in that.

 

[Twin_Moose]

Beavers may have caused fatal derailment: TSB

THOMPSON, Man. - A Transportation Safety Board investigator says beavers may have contributed to the train derailment in northern Manitoba that left one railway worker dead and another injured.
The train went off the tracks on a washed-out trestle bridge in a swampy area south of Thompson on Saturday evening.
Jerry Berriault, the board's regional senior investigator, says the train was travelling around 40 km/h when it met with the washed-out piece of track.
The lead locomotive went off the track bringing along two locomotives behind it and four rail cars.
First responders have said the two workers were trapped inside the train for hours.
Berriault, who was on site west of Ponton for two days investigating, says there was high water in the area and signs of beaver activity.
"They've had heavy precipitation for spring and summer as well there was beaver activity in the area," he said. "So, the track washed out as a result of a significant amount of water."
He says the Transportation Safety Board will still have to look at other factors that may have contributed to the derailment on the Hudson Bay line.
The train cars carrying liquefied petroleum were damaged but none of the product was breached, he added. However, Manitoba Sustainable Development has sent in specialized recovery equipment to clean up diesel fuel leaking from the locomotives into the Metishto River.
The Arctic Gateway Group, a public-private consortium, bought the Hudson Bay Railway earlier this month.
Sections of the railway north of the recent derailment washed out in 2017 and the its previous owner, U.S.-based Omnitrax, had refused to make repairs.
Crews have been working since the sale to try to repair the railway, the only land link to Churchill, Man., a community of about 900 people on Hudson Bay.
Murad Al-Katib of AGT Foods, one of the Arctic Gateway Group's partners, has said the group will not compromise speed for safety during the repairs on the northern section of the rail line to Churchill.

 

[bill barilko]

My understanding is that most of the damage is at water crossings where the crossings are washed out mainly due to Beaver activity. CN use to hire trappers and explosive experts to keep the rodents under control, one of VIA's cut backs on cost saving was to eliminate these positions and just bring in explosive experts on demand and stay within their ROW, trappers with the low pelt prices weren't interested in trapping Beaver aggressively for market price.

Speaking of Which....
Beavers may have contributed to fatal train derailment in northern Manitoba: TSB

An aerial view of a train derailment near Ponton, Man., is seen on Sept. 15, 2018

A Transportation Safety Board investigator says beavers may have contributed to the train derailment in northern Manitoba that left one railway worker dead and another injured.
The train went off the tracks on a washed-out trestle bridge in a swampy area south of Thompson on Saturday evening.
Jerry Berriault, the board’s regional senior investigator, says the train was travelling around 40 km/h when it met with the washed-out piece of track.
The lead locomotive went off the track bringing along two locomotives behind it and four rail cars.
First responders have said the two workers were trapped inside the train for hours.
Berriault, who was on site west of Ponton for two days investigating, says there was high water in the area and signs of beaver activity.
“They’ve had heavy precipitation for spring and summer as well there was beaver activity in the area,” he said. “So, the track washed out as a result of a significant amount of water.”
He says the Transportation Safety Board will still have to look at other factors that may have contributed to the derailment on the Hudson Bay line.
The train cars carrying liquefied petroleum were damaged but none of the product was breached, he added. However, Manitoba Sustainable Development has sent in specialized recovery equipment to clean up diesel fuel leaking from the locomotives into the Metishto River.
The Arctic Gateway Group, a public-private consortium, bought the Hudson Bay Railway earlier this month.
Sections of the railway north of the recent derailment washed out in 2017 and the its previous owner, U.S.-based Omnitrax, had refused to make repairs.
Crews have been working since the sale to try to repair the railway, the only land link to Churchill, Man., a community of about 900 people on Hudson Bay.
Murad Al-Katib of AGT Foods, one of the Arctic Gateway Group’s partners, has said the group will not compromise speed for safety during the repairs on the northern section of the rail line to Churchill.

 

[Twin_Moose]

Washouts fixed on railway to Churchill, Man.

CHURCHILL, Man. - The new owner of the railway to Churchill, Man., says washouts that have kept the line closed since spring 2017 have now been repaired, allowing some vehicles to travel along the link.
But the Arctic Gateway Group, which bought the railway from the previous owner at the end of August, warns in a series of Facebook posts that culvert and rail repairs still need to be done, as well as safety testing.
It says the work could mean regular rail service might not resume until spring.
Crews have been working since the sale to try to repair the railway, which is the only land link to Churchill — a community of about 900 people on the western shore of Hudson Bay known for its polar bear visitors.
The town posted a statement on its website Sunday where it says hi-rail trucks — which can operate on both roads and rails — are preparing to arrive in the town this week.
It calls the news "a milestone" and credits the efforts of the repair crews.
"The dedicated work by experts, in difficult working conditions, has been very impressive," the statement read.
Arctic Gateway Group has posted regular updates, with photos, of its work to repair to the line, which has continued despite deteriorating weather that has included rain, sleet and now snow.
"While you may start to see crews in and around Churchill as the track becomes passable to service vehicles, this does not signal that the work is done. It means the first repairs of washouts are done," Murad Al-Katib of AGT Food and Ingredients Inc., one of the partners in Arctic Gateway Group, said in a Facebook post last week.
"Take the time to thank the crews. We truly appreciate all of the support that we have received so far, and look forward to completing the repairs as soon as possible."
The community has been forced to ship in fuel and food at exorbitant costs since the tracks were damaged in May 2017, leading to a protracted fight after then-owner Omnitrax said it would not be financially viable to fix them.
The impasse was resolved when the federal government announced the sale of the rail line, along with the Port of Churchill and the Churchill Marine Tank Farm, to a partnership including a consortium of First Nations. Ottawa agreed to provide at least $117 million in the deal, including $43 million over 10 years to subsidize the rail line's operations.
The repair effort suffered a potential setback last month after a derailment south of the damaged track killed one railway worker and seriously injured another. Al-Katib said at the time that the derailment might block track ballast from reaching the scene, and staff may have to halt repairs in order to fix the recent damage.
A Transportation Safety Board investigator has said beavers may have contributed to the derailment, which occurred at a washed-out trestle bridge in a swampy area south of Thompson, Man. on Sept. 16.
"We will vigilantly continue the remaining works as quickly as possible, with our minds on the safety our workforce and the operations of our railway," Al-Katib said on Facebook this week.

 

[Walter]

It’s a gubmint contract so I doubt they will meet the 60 day promise.

Told ya.

 

[MHz]

Gravel pads for what? Heavy equipment?

Do you have any idea how big of an eco-sin it is to not use wooden mats?

Mandatory.

The wood has to come from the swamps on the GOM. There is a limited supply, When on Tundra insulation becomes as important as not rotting when wet. Hemp could be woven into mats that even have a decent R-Value which means you will never see them.


The line should go to the Arctic Ocean. It might be restricted to operation in the winter but that is still a hell of a lot more freight than boats and ice roads can deliver

 

[Mowich]

The first train pulled into Churchill yesterday. I am so very happy for the people of Churchill.

 

[MHz]

Hopefully it was pulling more than a caboose.
If it keeps chugging along what is the turnaround for something that is readily available in the nearest 'center'?

Would Amazon not find a market up there since they are already in the mail-order business.

Plasma TV's might get a free 'thin plastic' screen saver so a little tap doesn't end it's life. An I-phone using an old crt monitor might be possible until 'delicate electronics are introduced. In a closed community community e-bikes might be the ticket for summer and winter. If a school is there that is where the students should be bunking in the winter rather than a daily trek in weather than has everybody getting the day off if it was a south a bit more. Homeschooling by logging in saves time and money and a lot more. Let the teachers alone do the trekking and they will opt for a home office before X-mas.

 

[Curious Cdn]

The first train pulled into Churchill yesterday. I am so very happy for the people of Churchill.

Ditto!