musicman Posted March 18, 2005 Share Posted March 18, 2005 Railroad agrees to keep freight trains out of urban areasAssociated PressSAN ANTONIO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tw2ntyse7en Posted March 18, 2005 Share Posted March 18, 2005 This should appease everyone from the Trains in the Night thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeightsGuy Posted March 18, 2005 Share Posted March 18, 2005 Can anyone answer the following questions?1. How many years has it been since the last train derailment in the Houston city limits that caused a chemical leak and snarled traffic?2. How many days has it been since the last overturned 18-wheeler in the Houston city limits that caused a chemical leak and snarled traffic?Chemicals still need to get from Baytown to points west of Houston regardless of this decision. Do people think it's going to be shipped on a magical secret train track that loops around Houston in the countryside? No, if you can't ship it on rail, it's gonna get trucked through the city in 18-wheelers. Think about that the next time you are looking at yet another 18-wheel load of ammonia 3 feet from you in the next lane going 70.Glad to see Perry is hard at work keeping us all safe...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest danax Posted March 18, 2005 Share Posted March 18, 2005 Moving railways out of city centers is one of the goals of Perry's massive Trans Texas Corridor project, a proposed network of 4,000-plus miles of tollways and railways that would incorporate oil and gas pipelines, utility and water lines over the next 50 years.<{POST_SNAPBACK}>Hmmm. I'm not going to allow myself to get too enthusiastic, but it is time to move most of them. Could this have something to do with Perry wanting old right of ways for new toll roads for the HCTRA ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted March 18, 2005 Author Share Posted March 18, 2005 Can anyone answer the following questions?1. How many years has it been since the last train derailment in the Houston city limits that caused a chemical leak and snarled traffic?2. How many days has it been since the last overturned 18-wheeler in the Houston city limits that caused a chemical leak and snarled traffic?<{POST_SNAPBACK}>At least in my neighborhood....in the last week, i've been blocked by a train for more than 30 mins two time! it really snarls traffic....yes 18-wheeler traffic is just as dangerous but they aren't near my house, trains are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aoide Posted March 19, 2005 Share Posted March 19, 2005 At least in my neighborhood....in the last week, i've been blocked by a train for more than 30 mins two time! it really snarls traffic....yes 18-wheeler traffic is just as dangerous but they aren't near my house, trains are.<{POST_SNAPBACK}>This happens all the time where I work. In fact children climbing under and over a stalled train was played on the news in the same area and caused a little sensation in the local media. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted March 19, 2005 Author Share Posted March 19, 2005 This happens all the time where I work. In fact children climbing under and over a stalled train was played on the news in the same area and caused a little sensation in the local media.<{POST_SNAPBACK}>ditto here...except that children and their parents go under the trains. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YakuzaIce Posted March 19, 2005 Share Posted March 19, 2005 At least in my neighborhood....in the last week, i've been blocked by a train for more than 30 mins two time! it really snarls traffic....yes 18-wheeler traffic is just as dangerous but they aren't near my house, trains are.<{POST_SNAPBACK}>Was it a stopped train, or just a very long, slow one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted March 19, 2005 Author Share Posted March 19, 2005 Was it a stopped train, or just a very long, slow one?<{POST_SNAPBACK}>both...moves slowly for a long time then stops for a long time. i've seen them go under while the train is moving as well. taking their lives into their own hands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lowbrow Posted March 19, 2005 Share Posted March 19, 2005 When I was a kid growing up in Redding California.. the train is how I got into downtown.. or even to the mall. We had lots of train traffic coming through and I knew I could make it no problem if it was going about 20 mph or slower. Very stupid on my part. I knew a kid that lost his legs when I was 9. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssullivan Posted March 19, 2005 Share Posted March 19, 2005 The trains in my part of town rarely stop and block crossings, but the other night I was coming home down Beechnut right where it becomes North Braeswood, and there was a train stopped blocking the tracks. I was about the 10th car in line, and I waited about 10 minutes before giving up, going all the way back to the West Loop, and heading to South Braeswood, where I found that the same train was blocking the track there as well. After another 10 minute wait I backed out and went down to West Bellfort. Fortunately the train was not blocking that crossing, but the last car of the train was probably no more than 200 feet north of the West Bellfort crossing. I don't know how long that train was blocking those two crossings, but it was at least 30-40 minutes because it took me that long to circle back to the West Loop twice to head south to the next street that crosses those tracks. I was not happy, because I'd wasted over half an hour dealing with it, and I was coming home from the grocery store, so when I got home several of my frozen purchases were starting to thaw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Montrose1100 Posted March 19, 2005 Share Posted March 19, 2005 Were are the poor trains going to go? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
voltron Posted March 20, 2005 Share Posted March 20, 2005 Since the deal was struck exclusively with Union Pacific, does anyone know specifically what rails in Houston would be targeted for relocation?I am considering purchasing property in the Rice-Military area and obviously this would be a huge incentive to buy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted March 22, 2005 Share Posted March 22, 2005 Cut and pasted from the Trains in the night thread.Okay here is a little information. If the road was tin place before the tracks then the railroad is responsible for the crossing signals and maintenance. If the tracks were in place first then the city is responsible for maintained the crossing signals and road. If the city wishes to relocate the tacks then it will have to buy the right away from the railroads and build new track age for them around the city or intended area at the cities or counties cost. As for crossings. LA built a trench and placed all the tracks going tot he ports in the trench and put crossing over them. So now the trains run below the road grade. La Porte and Deer Park built bridges over the tracks along the HWY 225 corridor. This way the trains can continue moving and not block the intersections. Houston is very dependent on its tracks and railroads. Has anyone ever seen a map of the tracks running in, through and around Houston? It is incredible. To reroute them all would cost a fortune and really upset a lot of people. Just the mess that was created when the city bought the old Katy main lime was incredible enough.I am not really sure what could be done about the noise except to say have the city build bridges over the tracks or bury them in trenches which will eliminate the grade level crossings and this will allow the trains to pass through unhindered and not have to blow their horns.Now we just need to find someone to help finance this little project.Trains in the night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncertaintraveler Posted March 22, 2005 Share Posted March 22, 2005 This should appease everyone from the Trains in the Night thread. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> INDEED!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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