NS isolates siding

[nkalanaga]

NS, ex-N&W, had a long siding south of Kenova, WV between the two main tracks, between the eastbound signals 510 and 490.  It had turnouts at both ends, so either main could use it.  For the past few years the only use I've seen is to store long strings of unneeded freight cars.

Sometime recently they removed the turnouts, leaving uninterrupted rail on the main tracks, and the siding completely isolated.  I have no idea why.

[Mark5]

Most likely due to reduced coal traffic.

[peteski]

I'm not trying to make this political, but I thought the current administration touted easing of relaxed coal mining regulations, so I thought that if anything, coal mining output would have increased?  Sounds like the opposite to me.

[Mark5]

The decline in coal traffic is market driven.

[mu26aeh]

Given that it's rarely used, they removed the turnouts for tax purposes.  track abandoned, can't use it.  Don't have to pay taxes on it.  It's reason why many turnouts/switches were taken up along the CSX Hanover Sub in the last few years.

[Doug G.]

[Spades]

I'm not trying to make this political, but I thought the current administration touted easing of coal mining regulations, so I thought that if anything, coal mining output would have increased?  Sounds like the opposite to me.

Coal has a few economic drawbacks.   1.) Transporting and storing coal you lose some to the wind.  2.)  A coal plant can't just be switched on and off with a flick of a switch.  3.) Natural Gas is cheaper easier to transport, store and it turns on with a flip of the switch.  4.)Environmental regulations still apply

[packers#1]

I'm not trying to make this political, but I thought the current administration touted easing of coal mining regulations, so I thought that if anything, coal mining output would have increased?  Sounds like the opposite to me.

Easing the regulations was supposed to “rebound” the industry; as others have already pointed out coal just doesn’t make sense anymore, regulations be damned. Another factor is it’s also extremely easy to convert a coal plant to natural gas. They did just that in Pelzer, SC, by Clemson. CSX used to serve a coal plant right there; in fact, I think they leased the tracks to the Greenville and Western at the certain point they did so they could keep home rails to serve it. But then the coal ovens or whatever inside the plant needed to be replaced and it made more sense to just flip the plant to natural gas, so they did. The good news for CSX? BP decided to build a massive ethanol terminal on the Greenville and Western trackage so CSX still gets to run massive unit trains on the rails, but doesn’t have to switch because Greenville and Western can do it.

[Missaberoad]

Track and switches need to be periodically inspected.
Taking track out of service reduces that cost...
We did the same when Hunter came, lots of spurs and storage tracks were ripped out...
shortsighted? maybe... welcome to precision s scheduled railroading...

[davefoxx]

Given that it's rarely used, they removed the turnouts for tax purposes.  track abandoned, can't use it.  Don't have to pay taxes on it.  It's reason why many turnouts/switches were taken up along the CSX Hanover Sub in the last few years.

Adam, you probably know better than me, but would that save tax?  If the railroads are charged property tax, for example, it wouldn't matter whether they have track on it or not.  I would think that railroads would remove switches to eliminate maintenance and potential derailment spots.

DFF

[mu26aeh]

Adam, you probably know better than me, but would that save tax?  If the railroads are charged property tax, for example, it wouldn't matter whether they have track on it or not.  I would think that railroads would remove switches to eliminate maintenance and potential derailment spots.

DFF

The maintenance is the other reason, forgot to mention that one   Reason why the diamond was taken out in Hanover, PA last year in the area of Railroad St.  I can't remember the exact explanation of the tax aspect, but that came direct from a CSX track employee.   

[nkalanaga]

Some jurisdictions do have special property taxes for switches.  Pasco, WA did at least into the '50s.  NP's yard used to be in the middle of town, a small flat-switching yard.  When they built their new (current BNSF) humpyard, they moved it north of town, to avoid the tax.  So, Pasco promptly annexed it.  I know there was a legal battle over that, but don't know how it ended, or if the tax is still in place.  The yard certainly is, and is still busy.

Of course, an even bigger reason for moving out of town is that they would have had to tear a good bit of the business district out to build a downtown yard!

[peteski]

Yeah Pete, that's not political, at all.

Doug

Wow!  I was simply asking a question, based on what I understood was factual info.  I was not trying to take sides. No need to get in a huff.  I suspected someone might get their knickers in a twist, that was why I phrased my question the way I did (and I still got accused of being political).

@packers#1  , thank you for that explanation - that's exactly what I was hoping for.

[Doug G.]

I assure you, I am not in a huff and I don't have my knickers twisted.

However, by using the phrase, "...the current administration touted...", you automatically made it political.

Doug

[peteski]

I assure you, I am not in a huff and I don't have my knickers twisted.

However, by using the phrase, "...the current administration touted...", you automatically made it political.

Doug

Ok Doug, I rephrased my statement. Is that better?