NS Peavine talk

[Muleskinner]

NS will be gone.... From a take over probably. Its only a matter of time. Could be as soon as next year or 5 years from now. Give it time.

[heypal6878]

Today I see CP wants a vote from the NS shareholders for a merger. Documents will be sent in a few weeks for a shareholder vote. The way things are going with the companies employees who own stock in NS I can see a CP approval is very possible.

[midland sub]

NS stock went down and CP went up after the announcement. Again the whole point of this CP-NS deal was to get EHH in control of NS. I doubt it goes any farther with him. Now on the other hand Squire should get shown the door along with any of the other hanger on's from the Moron era.

[northstar16]

New news link about shareholders vote today.

http://www.usnews.com/news/business/art ... thern-deal

[brc0227]

http://seekingalpha.com/article/3876876 ... magic-show

Looks like some people are finally catching onto Harrison and Ackman.

[northstar16]

Ackman tried to do the same thing with P&G two years ago starting rumors trying to split the company, get someone else to buy it, sticking his nose where it shouldn't be in the first place. The Enquire used it to sell papers yet the news media didn't buy into it. Shareholders started to get worried the stock price went up then went back down. Think this guy buys on lows makes a ton on this takeover stuff then sells and makes a boat load of money.

A few months ago he started with NS and the stock went up to almost $100 a share before it settled back to under $70 share. Meantime this Ackman made a big cha ching. I think it is all a part of his scam knowing that CP will never be able to take over NS. It just isn't going to happen, not In the cards, yet he continues to drive the stock with this make believe smoke screen.

[northstar16]

Midland Sub question for you. My buddy who is real estate mover here in Cincinnati has info the NS has been contacted to sell Clare Yard to a developer. The Developer wants to build condo's and homes on the property that will be accessed from the road that spurs now dead ends by the old Mairemont Power Plant. Apparently that property that is rarely used by NS railroad any longer is in pretty hot demand as Mariemont is land locked yet the railroad property is worth a look. A developer has already purchased property above the west part of the siding passed Clare to build condos and smaller townhomes. The old Power Plant will be knocked down some time this summer as development will begin.

Just an interesting selection of information I gathered today thought you may have heard something.

[midland sub]

There's already a good 50 plus townhouses right beside the old Mariemont power plant on Miami Run. I'm not sure how many more you could squeeze in there if you pulled the yard up, but I certainly can see someone trying it. I guess the question is how close to the river can you build and does it flood there? But there's a lot of new and recently built townhouses along Eastern Ave on the Ohio River so flooding must not be much of a concern.

City of Cincinnati needs $11.7 million to purchase the 7.6 miles of the Hyde Park branch from NS.

[OSRR]

City of Cincinnati needs $11.7 million to purchase the 7.6 miles of the Hyde Park branch from NS.

I would think that money could be spent somewhere a little more... needingly? Citys infrastructure perhaps?

[heypal6878]

Midland you are correct several years ago there were condos built down by Krogers and that area doesn't flood. Mariemont sold off some hillside property to a developer to build smaller homes and condo down by the old steam plant. This was going to happen last fall but so far nothing is going on down there. The steam plant was supposed to be knocked down last March and it is still there. So not sure if the developer backed out or he is holding off. It is the same developer who is building homes on Erie Avenue in Hyde Park. He is smaller so since the homes are not all built in Hyde Park and sold I guess he is waiting to finish one project before moving on to this one.

As far as Clare Yard flooding, it hasn't for many years. The last big flood a few years ago that took many parts of Newtown and the lower south 80 in Mariemont didn't even get close to Clare Yard. So really that isn't a issue. Now not sure if NS wants to sell the yard but I have heard talk that two developers what that property to build condo's. There is a road that can go down there. One is closed the other is by the Mariemont Swimming pool that can go to the old Bultmatic owned by NS. I do know that Mariemont will not have anyone dig a road on the ancient burial ground that is down by the swimming pool so the only road down in that area will need to be built along the east siding tracks by the old steam plant. The other road that was operational back in the day on the Bluff has slipped down the hillside and has been closed for sometime. That was a narrow road and one mistake you could be over the hill in a New York second. That was a very dangerous hillside road.

The old NS rail line that went thru Hyde Park to Clare is up for sale as stated. 11.5 million or around that number Cincinnati needs to come up with the money. NS is going to let the city buy that property but as stated that money can be used to fix roads that need it more than we need bike paths. I see now the city needs another 11 million for the streetcar. What a mess there!

So many things going on with the city, NS and the Peavine. Don't know how it will all play out.

[northstar16]

I have lived in Mariemont for many years and I just can't see how any developer would be interested in buying the Clare Property. First there isn't much of a view unless they add plenty of fill to put the homes up on more of a hill. Now if they want to build a high rise well maybe more of a view of the river. I would think the cost of pulling the lines and the property would be very expensive. Not sure how many condos they can even put down there as I hate to say it yes it does flood by the bridge. Matter of fact a few years ago the bridge and part of Clare was under water and the bank slid down from the bluff. So to build condo's down there they would need to build a wall for sure to shore up the hillside.

I was under the impression that NS still transports cars to the old Bultmatic company down by the swimming pool access road. Often times I see cars sitting on the tracks down at that end. Surely if NS is using the tracks down there they won't sell the yard.

There for awhile NS were storing many tankers in Clare Yard that were being sent up east with the CCET as there wasn't any room on the east siding past Clare. It is anyone guess what will happen when it comes to NS. They are selling off assets, cutting back, laying off, consolidating, I mean it is like they are feeling pressure from this CP merger that isn't going to happen. I really don't see NS selling off Clare unless NS doesn't need that property any longer.

I was down at Evans today as I need to buy some gravel for my business. I was talking to one of Evans managers there about the railroad and he told me that there is a good possibility that Evans may use the rail to haul gavel and sand in the spring to parts south of Cincinnati. It will need to be trucked over to the staging area of the CCET by dump trucks. From what this guy told me the State is getting heat from Fairfax, Terrace Park, Milford and Mariemont that full Evans truck are tearing up the roads and they want them banned from route 50. This would give the CCET a little more money down the road if this is all true.

[midland sub]

So they want to ship stone and gravel off of the CCET via NS?

[midland sub]

Look for CSX to make an announcement on the Cincinnati Sub across the river in the near future......

[northstar16]

Yes it appears that the State wants Evans to slow down on heavy truck traffic in these areas unless they are doing work in and around these areas or locally. The State prefers them to do long distance shipping by rail if possible. As you may know Evans is a expanding company and are doing work far south and west of Cincinnati. The deal is to move product on the CCET west and have NS more it the rest of the way. If any product goes east the CCET will move it then it will be picked up at the end of the CCET line.

Early this morning before the increased winds there was a copter flying low over Clare yard for like 25 minutes. Most likely paid by the developer to get a better look at the property that can be developed down there or any potential if any. At least I assume it was the developed and not NS as the copter only few over the entire yard and stayed for a few minutes by the steam plant and just a little west of there.

[heypal6878]

I have been reading into more of this possible purchased of Clare Yard and find it hard to even see if it can take place. I would think for condo's or homes to be built there it might be a EPA issue. For year NS used Clare had engines several sitting for many hours in one spot there had to be major fuel leaks on the ground there. Remember the old spring well? People came from miles around to fill their milk jugs up. Then the EPA came down there and closed up the well as the water was not fit to drink.

So for a developer to even think about building homes or condo's down there if in my opinion far fetched.

[northstar16]

Like I said that is what my friend informed me last week and since he is in the real estate business I would think he knows what he is talking about. Yet will NS sell the property. He said dealing with railroads is a tough job as they don't like to sell off large chunks of property. Even a rail line that isn't being used is a hard buy. Look at the NS rail line that is on Wasson Road. That line hasn't been used in ten plus years and the city had a hard time trying to work out a deal with NS on that line and the cost is like 11 million. Who knows what that chuck of property will go for down at Clare I'm sure it will be rather expensive maybe more than the developer will pay if he can't make money.

Meanwhile today I see the CCET is busy moving cars from Clare out East. Looks like they have more tanker cars out on Broadwell Road today. Brand new by the looks of them. They may be the ones that were sitting way out east when one got loose a few weeks back. Not sure NS did bring 30 plus down from Sharon Yard last week sitting them east of Clare. There was a high railer down at Clare early this morning parked just east of on the other side of the bridge over the little Miami.

[Paw95]

I was looking at pictures from 2001 of this line of the rail bed and the signals my oh my how things have rusted up.

[heypal6878]

Went down to Ready Line today and the CCET was parked on the tracks for nearly 30 minutes on Broadwell. They were taking the tanker car back west to Clare they had a good 30 of them going back. Not sure why they were stopped on the main rail. They had traffic backed up pretty bad. The truckers were not very happy campers.

[northstar16]

I heard some positive news today about the Peavine! I was down a Clare this morning walking the dog ran into two engineers on the NS train. They said there is no plans on a discontinuance of service to the CCET in the next several months. The CCET will continue to service the grain company Ag up east for the entire year and the paper plant as they look to be expanding rail service. They said NS is running tankers cars to Clare twice a week for pick up and storage. The CCET is doing well there while the pay loads are tight this time of the year. I asked them about the new industrial development just past the old Ford plant, one guy said this has been some talk of future rail service but all up in the air as no company has made a commitment to building a plant there at this time. He said just because it is going to be a large business park doesn't mean there will be need for rail transport.

They both said that NS is done with the far east end of the Peavine and there is no plans on keeping that rail. IN the next month there is going to be a few inspections of the bridges out that way, a good look at the tracks. Bidding will be done here in the next six months. If no rail company picks it up the tracks will be pulled. The State may look at a bike path along that part of the Peavine all options are open.

[Paw95]

I live on the east end of this. I would hate to see that a crappy bike path. Nothing even interesting to see along it anyway. Just some crappy houses and trashed up land. I make many videos of this end on YouTube. Most of it looks good to me but maybe not their standards.