Coal Trains Going BYE BYE in Michigan

[Jochs]

Came here expecting to read about coal trains, not a knock-down dragout between environmentalists and realists.

[Norm]

When in general is the best time to catch a coal train on the Holly Sub?

Be sure to bring your lunch, and maybe dinner.

[M.D.Bentley]

HOW will you react when they produce a locomotive that is powerd by NUKES . Will you scramble trackside to take pictures or to protest ?

[TrainStuff13]

When in general is the best time to catch a coal train on the Holly Sub?

Be sure to bring your lunch, and maybe dinner.

Ha ha, alright then. Although Royal Oak is a great place to railfan because there are a lot of restaurants. I like the burger place right by the tracks on 4th street.

[Super Chief]

In 2016 26 gigawatts of electrical capacity comes on-line from solar, natural gas and wind. In addition nulear and hydro add to that mix, coal and petroleum will be minscule. Over the last years seeing in person the number of windmill bases being shipped on the SS Badger it doesn't surprise me to see less coal trains. Now the tank cars are being stored on available branch lines.

[NYCMan]

Should come as no surprise to anyone here, but no more coal going to Luna Pier!

http://www.wxyz.com/news/neighbors-worr ... -crossings

[M.D.Bentley]

"They say the long stops have mainly been due to operational changes in the route, as well as brake checks – which requires staff to walk the length of the track". "Federal Railroad Association". WOW .
MEDIA =DUH !

[hoborich]

At the rate a power plant consumes natural gas, it won't be long before any surpluses are used up!
There is a rather large windfield in Ithica, along US 127, and most of the time the windmills are stopped or only a few are turning slowly. No idea why they built it in Ithica. The bluffs along Lake Michigan always have good wind, but rich people don't want the windmills in their backyard.

[James Sofonia]

At the rate a power plant consumes natural gas, it won't be long before any surpluses are used up!

This has always worried me that large users of Natural gas would use up or drive up the gas for home owners like me for heating, cooking, hot water, and clothes driers. The nat. gas is a clean effective way for a home owner to power these services. Large utilities on the other hand are able to put in place anti-pollution systems on a huge scale the average home owner can not do. Power plants can use the abundant source of coal which today still is the cheapest source of energy for electric production, even nukes because of the excessive regulations. Japan and China are getting ready to build hundreds of coal plants in the next few years. We should keep pace with them and forget the ineffective wind and solar sources. Just a waste of our taxpayer dollars.

[Saturnalia]

Thing about natural gas supplies, is that they're going up and up. Used to be a specialty, now every well captures what used to be wasted/burned off.

The more oil produced, particularly in the shale formations, the more natural gas will be available.

Very little worry about oil/nat gas supplies in the next couple years. We've gotten so good at producing it here.

[bdconrail29]

At the rate a power plant consumes natural gas, it won't be long before any surpluses are used up!

This has always worried me that large users of Natural gas would use up or drive up the gas for home owners like me for heating, cooking, hot water, and clothes driers. The nat. gas is a clean effective way for a home owner to power these services. Large utilities on the other hand are able to put in place anti-pollution systems on a huge scale the average home owner can not do. Power plants can use the abundant source of coal which today still is the cheapest source of energy for electric production, even nukes because of the excessive regulations. Japan and China are getting ready to build hundreds of coal plants in the next few years. We should keep pace with them and forget the ineffective wind and solar sources. Just a waste of our taxpayer dollars.

I like natural gas too. 1. It produces less CO2 in a relative way vs. coal and 2. Instead of releasing methane into the atmosphere, we could use it for fuel. Methane traps a lot more heat than CO2. It's a win-win there. However, it takes a lot more methane to get the same power output as the same "amount" of coal, as one downside.

[AARR]

Do any of you know how much CO2 is in the atmosphere...it's less than 1/4%. If you have an area the size of a football field C02 would be the size of a pencil eraser.

Back in the 1980's the same people who are now saying there's too much C02 were saying there wasn't enough because paper companies were cutting down too many trees. So they did a tree census and discovered there were 50000-60000 more trees than what the environmentalists were saying.

Since the 1980's C02 has risen approximately 7-8%. Yet back in the 1980's the environmental alarmists said it wasn't enough and now they say it's too much.

They are wrong on all their projections...all of them!

And methane comprises less than half the atmosphere than C02. So they will be wrong about their gloom and doom predictions about that too.

In the mean time our economy can't get above 3% growth unless President Obama cancels our insurance again forcing 50,000,000+ people (BCBS said it was closer to 90,000,000 people)to have to buy new insurance (at 50% price increases).

I've been following the environmental alarmists movement since the 1970's and they have been wrong on all their predications...every one of them.

The truth is more people are living longer, healthier and better lives than ever. And economical fossil fuels, including clean low-sulfur coal, are a key factor to that.

[Ben Higdon]

The truth is more people are living longer, healthier and better lives than ever. And economical fossil fuels, including clean low-sulfur coal, are a key factor to that.

Healthier and happier? Haha

[KenB]

There should be no more coal trains on the Holly Sub. CN-GTW does not haul coal for DTE Electric (Detroit Edison) except from Lang in Toledo to Monroe PP and Lang to River Rouge PP.
The Consumers Power plant in Erie, MI, J. R. Whiting, is burning down the pile and their last 30 cars to dump. They expect to open the machine breaker for the last time on April 15.

[AARR]

That's correct, Ben. People are living longer and healthier. I don't know about happier, though. You may have a point there .

But it is a statistical fact. The censuses prove this every decade or so. 60 is the new 40. Countries that are embracing capitalism, at least a little bit, have more people escaping poverty. And economical fossil fuels is a key factor including coal. And the people nor other life are dropping dead. In fact, the truth is in America windmill farms kill fare more birds including eagles and condors than coal fired plants.

If anyone feels they evidence you have to support the theory that fossil fuels are changing the climate and causing problems for human beings I'd like to read it. But be ready to discuss your position.

As I said I've been following this subject since before many of you were born and have tracked all their forecasting. They have been wrong on all major predictions of doom and gloom.

Climatologists do an ok job identifying the science behind what's happening. I enjoy learning about the weather, how it changes, etc. I even enjoy reading from scientists whom I disagree with their opinions. But those politicians and some scientists that have been predicting dire conditions due to fossil fuels changing the climate (and most of their other claims prior to global warming) for humans and life in general are wrong 100% of the time on the major issues.

The truth is more people are living longer, healthier and better lives than ever. And economical fossil fuels, including clean low-sulfur coal, are a key factor to that.

Healthier and happier? Haha

[bdconrail29]

Hey, you're preaching to the choir. The new coal regulations are absolutely ridiculous in my opinion. It mainly stems from lack of understanding of the topic which is most environmentalists.

[~Z~]

The truth is more people are living longer, healthier and better lives than ever. And economical fossil fuels, including clean low-sulfur coal, are a key factor to that.

I'll just leave this here:
Can't say solar, wind, or nuke power causes pics like the above from coal.

[CSX_CO]

The truth is more people are living longer, healthier and better lives than ever. And economical fossil fuels, including clean low-sulfur coal, are a key factor to that.

I'll just leave this here:
Can't say solar, wind, or nuke power causes pics like the above from coal.

Can't say coal does that alone either.

[M.D.Bentley]

China is going through what we went through during the industrial era. But they did not read the history books and repeated what happened here OR they did and just copied it ( they are good at that ). We have come along way baby ( to steal a quote ). Computers the size of a building to one that fits on your wrist . To keep this RR related, 5 man crews to 2 man crews ATCS to track the trains and the loss of hundreds of other jobs & crafts. Out of adversity comes innovation. And most of the time we learn by our mistakes.

[bdconrail29]

The truth is more people are living longer, healthier and better lives than ever. And economical fossil fuels, including clean low-sulfur coal, are a key factor to that.

I'll just leave this here:
Can't say solar, wind, or nuke power causes pics like the above from coal.

Yep, once again, a properly operating coal plant does not produce scenes like that. Shall I produce here the photos I have of Chernobyl? Can't say coal, wind, or solar produces scenes like that.