(erielack) Trees, Leaves, Sap and Right of Ways.

[Fish_76_@_webtv.net (Joseph D. Fisher)]

As Alan stated earlier, look in your books guys. 

The ROWs from even the 50's were W-I-D-E and clear for the most part.
What we are seeing now is lack of maintainence on the part of the
railroads. This resulting lack of maintenance is what is causeing such a
great deal of problems with leaves on the rails now.

Running the "Aqua Train" will turn out to cost more in operation in the
long run, then if they just bucked down, bit the bullet, and cleared the
ROW back to the way it was.

I offer this as an effective alternative.

A train, with the following consist.

1.) Engine.
2.) Comet 1 Coach. Used as a tool car. (you'll see in a moment.)
3.) Gondola or flat car with some sort of crawler crane on it. Equipped
with a set of "tree tongs".
4.) Flat car with a wood chipper chained to its deck, facing away from
the locomotive. 
5.) Hopper car with extended sides and wagon top made of plywood.
6.) Another Flatcar, with another wood chipper also facing into the
hopper car.

And of course, log splitters can also be mounted on the decks of the
flat cars. Old 89 foot flats would be preferred, as they are more roomy
for working the smaller trees right into the chippers, while giving some
space to log splitters at the opposite end.

finish out with a crew with chain saws and the sorts, and your all set. 

Your not going to worry about stump removal cause your not going for
cosmetics. ALso, all those wood chips can then be used elsewhere on the
system to "dress up" stations, terminals, office buildings, etc along
the line.

And, if collecting wood chips was not your goal, then eliminate the
hopper, and just spray them over the sides of the ROW where the trees
once were.

either way, your primary goal is to thin  the tree growth along the ROW,
which will reduce the leaves on rails problem.

Joseph D. Fisher 

ELHS #3320

New Jersey Transit / Norfolk Southern
~Former Erie Lackawanna Territory~
- -------------Boonton Line---------------
Milepost B-21.4, Boonton Turnpike
Mountain View, New Jersey

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