Re: (rshsdepot) OT: one other thing on traction demise...

["Jim Guthrie" <jguthrie_@_pipeline.com>]

Seth writes:
>
> Among the companies that opted to retain their electric railway business
> were New Orleans Public Service; Public Service of New Jersey; Portland
> (OR) Electric Power Co; Potomac Edison Co. (retained the Hagerstown &
> Frederic and even changed it's name to Pot Ed); El Paso; and several
> others including Pacific Gas & Elec, which continued to run a couple of
> CA systems.

One of the more interesting -- and vaguely related -- Congressional actions
vis-a-vis rail and electric power involves Amtrak. Seems as though
Republicans in Congress (and a handful off Democrats) -- at the behest of
the Power companies (including Enron and the others which have been names in
the news) prohibited Amtrak from using its extensive transmission facilities
to distribute commercial power.

Keep in mind that Amtrak not only had power transmission lines along the
Corridor -- but on other former PRR lines and abandoned lines as well. For
example, Amtrak owns the lines along the former PRR Norristown Branch, as
well as to Peach Bottom and other off-line locations.

This is the same crowd that prattles on about how Amtrak "should be run like
a business" and all the rest of the claptrap -- which apparently is
meaningless if the campaign contributors buy them off.

Cheers,
Jim



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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org

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