Trails without rails

Bob Yarger · **Posted:** Fri May 16, 2003 8:37 pm

The title of this group pretty much sums it up...

http://www.mnsun.com/story.asp?city=Bloomington&story=113086
ryarger@rypn.org

Charles · **Posted:** Wed May 21, 2003 2:13 am

> The title of this group pretty much sums it
> up...

Did anyone read their website?

What are they smokin?

I can't believe that a mile of track cost 50 million.

At that price, they could get 10,918 feet of (90 lbs rail) track cast in PURE SILVER.

Silver is about $4.77 and ounce, about $76 per pound.
90 lbs rail is 90 lbs per yard or 30 lbs per ft
$2289 in silver = one foot of rail
$4579 for = foot of track (both rails)

For 50 million dollars, you could get 10,918 feet (more than 2 miles) of track cast in pure silver.

Remember, there are 5280 feet in a mile. I guess I forgot to add the cost of the gold spikes.

Their numbers have to be off.

Charles

bg23338@binghamton.edu

CP O'Shea · **Posted:** Wed May 21, 2003 4:17 am

> Did anyone read their website?

> What are they smokin?

> I can't believe that a mile of track cost 50
> million.

> At that price, they could get 10,918 feet of
> (90 lbs rail) track cast in PURE SILVER.

> Silver is about $4.77 and ounce, about $76
> per pound.
> 90 lbs rail is 90 lbs per yard or 30 lbs per
> ft
> $2289 in silver = one foot of rail
> $4579 for = foot of track (both rails)

> For 50 million dollars, you could get 10,918
> feet (more than 2 miles) of track cast in
> pure silver.

> Remember, there are 5280 feet in a mile. I
> guess I forgot to add the cost of the gold
> spikes.

> Their numbers have to be off.

> Charles

While the price tag sounds a bit high for even new construction, you're forgetting all the other expenses... rail is only part of the equation. Throw in ties (over $50 each installed for main line wooden ties), tie plates, spikes (or Pandrol clips), anchors, welding supplies, ballast, surfacing costs, signaling equipment... not to mention LABOR... and you're easily into seven figures per mile of track.

IIRC, not too many years ago it cost something like $4 MIL per mile to bring existing light usage freight track up to standards acceptable for commuter service (the particular class of track escapes me a the moment). New construction will probably take you up to the $10 mil per mile easily...

Fiv4HghStk@aol.com