CN EJE purchase

[downsrep]

I don't know who agrees with me, but I get tired of reading about the negativity of the pending purchase of EJ&E Railroad by Canadian National. I live near the EJ&E tracks in Aurora and look forward to listening to more train traffic. Also, don't people realize that goods would be moved quicker and more efficiently with the purchase and subsequent rerouting of some CN trains around Chicago?

There's options for overpasses of the tracks if needed. Just a thought.

 

[Josh]

I think the issue is with Canadian companies buying out/merging with numerous American railroads in an attempt to dominate, whereas American Railroads are not allowed to purchase Canadian, or something like that... if it were the case, American railroads probably would be in Canada more than they are now (I think they can only be leased).

It's the political inequalities between the two governments which makes a Canadian takeover intolerable.

I live near Detroit and am not happy with how CN runs things. Grade crossings are in need of repair (most of them) because of lack of maintenance, the trains they do run here are few and usually around 2 miles long, because they don't want to have two shorter trains, rather just one 10,000 ft long one running at 25MPH and blocking crossings for a decent amount of time.

These are my personal dislikes, but here the line they've taken over, and have had for years is the Grand Trunk Western Railroad.

Then there's the other things like them trying to merge with BNSF, but because the gov't here wouldn't allow it, they just bought WC, and several other shorter lines instead... I just don't get it, but I guess I shouldn't have to, there is a bigger issue with the "free enterprise" in how we accept Canadian garbage in our landfills by the truck-load 24/7.

 

[kd5dga]

The Ej&E was a United States Steel railroad when they were spun off to a USS holding company called TRANSTAR out of Monroeville Pa. TRANSTAR had sold off the Bessimer and Lake Erie and DM&IR to CN a few years ago. These were sister companies to the EJ&E. The real old days Andrew Carnegie (Carnegie Steel the prediser to United States Steel) Had his fingers into anything the delt with his steel mills in Pittsburgh. He owned the Iron ranges up in Minasota, the ships that brought the ore across the great lakes and all the rail roads that served in between. Once sold out and United States Steel was formed they made up the big rust belt that ran along the south shores of the great lakes. Its very interesting history. Growing up in Pittsburgh and having family who worked the Mills and railroads and seeing all the actvity was simply amazing.

I really think that our government has turned their back on us when they allow companies outside of our boarders to purchase and run in the US.

 

[N9JIG]

The issue isn't that CN is Canadian owned, it is an excuse the NIMBY's are using in the attacks to fight the purchase.

The real reason for the fight is that the communities along the EJ&E, especially in the Barrington area, do not want the additional traffic such a sale would bring. The "J" currently hosts a few trains a day in each direction, and until the CN and WC began running thru with UP from Leithton (Vernon Hills) and points south there was only a single turn each day over most of the line north of Joliet.

Communities such as Buffalo Grove, Des Plaines and others south of Leighton are all for CN buying the EJ&E so that many of the current freights thru those communities would be diverted on the J.

CN offered up some money to let the towns along the J to build grade separations, but the towns say that isn't enough.

Barrington and it's neighbors are very upset that the EJ&E is even there, and would love for it to be abandoned. They would also love to see the UP's former CNW line go away if they could find a way to.

West Chicago however has the most logical point in the dispute. The crossing of the UP's former CNW there is at grade and additional trains on the J will cause more problems. The UP there is one of the busiest mainlines in the country. They need to either build a grade separation or relocate the J's mainline, neither option would be cheap.

 

[DPD1]

I think it depends on what angle you're looking at it from. Personally, I'm not a big fan of any large corporation, whether it be Canadian or US. Even though EJ&E is owned by parent USS, it still has a very long interesting history... It has personality and style. It's sad to see yet another US company like that go, just so another giant faceless corporation can take over. It's a fact that no US line that's been taken over by CN has seen an improvement in service, rather the opposite. I guess if the goal is to see more trains of any kind, then CN is the way to go. However, having grown up next to the EJE, I would rather see one EJE train at midnight 3 days a week, than 10 CN trains a day.

On top of that... I think this whole concept of them somehow improving rail traffic is overblown. They claimed the same thing was necessary in Los Angeles, and after billions in upgrades (much at tax payers expense), the traffic has never really come. The hubs will more than likely move farther south from the Chicago area, no matter what happens, and when the Panama Canal is widened and the largest ships can get through, the whole land bridge rail thing could dissipate to nothing anyway.

Dave
www.DPDProductions.com
Antennas & Accessories for the RF Professional & Radio Hobbyist

 

[SAR923]

Regardless of the NIMBY aspect of this purchase, I'm opposed to one more mile of US track purchase by the CN until the Canadian government allows US railroads the same rights to purchase the few Canadian roads that aren't already owned by CN. It's bad enough that we basically only have four domestic rail systems in the US but the CN is rapidly becoming a dominant player in US rail traffic. How would we feel if the NdeM stated buying up the BNSF? At some point, we have to control our own fate when it comes to somethng as strategic as railroads.

 

[N9JIG]

Regardless of the NIMBY aspect of this purchase, I'm opposed to one more mile of US track purchase by the CN until the Canadian government allows US railroads the same rights to purchase the few Canadian roads that aren't already owned by CN. It's bad enough that we basically only have four domestic rail systems in the US but the CN is rapidly becoming a dominant player in US rail traffic. How would we feel if the NdeM stated buying up the BNSF? At some point, we have to control our own fate when it comes to somethng as strategic as railroads.

The Wisconsin Central bought and owned the Algoma Central (albeit before WC was bought by CN...)

RailAmerica owns at least 4 Canadian shortlines, OmniTrax also owns a couple. Some of the US Majors have lines into Canada, including BNSF and UP.

So it appears that US ownership of Canadian railroads is allowed.

I don't think however the Canadian government would ever allow US ownership of CN or CP any more than the US government would allow Canadian ownership of UP, BNSF, NS or CSX. Should CN or CP merge with BNSF or another US major they would have to satisfy both governments with some sort of dual and equal ownership. ISTR them talking of this when CN and BNSF were talking a few years ago.

What CN and CP have done is to expand into major US presences by buying up smaller roads. Both CN and CP have long held presences here, CP has been a majority owner of Soo Line for decades, the Soo later bought the Milwaukee Road and spun off the WC. CP is now trying to buy DME and ICE. CN has owned GTW, CV and DWP forever, they used WC (remember, spun off from CP owned Soo Line...) and IC to connect and expand these.

In the whole railroad picture in the USA the CN purchase of the EJ&E is not a big deal. Locally it is, especially to those who will have more trains blocking their streets.

Personally it will actually hurt my railfanning, since I live a mile south of Leighton and would lose most of the freight traffic by my house (I choose to live near the tracks so I can see trains...) Other than that I have no real interest in whether the CN succeeds or not.

 

[downsrep]

Wow, I'm glad I stirred up so much interest. Politics aside, I'm more for the sale because of the additional freight traffic it would add to my area (which I can choose to avoid due to times of day and alternative routes), meaning more railscanning. I love being able to hear the train horns at night with the EJ&E and the distant BNSF. Takes me back to my days in Streator when the trains ran constantly.

 

[omrail]

all I will say is CNR may be a Canadian company but only by were its HQ is located. How ever almost all the big wigs are Americans and I would say a lot of Stock holders are American

 

[Astro25]

Well, I guess I can forget about 'fanning at the Waukegan plant. They've got a 'J geep that does some local switching. The cabrides and photos were fun, I guess. :roll:

 

[DPD1]

It ain't over til it's over.

Dave
www.DPDProductions.com
Makers of the "TrainTenna" Monitoring Antenna