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Just think — that last downtown Roseburg train that tied you up on your way home was probably 19 hours late itself.
Future delays on and off the track, however, could dissipate with track improvements and a newly constructed rail yard in Winchester, said Tom Hawksworth, Central Oregon & Pacific Railroad’s manager of marketing and sales, at the Douglas Timber Operators’ semimonthly meeting Thursday morning.
Hawksworth’s DTO presentation outlined the railroad’s plans for catching up with regional growth and further spurring the area’s economic engine by overhauling the railroad’s infrastructure.
“We’re very interested to see what we can do to help economic growth in Southern Oregon,” Hawksworth told DTO members.
It’s the small switchyard in Roseburg that’s holding things up, he said.
And holding up construction of Winchester’s new switchyard are unsigned agreements with the Oregon Department of Transportation, but probably not for long.
Once the agreements are signed, Hawksworth said Gov. Ted Kulongoski’s non-highway infrastructure plan — Connect Oregon — could provide $750,000 of the estimated $7 million the new switchyard will cost.
“Our site right now is ready, we could start digging tomorrow if we had the agreements, but that’ll probably be October until we get a chance to get started,” Hawksworth said.
The new freight yard in Winchester could increase the railroad’s capacity by 30,000 freight cars per year.
CORP moved more than 52,400 freight cars in 2005.
Hawksworth said the increase could take 210,000 truck trips off of Interstate 5 per year, essentially saving 1 million gallons of gasoline and reducing diesel-fuel consumption.
“The rail is becoming a much more affordable option to using truck,” Hawksworth said, pointing to fuel prices.
The railroad currently serves more than 85 customers at over 100 locations. Forest products are the main commodity it hauls, Hawksworth said.
Better tracks will allow speedier trains and increase freight capacity by up to 9,000 freight cars per year.
“This is just by being able to move the cars more rapidly,” Hawksworth said.
He said regulations keep trains at an average of 25 mph on 75 percent of CORP’s track — with some zones reining trains at 10 mph — but new ties and rail could allow 40 mph average speeds in the future.
Hawksworth said improvements could also help prevent derailments like the one that happened Wednesday evening.
“You see what kind of delays we’re incurring,” he said.
Hawksworth said the railroad continues to try and broaden its customer base by working to help bring more companies to the region, but it’s mostly interested in working with the timber industry.
Much of Douglas County’s timber supply comes by railroad from Washington, Canada and other areas.
Paul Beck, timber manager for Herbert Lumber Co. in Riddle, said that could change if proposed timber mills in Washington are built.
“It’s going to dry up that wood in Washington,” Beck warned Hawksworth.
Roseburg City Manager Eric Swanson said the city would like to see redevelopment in the Roseburg rail yard, and asked Hawksworth if he thought it was possible once the Winchester yard is built.
Hawksworth said a couple of parallel tracks would be kept near the single line to occasionally park excess freight cars, otherwise, CORP has no interest in the rest of the land.
“We’d like to get out of downtown completely,” he said.
• You can reach reporter Adam Pearson at 957-4213 or by e-mail at apearson@newsreview.info.
Future delays on and off the track, however, could dissipate with track improvements and a newly constructed rail yard in Winchester, said Tom Hawksworth, Central Oregon & Pacific Railroad’s manager of marketing and sales, at the Douglas Timber Operators’ semimonthly meeting Thursday morning.
Hawksworth’s DTO presentation outlined the railroad’s plans for catching up with regional growth and further spurring the area’s economic engine by overhauling the railroad’s infrastructure.
“We’re very interested to see what we can do to help economic growth in Southern Oregon,” Hawksworth told DTO members.
It’s the small switchyard in Roseburg that’s holding things up, he said.
And holding up construction of Winchester’s new switchyard are unsigned agreements with the Oregon Department of Transportation, but probably not for long.
Once the agreements are signed, Hawksworth said Gov. Ted Kulongoski’s non-highway infrastructure plan — Connect Oregon — could provide $750,000 of the estimated $7 million the new switchyard will cost.
“Our site right now is ready, we could start digging tomorrow if we had the agreements, but that’ll probably be October until we get a chance to get started,” Hawksworth said.
The new freight yard in Winchester could increase the railroad’s capacity by 30,000 freight cars per year.
CORP moved more than 52,400 freight cars in 2005.
Hawksworth said the increase could take 210,000 truck trips off of Interstate 5 per year, essentially saving 1 million gallons of gasoline and reducing diesel-fuel consumption.
“The rail is becoming a much more affordable option to using truck,” Hawksworth said, pointing to fuel prices.
The railroad currently serves more than 85 customers at over 100 locations. Forest products are the main commodity it hauls, Hawksworth said.
Better tracks will allow speedier trains and increase freight capacity by up to 9,000 freight cars per year.
“This is just by being able to move the cars more rapidly,” Hawksworth said.
He said regulations keep trains at an average of 25 mph on 75 percent of CORP’s track — with some zones reining trains at 10 mph — but new ties and rail could allow 40 mph average speeds in the future.
Hawksworth said improvements could also help prevent derailments like the one that happened Wednesday evening.
“You see what kind of delays we’re incurring,” he said.
Hawksworth said the railroad continues to try and broaden its customer base by working to help bring more companies to the region, but it’s mostly interested in working with the timber industry.
Much of Douglas County’s timber supply comes by railroad from Washington, Canada and other areas.
Paul Beck, timber manager for Herbert Lumber Co. in Riddle, said that could change if proposed timber mills in Washington are built.
“It’s going to dry up that wood in Washington,” Beck warned Hawksworth.
Roseburg City Manager Eric Swanson said the city would like to see redevelopment in the Roseburg rail yard, and asked Hawksworth if he thought it was possible once the Winchester yard is built.
Hawksworth said a couple of parallel tracks would be kept near the single line to occasionally park excess freight cars, otherwise, CORP has no interest in the rest of the land.
“We’d like to get out of downtown completely,” he said.
• You can reach reporter Adam Pearson at 957-4213 or by e-mail at apearson@newsreview.info.
