A couple of weekends ago I was exploring the rail lines in Virginia and stopped at Haber to take a picture. Haber is on the NS (ex-Southern) route of the Crescent south of Charlottesville.One of the local business owners came out and expressed disgust at the railroad. He said the railroad had taken out the sidings at all the small towns along the route, including one in Haber.
Even though car load freight is disappearing (not enough profit margin for big rail), could they be doing more harm than good by eliminating the service? I can't always tell if rail is leaving the customers or customers are leaving rail, especially when a main line is involved.
The main line will no longer connect the small towns to the rest of the system; it will just be a noisy intruder.
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