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I put this Amtrak photo I took up on some Facebook railfan pages, and it got a lot of responses owing to the grassy tracks.
This is The Maple Leaf on CN rails at Grimsby, Ontario en route to Niagara Falls, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Albany, and New York City.
I got the idea somewhere that using chemical weed killers is against the law in Ontario. But since then I have been told there are other reasons for the thick overgrowth.
I would say the freight and passenger trains I saw here were going 40-60 mph. Would wet grass affect traction and braking, perhaps? Is that why some viewers expressed alarm?
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Mr. Sommer, your photos remind me of how all too much of "my" MILW looked when I was with them '70-81.
During that era, I have a photo of C&NW ROW near Belle Fouche SD looking about the same.
In the case of my road, it was simply "no dough". Why the perfectly profitable CN does not, your guess is good as mine.
Geoff Mayo Member # 153
posted Leaves on the line are certainly a problem: the tons-per-square-inch pressure from wheels rolling over them on the rail creates a Teflon-like coating which is not a Good Thing if you're trying to brake. Grass/weeds on the line? Not sure.
(Leaves still attached to the tree on the line is a different problem)
Vincent206 Member # 15447
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I'm not a MOW expert, but if the ties are made of wood it's likely that they would deteriorate faster with all that vegetation on the ROW. Also, as the grass dies off at the end of summer it will compost into dirt and mud, which will clog the ballast over time causing water retention in the ballast and faster deterioration of wooden ties.
dns8560 Member # 15184
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quote:Originally posted by Gilbert B Norman: Mr. Sommer, your photos remind me of how all too much of "my" MILW looked when I was with them '70-81.
During that era, I have a photo of C&NW ROW near Belle Fouche SD looking about the same.
Oddly enough, yesterday just by chance I came across some 70's-era MILW photos, and I see what you mean!
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