Running Bear's March 2023 Coffee Shop


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tootnkumin said:
Copied from Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

UPDATE: STB Approves MRL Deal, BNSF to Takeover by Year’s End​



Updated: March 8, 11:00 a.m. MST

By Justin Franz

Railfans interested in seeing Montana Rail Link before it is taken over by BNSF Railway will likely have one more summer to capture the regional road’s iconic blue, black and white locomotives.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Surface Transportation Board announced it would approve Montana Rail Link’s request for an exemption from the normal discontinuance of service review, thus authorizing BNSF Railway’s expedited takeover of the regional railroad.

Because MRL operates on trackage that it leases from BNSF, the regional railroad argued that a detailed review of the transaction was unnecessary and that neither customers nor employees would be negatively impacted. The STB agreed and said its exemption decision was effective April 7, meaning the takeover could occur anytime after that.

A few hours later, BNSF and MRL officials said the process of bringing the regional road’s tracks back into the Class I system would begin soon and that an official takeover would likely happen before the end of the year.

“Our team is eager and ready for the next chapter in MRL’s history. We have created a strong culture at MRL and BNSF shares our values, “said Joe Racicot, president of MRL. “Our shared commitment to safety and customer service are bedrock values within both companies that will never change.”

BNSF officials have said MRL will be known as the “MRL Subdivision” within the Montana Division, “in recognition of the shared heritage of BNSF and MRL,” said BNSF CEO Katie Farmer. What exactly that will look like in operational practice is unknown. MRL is currently made up of five main line subdivisions stretching across all of southern Montana.

In January 2022, MRL announced that it was terminating the long-term lease of its main line across Montana and Idaho and that BNSF would soon resume operations. MRL’s parent company, Washington Corp., leased the former Northern Pacific from Huntley, Mont., to Sandpoint, Idaho, in 1987 for 60 years. But MRL and BNSF mutually decided to end that agreement after just 35 years. Since the announcement, MRL and BNSF have been working with labor leaders to forge implementation agreements with the regional road’s union employees. BNSF has vowed to hire all MRL employees.

In its decision on Tuesday, the STB signaled that it had agreed with MRL and BNSF that rail service through southern Montana would not be negatively impacted by the takeover. It also noted that none of MRL’s approximately 125 customers filed an objection to the plan. The only entities that did were a private individual and a private rail operator, who worried that their rail cars would no longer be able to operate on MRL (In years past, MRL hosted a handful of private cars during the summer, although it has been a number of years since that happened).

Farmer said she was excited about the future of MRL under the BNSF banner.

“We are excited to welcome the MRL team,” she said. “They know this railroad better than anyone and we’re proud to have them join BNSF… Joining these two great railroads — both with strong ties and rich traditions — opens new opportunities and broader horizons for our collective teams, our families and the customers and communities we’ve worked together to serve for many years.”


This story will be updated.


This article was posted on: March 8, 2023

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Wow! I had no idea this was even in the works. Looks like the big ones are gobbling up the smaller ones. Rvrn the big ones are trying to merge with the big ones.
 
Thanks for the well wishes for the safe journey. Been here in Memphis since around 1600 and have been busy since then. The wake went well and the drinks were free-flowing. The venue was about 100 yards from our hotel, so we walked. My cousin's apartment is about 50 yards across from the hotel and the after party is going on over there. We came back to the hotel because we have been up all day and it's past my bedtime!
See ya tomorrow.
 
kbkchooch said:
Kurt Russell

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Been a fan since "Big Trouble in little China".
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Me too :D swoons ll

ps mine has a better hairdresser lmao
 

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Morning folks -- couldn't sleep and have been up for 2 hours already - just been reading on the "net".

The chance of rain yesterday started just after I cleaned out the bed of the P/U yesterday morning.
It had almost a wheelbarrow full of dirt where the "woodman" scooped up the wood to dump into it with his frontend loader; hmm, wonder if he will give me a refund on the dirt?

Starting the day here at a temp of 56 and the forecast high today is 59 - with possibility of rain showers? Interesting that the high last year was 73 and the "normal" temp was 72 and the record was 92 ... seems that todays 59 does not fit well with the "Global Warming" folks senario?

Yesterday, like I said, the rain started while I was sweeping up the remainder of the dirt from the driveway and it remained steady all day until 5:30 pm - not hard, just a steady light rain which the official amount was 1/2 inch.

I have to get an official rain measuring gauge - I know we had more than that!

As Francine has not opened the door to the shop - Gonna head to Denny's - hungry this morning!
 
Good Morning everyone

The puppy has had me up for about an hour already. Needless to say I'm already through a half pot of coffee, so I'm already swimming!

Looks like we got a little snow overnight, very light dusting. Temps in the low 30s, but not supposed to go up much. Not much going on this weekend. Its the first one in about four we haven't had something on the calendar.

Enjoy your Saturday!!!
 
Good morning from Paradise. 7AM at home in Wisconsin is 3AM on Maui. It will take me a couple days to adjust. Just out on the lanai relaxing hoping to get back to sleep and it will not be the first time I have slept out here. Just about 6 hours flying from Scottsdale direct into Maui will catch up to me sometime today. Today we will relax but Sunday the brother wants to golf. Not complaining as I knew that would happen.

Seems I missed some events in the world. The feds taking over The Silicon Valley bank didn’t affect Terry or I but one of her friends called before we got on the plane yesterday morning. The company payroll money is in that bank. I find it strange the Feds took over the bank on a Friday morning. I always thought they did that at the close of business on Friday night. Lots of issues with this one. No insurance on accounts over $500,000. and I just read Roku had about 26 million there along with other big internet companies. I hope this time some folks see real jail time. Can you say BAILOUT!

enjoy the day
 
Good Morning All!
30F @ 79% - got about 4" of white yesterday afternoon to now. Little mo until 10 then warms up to 45 by 1600.

Happy Saturday!

Finally got some time to tear down the HP750C. Most of the parts where ink is involved are soaking in the sink. The spittoon and primer were almost full of ink. Somehow I managed NOT to spill any although my hands and nose are now a new color. As you can see in the pix, still need to do more cleanup. For those of you that play with your inkjets, Clorox 'Clean up' ( green squirt bottle ) pretty much makes the ink run off of anything. Hands and nose too, but stinks. Getting the junk carriage belt off was a piece of cake - pretty much disintegrated during the process. Have not cleaned up the carriage drive pulley so I don't know what shape that is in. Probably should have ordered one of those when I did the belt. Oh well. Everything else looks to be in good shape; tight and pretty clean. Gonna let all the soaking stuff sit and dry for a day or so after it all gets cleaned up.

Wife reminded me that we are to go to Central Oregon to see her Niece. Trying to get her to wait until April as you never know about March. Visited a few train stores in Portland, Beaverton and Salem a few years ago and have stuff. Don't know if we will do that at this time as Oregon is pretty much the wild wild west.

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Later
 
Smudge617 said:
That's not very ladylike Jaz. 🤣 :D
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He knows i am just taking the pee, if we can’t have a laugh here what’s the point…
one gives and one takes, I can be ladylike…but it’s not as much fun :p

…edited…plus I would only ‘play’ with people I thought could take it, and give it back…..oooh he did it first……

plus it is nice to have a place where you can have a joke with mates, I feel blessed to have found this spot :)
 
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