Jump to content

For Sale: 4 Weedy, Rusty Relics of a Doomed Rail Project


GojiMet86

Recommended Posts

For Sale: 4 Weedy, Rusty Relics of a Doomed Rail Project

 

 

By THOMAS KAPLAN

 

Published: May 31, 2012

 

WAREHOUSE1-articleInline.jpg

Nathaniel Brooks for The New York Times

State-owned trains sit on sagging tracks in Glenville, N.Y., on Thursday.

 

GLENVILLE, N.Y. — On sagging train tracks in an industrial park sit four rusting passenger trains, once the cornerstone of an ambitious plan to create a high-speed rail line between New York City and Albany.

But the necessary track improvements never happened. Trains that the state paid $70 million to refurbish did not work. Then the state accused Amtrak of stealing several of them by towing them to Delaware and never bringing them back.

Four trains remain as monuments to the disastrous project. For years, the state paid more than $150,000 annually to rent a space to house the trains in Glenville, as well as a warehouse for spare parts in a Rotterdam industrial park.

“This is New York State’s $70 million train to nowhere,” said Howard B. Glaser, the director of state operations, who called the abandoned trains a glaring example of “waste and incompetence.”

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, a Democrat, has made a priority of consolidating government offices and trying to sell surplus state property, from automobiles to state prisons. His administration says it has already netted more than $1 million via an eBay store.

On Thursday, his aides said they would now try to sell the unused trains and their spare parts, probably for scrap.

WAREHOUSE2-articleInline.jpg

 

 

 

 

Rest of the article:

 

http://www.nytimes.c...ml?ref=nyregion

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Why would anyone buy old train parts if they aren't a scrap dealer?

 

 

The old trains have no use but scrap. But some parts still have value. For example, there are some brand new unused turbine engines in the warehouse that can be used in helicopters.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

wow! i havent seen a Turboliner in YEARS!!!!!

Yet another example of why you should never buy trains for a line thats not upgraded yet.

Those trains coulda had more years ahead of them if they were "downgraded" or atleast kept in good running condition to be sold to another railroad.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.