Miscellaneous

WASHINGTON — At least partly because of weather-related issues (Hurricane Gustav at the beginning of the week and Tropical Storm Hanna later in the week), freight traffic on U.S. railroads was off during the first week of September in comparison with the corresponding week last year, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported today. Both this year’s week and the comparison week from last year included the Labor Day holiday. Total volume was estimated 32.0 billion ton-miles, down 3.3 percent from the comparable week last year. Carload freight in the week totaled 306,340 cars, off 3.5 percent from last year.

CONYERS, Ga. — A new railroad will soon be laying track at the Georgia International Horse Park, the new home of the North Georgia Live Steamers. Formed in 1977, the North Georgia Live Steamers is a club composed of individuals interested in promoting the live steam hobby and assisting others interested in the construction of scale steam engines, diesel locomotives and railroad equipment. The group previously constructed and conducted “open run” weekends where the public was invited to ride on the 7.5 inch gauge, 1.5 inch scale railroad at their former location at the Southeastern Rail and Transportation Museum in

WASHINGTON — The Eastern Regional Conference of the Council of State Governments has come out against schemes to reregulate the nation’s freight railroads. In a resolution passed August 13 by the group’s executive committee, the Council warned that congressional proposals to reregulate the railroads “may significantly reduce income and in turn reduce the ability (of railroads) to raise capital needed for future infrastructure expansion.” The northeastern region of the U.S. “will require significant railroad corridor development through railroad company/state government partnerships to accommodate future goods and passenger movement,” according to the resolution. The resolution notes that expanding the capacity of