Beaumont AmSlab

[Grandpa D]

Still has a ways to go.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Just a little longer before we see this hunk of junk blossom into a beautiful covered slab. Which would be fine if it wasn't taking a million-plus of our federal tax dollars with it. Beaumont should pay for their own covered slab.

 

[Bob Dylan]

The House in the Background will be replaced by a Bar/Club called Jim and Jays, we'll let waiting pax hang out in our joint for a two drink minimum! :lol:

Actually ,as has been discussed, this is a Total Waste of Tax Payers Money when a Real Station should have been built Downtown! Stuff like this gives T-Pub No-Nothings Ammo they need to Hammer Needed and Real Government Funded Programs like say Amtrak! :excl: :excl: :excl:

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Actually ,as has been discussed, this is a Total Waste of Tax Payers Money when a Real Station should have been built Downtown! Stuff like this gives T-Pub No-Nothings Ammo they need to Hammer Needed and Real Government Funded Programs like say Amtrak!

If anyone deserves bashing it's Beaumont's impotent city council for taking their marching orders from KCS. And of course the federal government for agreeing to give away a cool million for a partially covered slab along a non-daily route in a rather questionable part of a dumpy little town. :wacko:

 

[the_traveler]

Hey! The slab looks better already!

Jim didn't mention that the 2 drink minimum at "J & J's Saloon" costs $100,000 for each drink!

(But they do have Happy Hour each Thursday morning when drinks are half price!

)

 

[AlanB]

Actually ,as has been discussed, this is a Total Waste of Tax Payers Money when a Real Station should have been built Downtown! Stuff like this gives T-Pub No-Nothings Ammo they need to Hammer Needed and Real Government Funded Programs like say Amtrak!

If anyone deserves bashing it's Beaumont's impotent city council for taking their marching orders from KCS. And of course the federal government for agreeing to give away a cool million for a partially covered slab along a non-daily route in a rather questionable part of a dumpy little town. :wacko:

RR's fall under Federal law & jurisdiction; there is little that the city council could do to threaten KCS.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

RR's fall under Federal law & jurisdiction; there is little that the city council could do to threaten KCS.

While there is not much a municipality can do directly, there are a few things they can do indirectly. Railroads exist in an industry that is so heavily regulated that few companies are capable of avoiding every possible regulatory infraction. Observing, researching, reporting, and publicizing those violations can increase scrutiny of a kind no railroad would want. What's to stop Beaumont from keeping a careful eye on everything KCS does and making sure it gets as many eyeballs as possible? When San Antonio started having problems with Union Pacific a few years back they weren't able to force UP to do anything, but they managed to win several concessions anyway. From what I understand these concessions included changes to speed limits, hazardous cargo routings, terminal locations, and even the sale of traffic rights to other carriers. Beaumont is obviously much smaller than San Antonio so they'd need to be even more determined and devious to get what they wanted. Or they could simply give up and make do with their slab for their once-in-while service on a not-so-important route that could be discontinued the moment a big storm passes through.

 

[had8ley]

Hey! The slab looks better already!

Jim didn't mention that the 2 drink minimum at "J & J's Saloon" costs $100,000 for each drink!

(But they do have Happy Hour each Thursday morning when drinks are half price!

)

Happy "Hour" is from 3 to 4 A.M. :lol:

 

[had8ley]

Actually ,as has been discussed, this is a Total Waste of Tax Payers Money when a Real Station should have been built Downtown! Stuff like this gives T-Pub No-Nothings Ammo they need to Hammer Needed and Real Government Funded Programs like say Amtrak!

If anyone deserves bashing it's Beaumont's impotent city council for taking their marching orders from KCS. And of course the federal government for agreeing to give away a cool million for a partially covered slab along a non-daily route in a rather questionable part of a dumpy little town. :wacko:

RR's fall under Federal law & jurisdiction; there is little that the city council could do to threaten KCS.

I dunno Alan...some years back the little town of Pontchatoula (south of Hammond, LA on the IC main) wanted the abandoned station for a farmers market. The IC laughed when the mayor said he'd impose a 5 mph speed limit through town if he didn't get what he wanted. The IC didn't laugh too loud when the mayor had his two man police force flag down every train that looked like it was going better than 5 (every train). (I know the Feds have speed limit jurisdiction) BUT the mayor got his depot for a dollar and the trains rolled through at max speed. True story !!!

 

[Gratt]

If they are going to put a station in this middle-of-nowhere location they might as well go a few miles farther and put it in Orange :giggle:

The old depot there is still standing and it has a lot more charm and class than whatever they are planning on building hboy:

It is even for sale

And it looks like it would be cheaper too!

It sure as hell would be funny for Beaumont to get snubbed for Orange :lol:

 

[the_traveler]

How far is Orange from Beaumont?

Hey, there's a spot for J&J's Saloon! Lobby Amtrak to make it a crew change points, or to add at least some padding in the schedule there! And if you also offer Coke products (the drink kind

), you'll be sold out after every train!

 

[Gratt]

How far is Orange from Beaumont?

Hey, there's a spot for J&J's Saloon! Lobby Amtrak to make it a crew change points, or to add at least some padding in the schedule there! And if you also offer Coke products (the drink kind

), you'll be sold out after every train!

According to this it is 22 miles or half an hour from Beaumont, and I agree a heck of a better spot for the Saloon! They already go in early to HOS and have too much padding there (at least east bound) It would do great business :lol:

 

[GlobalistPotato]

Hey, maybe I should go down there and take some photos!

 

[henryj]

I don't understand all the bickering. Beaumont needed a station and now they will have one. I think it's great. And it's a good use of Obama money. The city plans to upgrade the area around the station and build a police sub station there also. It's certainly better than what was there.

 

[me_little_me]

Still has a ways to go.

Looks nice as is to me! For $2M, it would probably look a little better (fence in wrought iron, engine instead of dozer and better looking passenger cars in a color other than green).

 

[GG-1]

I don't understand all the bickering. Beaumont needed a station and now they will have one. I think it's great. And it's a good use of Obama money. The city plans to upgrade the area around the station and build a police sub station there also. It's certainly better than what was there.

Aloha

Henry this comment is not about you. I wish most if not more people did not think this money is Obama's money. It is our money,

 

[AlanB]

I don't understand all the bickering. Beaumont needed a station and now they will have one. I think it's great. And it's a good use of Obama money. The city plans to upgrade the area around the station and build a police sub station there also. It's certainly better than what was there.

I agree Henry. Sure it might have been 100% perfect if they could have gotten the other location. But this is still 99.9% better than what Beaumont had.

 

[DKpartyguy]

I too agree that Beaumont desperately needs a new station.

I am just perplexed at why they are building it at the old location.

It is a ways from downtown, and kind of in a remote, desolate area of Beaumont.

I can't believe they couldn't find a site closer to downtown, if not right in downtown.

This whole thing in indicative of the the city of Beaumont's attitude toward Amtrak and of passenger train travel.

They obviously don't think it is an important aspect of local travel and/or tourism.

When I visit Texas, Beaumont is my final destination. When I tell my family and friends in Beaumont that I take Amtrak, many of them didn't even know there was an Amtrak stop in Beaumont.

For most people in TX (I know I am generalising a bit here), train travel is not a mode of travel that they think about. People down there hop in their cars and drive everywhere, or take a plane to their destination.

I think if Amtrak publicized/emphasized the Sunset more as a good way to get to New Orleans, more people in the Beauomont area would take it.

I often drive to New Orleans from Beaumont with some of my cousins (they wouldn't even consider Amtrak, mainly because of where the station is). It is not too long of a drive, but I would much rather take Amtrak.

And a stop at Orange would be good to.

Just my 2 pesos as usual.......

David

 

[mfastx]

Anyone have a rendering or some sort of idea of what the final product will look like? Is it just going to be a slab?

 

[Pat Harper]

I've been through Beaumont several times, but have only seen the Amtrak stop twice when the SL stopped there. I agree, it is in the middle of nowhere, but I'm sure they had a good reason for putting it where they did. For one thing, it is less accessible to transients, who prefer hanging out in the downtown area, as it's more accessible to food and drink.

The station in LFT is in the downtown area and occasionally you find transients sitting on the benches outside as if they're waiting for a train, but when one comes, they don't move. I even was offered help with my bags by one, but I turned him down and gave him an orange just for offering. I'm sure he would have preferred money instead, although he said he wouldn't charge me for the help.

:giggle:

 

[stntylr]

I too agree that Beaumont desperately needs a new station.

I am just perplexed at why they are building it at the old location.

It is a ways from downtown, and kind of in a remote, desolate area of Beaumont.

I can't believe they couldn't find a site closer to downtown, if not right in downtown.

This whole thing in indicative of the the city of Beaumont's attitude toward Amtrak and of passenger train travel.

They obviously don't think it is an important aspect of local travel and/or tourism.

When I visit Texas, Beaumont is my final destination. When I tell my family and friends in Beaumont that I take Amtrak, many of them didn't even know there was an Amtrak stop in Beaumont.

For most people in TX (I know I am generalising a bit here), train travel is not a mode of travel that they think about. People down there hop in their cars and drive everywhere, or take a plane to their destination.

I think if Amtrak publicized/emphasized the Sunset more as a good way to get to New Orleans, more people in the Beauomont area would take it.

I often drive to New Orleans from Beaumont with some of my cousins (they wouldn't even consider Amtrak, mainly because of where the station is). It is not too long of a drive, but I would much rather take Amtrak.

And a stop at Orange would be good to.

Just my 2 pesos as usual.......

David

The city of Beauomont had another site picked out but couldn't get a deal done with the host railroad in time. Since the station was being paid for with stimulus money they had a very short window to negotiate.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I too agree that Beaumont desperately needs a new station.

Regardless of what Beaumont thinks it needs there was never a compelling case for the federal government to bankroll it. Beaumont could just have easily added a waiting area to their fancy new police station for their once-every-few-days train service.

The city of Beauomont had another site picked out but couldn't get a deal done with the host railroad in time. Since the station was being paid for with stimulus money they had a very short window to negotiate.

It was Kansas City Southern who blocked any talk of using the original station or for having any station anywhere near downtown.

I agree, it is in the middle of nowhere, but I'm sure they had a good reason for putting it where they did.

They already admitted they wanted the station to be downtown but were told to take a hike by KCS. They also realized that they were unlikely to get another chance to fleece the federal government and had to move fast before the free money was gone. Personally I don't consider those to be good reasons at all.

 

[PaulM]

RR's fall under Federal law & jurisdiction; there is little that the city council could do to threaten KCS.

I dunno Alan...some years back the little town of Pontchatoula (south of Hammond, LA on the IC main) wanted the abandoned station for a farmers market. The IC laughed when the mayor said he'd impose a 5 mph speed limit through town if he didn't get what he wanted.

I don't know how true it is; but someone from Waveland, MS once told me that in the early 60's when the L&N (now CSX) wanted to kill what was essentially a commuter train between New Orleans and Bay St. Louis, the town of Waveland threatened to do the same. He claimed the RR gave in. But obviously, it was only temporary.

 

[Bob Dylan]

When I lived in San Marcos,Texas a few years ago (Only Stop of the Eagle from AUS-SAS), UP had gotten into the habit of Blocking Every Crossing in Town sometimes for Hours! The Hospital and Fire Station would be cut off from the Northside of Town so the City passed and Ordinance and got the Texas Legislature to Pass a Law Prohibiting Blocking Every RR Crossings for more than 15 minutes, then the City Police Started Issuing Tickets to the Engineer/Conductor. Needless to say UP NEVER Paid them, their Attitude was Sue and Be Damned!! :excl: :excl: :excl: !I was told by a City official that the Total Amount of the Fines added up to $45,000-$50,000!!

San Marcos Finally, after Many,Many Years (say 50!!! ) Built an Overpass Out to the Hospital so the Two Mainlines in Town (Ex- MOPAC and MKT) could be Crossed when the EVER INCREASING Freights that UP Runs on this Line Contiunued to Block the other Cropssing for Hours sometimes!! Another Case of Good PR by UP!!!

 

[henryj]

Regardless of what Beaumont thinks it needs there was never a compelling case for the federal government to bankroll it. Beaumont could just have easily added a waiting area to their fancy new police station for their once-every-few-days train service.

It was Kansas City Southern who blocked any talk of using the original station or for having any station anywhere near downtown.

They already admitted they wanted the station to be downtown but were told to take a hike by KCS. They also realized that they were unlikely to get another chance to fleece the federal government and had to move fast before the free money was gone. Personally I don't consider those to be good reasons at all.

Wow, someone is just never happy. It was a broken up slab. People had to wait for the train in their cars. It is a perfectly good use of Federal money, far better than a lot of other uses. Beaumont is an oil town, a port, an industrial complex. It isn't pretty. Stations have to be located along train tracks. Train tracks go through the worst parts of town. The pictures I have seen of the new station look very nice. I think it is a good fix. The station is close to I10 and not that far from downtown, such as it is. Most of Beaumont shops at the mall on US69 north of town, which is no where near either.

And it is not a "once-every-few-days train service". There is a train in one direction or the other every day except Saturday and Thursday, and both trains stop on Fridays. Once the train goes daily there will be two trains a day. I see no reason for these scathing attacks on what was an obvious need.

If you need to attack something, then think about the total waste of equipment on the Empire Builder which hasn't run in either direction in days and was cancelled most of the winter. Send that equipment down here and put it on a daily Sunset Limited, restored to Florida, where it can do some good and earn some money.