The Key Bridge Collapse

In what may be the worst catastrophe to hit Baltimore since the 1904 Fire,
A loaded cargo ship hit one of the pylons supporting the Francis Scott Key Bridge around 01:27 Tuesday morning, 26MAR2024,
Resulting in the girder section of the bridge to go tumbling into the Patapsco River,
and onto the bow of the container ship Dali, which hit the pylon dead nuts straight on. :-(

Since I'm based in Baltimore, and about half of my railfan guides cover the Baltimore area,
I felt I needed to highlight how the collapse of the Key Bridge will
affect Baltimore, the supply chain, the jobs, and the railroads that support the economy.

According to most of the posts yesterday:
• Baltimore is the number one port in the U.S. for sugar imports.
• Baltimore is the number one port on the east coast for car and truck unloading.
• Surprisingly, even with the ride up the Bay, Baltimore is supposedly the #1 port for Intermodal loadings and unloadings,
with CSX providing service to the Dundalk and Seagirt Marine Terminal's.
• Between CSX Curtis Bay, and NS Canton, Baltimore is a major exporter of coal.
• Even the U.S. Coast Guard has a Maintenance Yard, which is now isolated until the channel gets cleared.
• The economic impact to the region is estimated around 9 million dollars a day.
• Most of the ships waiting to unload in Baltimore are already looking for another port to go to.
• I believe I heard there are 5 ships in the harbor which are going to be stuck where they are until the channel gets re-opened.
• Released by the state on Wed - at stake: $3.3 Billion in personal income and $400 Million in tax revenue generated by the Port of Baltimore,
as well as 52 million tons annually of cargo moving through the port.
• Affects approximately 8,000-15,000 port employees, and another 100,000 in related businesses.
• Effect on transportation: Cars and light trucks can use the Fort McHenry Tunnel, Baltimore Harbor Tunnel,
and the Beltway to get around the downed bridge, although the Beltway is a way circuitous route to get
from Hawkins Point (SW side) to Sparrows Point/Dundalk (NE side) - 9mi vs 42mi between the same two points.
• For hazardous and wide loads, the Baltimore Beltway is the only alternative - truck traffic is already noticeably heavier.
• President Biden stated on Tuesday that the Feds will completely pay for the rebuilding of the bridge.
• Supposedly, several barge mounted cranes (like the one shown below) are on their way
  to Baltimore to assist with clearing the channel, one is already waiting as of 3/27.
The above numbers are from various news reports I have come across on TV and via the internet, total accuracy not guaranteed.
The map and inserts below highlight many of the affected industries and businesses.

















Hi, the website in French that talked about the signals in Canada seems to have either "gone with the wind"  or changed their address, dunno.
It was at: http://regle105.quebectrain.com/.  If anyone knows, please shoot me an email.
This is one website I never saved, but I have recreated what I can from what I found at the Wayback Machine: https://railroadsignals.us/quebectrain/index.htm


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RIP ROBIN  --- June 13th, 1954 - September 4th, 2015 --- Farewell My Dearest Sis
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            Last revised 03/27/2024