Poor economy turns railcars into eyesores

Click Here to Recommend Story View larger image Railcars, some laced with graffiti, remain idle along the tracks at Bowmans Crossing, south of Edinburg. Rich Cooley/Daily View larger image The economy has caused these cars to sit useless for many weeks. About 23,000 cars were in storage at the end of 2009. View larger image Box cars are idle along the tracks at Bowmans Crossing south of Edinburg. Rich Cooley/Daily

By Preston Knight - pknight@nvdaily.com

Empty railcars are beginning to fit in a little too nicely with the natural surroundings of one portion of Shenandoah County.

The interrupted line of Norfolk Southern Corp. cars, visible from northbound Interstate 81 starting north of Mt. Jackson through Bowmans Crossing, has sat at its current location for many weeks, a product of the economy. Company spokesman Robin Chapman said when the economy slows down, so does the opportunity to put freight cars in motion.

"We have to park them somewhere," he said. "We're essentially putting them where we can around the system."

It's not a new problem, nor is it hardly confined to the county. Throughout Norfolk Southern's system, about 23,000 cars were in storage at the end of 2009, Chapman said. That number was down from about 35,000 cars that sat empty in the middle of last year.

"We're putting more cars back in service as the result of increased demand," Chapman said.

That does not make the sight of the empty ones, many laced with graffiti, any better. Chapman said Norfolk Southern would agree.

"They're admittedly not a pretty sight and we wish we didn't have to do it," he said. "We want to get them moved out of there just as much as [the people] do."

The impact locally may not be much, beyond being an eyesore. Last year, when there were empty cars at Fishers Hill, there was some concern among a handful of residents about the safety of an overpass. People also complained about property values.

Susie Hill, director of the county's Department of Economic Development and Tourism, said she hears no complaints, and notes that it is a freight rail line, not a scenic railroad.

"A lot of rail passes through the back of industrial buildings," she said.

The cars will simply be a part of the local scenery until further notice.

"[The economy] is improving," Chapman said. "We are seeing modest signs of improvement. We have put some rail cars back in service. It's progressing slowly."