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Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Cows No Match for Rail Runner
By Lloyd Jojola
Journal Staff Writer
Three-thousand-six-hundred horse power beats one cow power any day, to which Rail Runner Express locomotive engineers can attest.
Because since the state's commuter train started running to Santa Fe in mid-December, at least five track-crossing cows have been bumped off by the rail carrier in that corridor.
And, while train overseers and interested landowners like Santo Domingo Pueblo have forged an agreement to buffer the beef, the issue probably won't meander away.
"It's likely not ever going to stop completely because — I don't know if you've ever dealt with cows. When they have a desire to do something, a fence is little obstacle to them," said Santo Domingo Pueblo Gov. Everett F. Chavez.
In fact, even Rail Runner passengers probably wouldn't know there was a cow collision but for the brief delay that follows an encounter, said Chris Blewett, Rail Runner project manager. "They might hear it," he said.
The short stop is really for inspection purposes, to determine whether any damage has occurred to the train equipment, something that's never happened. Train officials say in no instance would an
animal of such size derail a train.
One track stretch, from around San Felipe Pueblo's northern end to just east of Interstate 25, has proven to be more problematic for the bucolic beasts. But the issue is nothing new. Area track was already being used by Amtrak and for freight before the 79 mph Rail Runner came along.
"The issues of livestock on the track are long-standing with the railroad," said Lawrence Rael of the Mid-Region Council of Governments, which oversees train operations for the state. "In Santo Domingo, in particular, we've had some issues early on because there was lack of fencing basically."
Chavez said a "safety corridor" was established essentially from south edge of the pueblo proper north to where the train track bisects N.M. 22 that will include fencing.
"Owners are encouraged regularly to make sure they keep track of their livestock, but, you know, just like our kids, they wander," Chavez said.
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