Goddraug wrote:With all the respect I can muster to CSRR, NHCR, and SLR, the "outside connection" to Conway isn't really conducive to anything besides necessary equipment moves. Class 1 railroad to SLR, who then has to bring it to Groveton or Stratford, which then has to be brought down by New Hampshire Central, which then has to be brought by Conway Scenic through a mountain pass that's realistically only operable during warmer months. That outside connection is more circuitous than the Monaco Grand Prix, not conducive for freight.
Speaking of, here's what I see on google maps. Bear in mind, no assurance that these companies have been reached out to or expressed interest, just surface level investigating.
Tamworth:
- Hancock Lumber Madison Mill
- Kennebec Lumber
- Pine Tree Power
- North Country Recycling (HUGE maybe, they're kinda small).
South Conway
- Pike Industries
- Coleman Concrete
I'm not really an industry insider, so I'm not fully sure what the 4 possible customers would be in Tamworth that expressed interest. My theory is probably those four, though. Also important to note that, during the Mt. Division proceedings, HarMac said they'd like to get their steel transloaded closer to their Fryeburg location.
In the case of Pike, Coleman, and Pine Tree Power, there's some products where transloading makes less sense rather than a direct on-site delivery (mainly with loose commodities, I hate using that word but you get what I mean). Without them, you really start to enter the "is the revenue worth the cost" scenario.
I don't think Conway Scenic would be a real threat to NHN in terms of freight service, due to the previously mentioned difficulties with routing and interchange rates, compared to NHN's sole interchange with a Class 1. Again, though, this is all my own conjecture and time will really tell what happens.
Hancock Lumber doesn't ship by rail. Other railroads have put out feelers with other mills they own and they have been adamant that they aren't interested in rail service. One of the largest mills they own straddles the SLR main line in Bethel and another in Pittsfield has an existing spur to the CSX main line. Pine Tree Power appears to use woodchips as biomass fuel. That presents a few issues, you need to have a supplier with rail service, which likely means sourcing chips from the north country. Aside from NECR, the only other railroad in the northeast moving woodchips these days is NBM Railways. Logs and chips are extremely low revenue freight which is why everyone else has stopped moving them. The only reason NBM continues to move them is because their parent company owns the timberlands, the company which logs that land, the chip mills, the railroad, the cars, the paper mill which uses said chips, and the oil refinery which supplies fuel to the whole operation.
As for Pike, I forgot if they are owned by Allstate Materials or if the parent company CRH owns Allstate. But regardless, I believe they get asphalt emulsion into a few places in Mass and they are in a partnership with a few other companies with the Downeast Emulsion facility in Hermon, Maine. Yes the points are far between, but trucking is still more cost effective.
I would be highly surprised if Coleman uses enough cement mix to warrant rail service. I know HO Bouchard used to haul cement out of Dragon for them and a few others. However for a plant that size, you would only be looking at like 1 car a week tops.
Who wrote:CPF66: You're all over the map with your post, in your 2nd paragraphThat was a mistake on my part, I started to revise my original statement but walked away to do some other things before sitting back down to finish what I was trying to say. I probably should have taken the time to review what I was saying, but why measure twice and cut once.
I am aware NHN doesn't operate the MD, I should have made it more clear that I was trying to compare how much traffic would be needed to make the Conway Branch viable. The bit about NHN and CSX was geared towards the Conway Branch. If Conway is the party which would be moving the freight, not NHN that would torpedo any hope of the operation being profitable.
For what its worth if there is any line Conway Scenic should be working to preserve, its the connection from Hazens to Groveton. With zero online customers, who knows how long it will be before NHCR pulls the plug.
As for the bus line, I wasn't talking about the company they bought. I was talking about the school bus they bought back around 2019 with the intention of running shuttles to the resorts.
And as for the open air car, I am afraid I am not. Swirk bought that generator with the intention of plopping it in one end of an open air car to provide hep for the Mountaineer. I have lost track of the Conway Scenic impulse purchases at this point, but I want to say he bought a baggage car which had been converted to a hep car already, making the conversion irrelevant.
Just it seems that the last thing the railroad should be doing is taking on another project, when they already have a bunch of half finished ones laying around.
