CSX Boston and Albany Line

On my way to work today at 8:15AM, eb CSX intermodal with JB Hunt, Schneider, Pacer, UMAX, and other containers crossed Main St in Ashland on track 2 headed for Beacon Park (possibly a late Q114?) . I'm surprised there is still intermodal headed to Boston at this date. Plus isn't MBTA dispatching from Boston to Worcester now? If so, why would T dispatcher allow a couple thousand foot long train into the in-bound commuter train melee?

johnpbarlow wrote:On my way to work today at 8:15AM, eb CSX intermodal with JB Hunt, Schneider, Pacer, UMAX, and other containers crossed Main St in Ashland on track 2 headed for Beacon Park (possibly a late Q114?) . I'm surprised there is still intermodal headed to Boston at this date. Plus isn't MBTA dispatching from Boston to Worcester now? If so, why would T dispatcher allow a couple thousand foot long train into the in-bound commuter train melee?

There's still odds-and-sods going to BP, but it's a far cry from the volumes this summer. I don't think the self-imposed deadline for shuttering the main yard is until year's end, so they are still routing stuff there while Westborough gets finishing work, the secondary facilities at Worcester finish construction, and the final staff alignments get settled.

The dispatching handover is work-in-progress, and a pretty involved process. Each control point has to get rewired from the CSX dispatching office to the T's central office, meaning one may be MBTA while the next three are still CSX while there's another MBTA several miles up, etc. Until they're all picked off sometime next year, provided there's no additional troubleshooting that delays conversion of some CP's. The "official" handover just celebrated was merely the paper transaction and the kickoff for overturning ops.

Heard all this going on, on the radio, Q114 was delayed for some reason, he had 3 trains trying to get to beacon park. they put 1 on the main on track 1 told him to leave some room for the double,(there was talk of doubling them before the crews go off, but decided not to. the other train wnet to the 4th Iron. Cabs where called for all the crews the third trainwas allowed to progress to beacon park ahead of the passanger train because he was 10 mins late out of worcester and he was a hot train that was delayed. dispatcher was a littled hairied on the radio trying to figure out what he was going to do. a lot of discussion over the radio between crews.

A couple trains stalled on the mountain last night, in both direction, at the same time. I heard the dispatcher went home with the letter "G" still stuck in his forehead from beating his head against his desk.

With the T taking cover control of the line from Framingham to Worcester what is the new division post going to be near?

The T is actually taking over from Boston to Worcester. Currnetly the division line is at Mile post 3 just outside Back Bay tunnel.

boatsmate wrote:The T is actually taking over from Boston to Worcester. Currnetly the division line is at Mile post 3 just outside Back Bay tunnel.

Thanks for the info. So where the new division line be in Worcester once the T has control of the line?

MNCRR9000 wrote:

boatsmate wrote:The T is actually taking over from Boston to Worcester. Currnetly the division line is at Mile post 3 just outside Back Bay tunnel.

Thanks for the info. So where the new division line be in Worcester once the T has control of the line?

Probably at the start of the yard turnout at Putnam Lane. The T already owns the adjacent layover yard and lead track feeding the layover and station, so its "new" ownership would only need to get it to the crossovers for that turnout. I believe at Fitchburg there's a similar transition zone where MBTA and PAS ownership briefly bleed together within North Fitchburg yard limits on the station approach.

Kind of a cross post from my discussion at MBTA Commuter Rail delays...

1) Why is there a really slow speed restriction at the Bishop Street crossing in Framingham? Seems to have been in effect for the past couple of weeks...Track 2 inbound and outbound, I'm on the peak trains so I never get on track 1 anymore.

2) Any idea what the "track work" was that delayed commuter trains from Sunday to Monday AM?

3) Are there plans to double track the main line in the area of Beacon Park in the immediate future? If not, can I start my own fundraising effort to make that happen? ...if i had a dime for all the minutes I've spent at CP 3 or CP 4...

dbperry wrote:Kind of a cross post from my discussion at MBTA Commuter Rail delays...

3) Are there plans to double track the main line in the area of Beacon Park in the immediate future? If not, can I start my own fundraising effort to make that happen? ...if i had a dime for all the minutes I've spent at CP 3 or CP 4...

Probably within a year. CSX has to do its closeout work on the BP main yard first: tearing up the track and switches, tidying up the one remaining yard lead for accessing the Grand Junction and engine house, and handing over CP3-4. They start on the yard deconstruction in 2013 (probably at ground thaw), and should make pretty brisk work of it. The T's then going to zoom in right on their tails to get the second mainline track operational.

It's a quick job that might go quicker if we get another mild winter allowing CSX to get a jump on things. But it's the same deal with rewiring all the CP's out to Worcester...not an instantaneous handoff.

the other problem is the construction at Fenway stop... 1 track through there also....

Hearing rumors of Beacon Park sticking around till after the first of the year... due to Holiday rush.... id say first of Feb is the end

Article on CSX payments to the City of Worcester. Wonder what the "container fee" is that is charged for every load that enters the yard is ?

http://www.telegram.com/article/2012102 ... 99878/1116

dbperry wrote:Kind of a cross post from my discussion at MBTA Commuter Rail delays...

1) Why is there a really slow speed restriction at the Bishop Street crossing in Framingham? Seems to have been in effect for the past couple of weeks...Track 2 inbound and outbound, I'm on the peak trains so I never get on track 1 anymore.

2) Any idea what the "track work" was that delayed commuter trains from Sunday to Monday AM?

The track needs some work apparently between Bishop and Concord St....the reason for the 10mph speed restriction and the track work delays were due to the signal system cut in of the new CP 29 and CP 30 at each end of the Westboro yards...they connect the #1 main trk to the Westboro yard lead....as with all track work and when the signal system is "tampered" with, there are always signal problems and bugs that follow till they are resolved

I know there was recently a funding award to put in upgraded crossing protection at Framingham tied to the traffic signals. Anybody know if those are going to be quad-gate installations, or if the scope of work involves finally installing some sort of gates on the Framingham Secondary across 135?