Vermont Rail System (VTR, GMRC, WACR, CLP, NYOG)

[Fritz]

Hello,
I just wanted to remind you that the Northeast Kingdom Chamber of Commerce will again be running train rides out of St. Johnsbury as part of the Colors of the Kingdom Festival on 16 September 2017. It sounds like we will have six cars from the "Green Fleet" and, hopefully, the VTR GP40-2W 311 on the north end (cab car/coach 1317 will be on the south end). The rides will follow the old CP Lyndonville Subdivision south along the Passumpsic and Connecticut Rivers through the villages of Passumpsic, East Barnet, Barnet, McIndoe's Falls, Bell, and East Ryegate. For those not familiar with this route, this is a beautiful section of track along the namesake rivers of the Connecticut & Passumpsic Rivers Railroad. Trains will depart the St. Johnsbury Welcome Center (the old Canadian Pacific railroad station) at 0930, 1130, 1330, and 1530, and rides will last approximately one and half hours. Tickets cost $13 for an adult and $7 for a children (12 and under) and can be purchased ahead of time at the Catamount Arts website (http://www.catamountarts.org) or in the old ticket office on the day of the festival. Even if only following trackside, please consider purchasing a ticket to support the operation of these trains.
Have a great day,
Fritz

[newpylong]

Are there any highway salt distribution facilities in New Hampshire that get
salt by rail or does all the salt originate from the pier in Portsmouth? The
VRS services several salt distributers in VT. Maybe such a facility could be
located at Hazens or elsewhere between St.J. and Groveton.

Claremont in NH gets salt by rail via the old C&C which is now owned by the NEC.

Also West Lebanon.

[NHV 669]

Barrett Trucking off the SLR in Stark, NH recieves salt cars as well. One of their clerks recently asked about a move of salt cars north on WJNP on VRS' train sightings FB page; sure seems like a long trip up and around to get those cars from the VRS to the SLR. I believe the loads originate from Cargill.

[Dick H]

The AAPRCO Special Convention Train, two Amtrak locos and 18 private cars
is scheduled (at last report) to arrive Bellows Falls on Sunday, 9/17 at 1830
hours on the NECR from Springfield. At Bellows Falls, they will get a VRS
pilot and take the GMRC to Rutland and overnight there, before proceeding
to Burlington on Monday for their convention. CP Rail nixed the original plan
to overnight at Saratoga, before proceeding to Burlington.

I have not seen any postings on their progress, since they ran on the Adirondack
Railway on 9/14. Short video from Railroad Rambler here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3hxRkwVTBQ&t=21s

[buddydog]

article in today's brattleboro reformer.

http://www.reformer.com/stories/rail-of ... ers,524734

[Dick H]

Senator Campion is wasting his time. Federal regulations will prevail.

[BandA]

I wouldn't be happy if a string of LPG tankers were parked next to my house. Of course, the wetlands won't be contaminated if there is a spill since it will vaporize! Since there is no odor added, the neighbors won't know about any leaks until BOOM! I hope this is a secure location since you wouldn't want tampering. Ideally, you want gas detectors and an earthen berm to deflect the blast in the unlikely event of a significant leak, security guards and fencing.

[F-line to Dudley via Park]

Uhh...if your house is heated by propane, you *literally do* have a propane tanker parked next your house large enough to knock out a wall if it's tampered with and blows. And you, the homeowner, must have all the necessary safety systems installed. That's a very, very low risk of ever happening given that it's been transported in bulk that way for eons and is ubiquitously used from very small (gas grill) to very large (home/business fuel) storage applications. But if you want to play fear-mongering the home analogy fits like a speedo.

LNG tankers and volatile grades of crude oil...yes, those are known controversial loads for the rail industry whose recent precedence has drawn attention to increasing safety measures. Safe LPG transport is such old hat it doesn't get lumped in with the others.

[Dick H]

Guards and Fencing for LPG tankers? While major LPG distribution facilities, where LPG
is transloaded from LPG tank cars to large stationary tanks, are often fenced in and in
this age of security cameras may have those, I am not familiar with any guarded facilities.

There are many such facilities on many of the short line and regional railroads in New England.
Depending on how many cars the facility can unload at the same time, there are often varying
numbers of loaded cars on nearby or area sidings, waiting to be switched into the distribution
facility.

[Plate C]

Some of the commentary here is funny because it's from a railfan perspective, and from that perspective, I'm sure we'd all love to see every line everywhere full of carloads. From a homeowner/community perspective, there's no one who would want a line of potentially explosive tank cars rolled up to their back door. I saw part of the line in question last week, and beyond the proximity to houses I believe that section of line is surrounded by dead grass/trees (perfect kindling) and I thought that end of the line was pretty out of shape last year (think part of it was under water). Either way, I have to imagine they have somewhere better along their trackage to place a line of tank cars.

Think this also speaks to a larger issue happening in New England where real estate continues to be built where there are no gas connections, and New Englanders seem pretty firm on not allowing the states to be carved up by the gas company for addditional pipeline. So people are using more propane, that's coming by rail, and the cars have to go somewhere.

[Mikejf]

Actually Plate C, underground gas utilities are becoming more common in the bigger cities. Cost a lot of money to install. The rural parts of the states will never have the luxury of Natural Gas.

[buddydog]

article in december 1 brattleboro reformer

http://www.reformer.com/stories/town-bo ... ars,526069

[Dick H]

Since the state of Vermont owns the tracks, the politicos will likely pressure
the state or pass legislation to force the state to revise the operating contract
with VRS to prohibit the storage of LPG in certain areas. Just how such a
regulation would override the FRA remains to be seen.

[B&M 1227]

I drove by around Thanksgiving. All the cars are stored between Rice's Ln and the Rt 7a bridge. Other than the dozen or so residences "nearby" on Rice's Ln, these cars are "off the grid." It's a small town. When one person get a glimpse at a placard and yells, everybody can hear it.

[NHV 669]

If I'm not mistaken, the same practice was done for a shipper out of Claremont, storing them on the sidings on the WACR between the Ryegate power plant (Bell), and the passing siding at Wells River. Only seems to matter when the neighbors get hysterical about static cars lighting themselves ablaze.