Lechmere Viaduct Progress

Riverside is the longest branch.

Has anyone seen a Type 8 to Lechmere yet? I am curious if they are allowed there???

I think they are allowed there, now that the line has been rebuilt, although the only line that's there, the E does not possess any M8's due to that notorious accident at Northeastern a year or so ago.

WonderlandMan wrote:I thought the D-Line was the longest?

In terms of time it takes to get from one end to the other, the B line is the longest i think.

Unless this rollsign is wrong, B line cars are going to Lechmere.

In response to Wonderlandman... Yes, because the B is slow.

D is by far the longest track wise.

And before the el closed there was a Type 8 that went out to Lechmere.

As proved in this picture from NETransit...

[img]http://members.aol.com/grisolan/type8/38033693.jpg[/img]

If the pic. doesn't show I'm sorry I don't know how to do images.

Well, I finally took it today.. I was really impressed with the new tunnel. It's ALOT more illuminated then any other greenline tunnel I've been through. The extra lighting makes it alot better in my opinion. the underground track yard was really cool also. We actually had a problem with one of the switches. it wasnt changing so the driver had to step out and manually through it with one of the buttons. we also went sort of slow on the viaduct. i was expecting to go faster

anyway im glad were back in business to lechmere

is it true this tunnel was started when they built the fleet center or whatever it is now called?

The FleetCenter was built with a space for this tunnel inside the parking garage.

I rode through the new tunnel, and found it along with the yard pretty cool. It seems like there is a decent amount of storage space in there. I'm wondering if that track section that is much lower than the rest is for a possible future tunnel or not. It seems unlikely that will be happening for a loooong time, if ever.

On the viaduct I caught something interesting. It seems as though the new track ends at a cetain point while still on the viaduct. Also none of the tack in Lechmere is new. I'm presuming they didn't replace all of this due to the likely upcoming move of Lechmere. I wonder if this would get in the way of having Type 8s in revenue service to Lechmere. Although that is very unlikely anyways with the current service configuration.

JWH wrote:On the viaduct I caught something interesting. It seems as though the new track ends at a cetain point while still on the viaduct. Also none of the tack in Lechmere is new. I'm presuming they didn't replace all of this due to the likely upcoming move of Lechmere. I wonder if this would get in the way of having Type 8s in revenue service to Lechmere. Although that is very unlikely anyways with the current service configuration.

Whereabouts does the track change back to the old lighter rails? If it's right before the viaduct curves over O'Brein Hwy. into Lechmere, then that's where the new incline into "new" Lechmere will break off from the existing structure. I wonder if that means they're going to get started on construction soon? One would think if we're going to be waiting a few more years that they would've gone ahead and replaced the tracks all the way through.

I don't think that change in rails necessarily keeps Type 8's banned from Lechmere. They ran out there before. It would, however, keep them on a pretty serious speed restriction down that last stretch...although that's no biggie if you're just talking the last 50-100 feet into the station and yard. First runs in the morning sometimes get extended to Lechmere, so even if they're confined to one line during normal service hours they still need to be available to use Lechmere in revenue service in a pinch.

JWH wrote:On the viaduct I caught something interesting. It seems as though the new track ends at a cetain point while still on the viaduct. Also none of the tack in Lechmere is new.

They did too replace track in Lechmere; I watched them do it. The outbound platform track, up to at least where the viaduct levels off, is new, and I think they replaced the loop and the inbound platform track as well.

JWH wrote:
On the viaduct I caught something interesting. It seems as though the new track ends at a cetain point while still on the viaduct. Also none of the tack in Lechmere is new.

Just because the configuration isn't new doesn't mean that the tracks aren't.

Since it seems that no one has made a track map of the North Station yard...
http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/9881/yardmap4wo.jpg
It isn't to scale. Feel free to make any corrections.

Now I will describe the yard. At the end closest to Lechmere the longest center track goes downward while tracks on the side go up on the new incline. So the center track looks like it is going into a tunnel if you're facing inbound. But it doesn't go into the tunnel. It just stops at a wall. The yard is very well lit and is very visable from any train. You would have to be blind or facing the wrong way to not see the yard. On one side, there are offices with windows. People in those offices can monitor the yard. And uhhh.... it is very well lit(unlike Boylston). That is it.

Feel free to modify my track map. It isn't to scale. And don't yell at me for not including the turns.

It is very well lite, I like it alot