Pan Am Worcester Main Line

Here are south and north views of Worcester Main track at Harvard from Friday 9/1/23 captured at the newly paved crossing - guess who owns which...

While csx may generally not care about B&E, they should care a lot about the sections that they have to run on- Harvard road up to east wye in Ayer

Nothing to really worry about that's all going to be where NS runs it's pigs and it's restricted speed anyway.

Upgrades on the PAS side also need to be agreed on between both CSX and NS at this point - one of them can't unilaterally make improvements,

Correct me I’m wrong but if I recall correctly CSX is responsible for funding Hill Yard track improvements (eg longer thoroughfare if CSX wants to make pickups/setouts if it’s trains are longer than 4,750 feet). It’s all documented in the Hill Yard operating plan filed with STB I believe.

I spent 2 hours at Ayer on B&E day when 265 departed. A recently assigned utility yard person helped expedite the IM train’s doubling and departure. Hopefully that role will be permanent given the amount of switching, locals, and run-through traffic there is. Although there was scanner chatter how things will get easier, I thought ops I witnessed were executed smoothly.

Q: I’ve read a FB post from a B&E operating person that B&E personnel can’t operate east of CPF-312, the end of PAS territory. I understand only CSX trains will operate east of there but what about a B&E crew that needs to run around a cut of empty racks at Sanvel or empty covered hoppers at Ardent Mills? Will PAS light engines be able to use CPF-312?

Yes it's typical to allow "one train length" or light power beyond the interlocking limits. Like how the VTR is allowed west of Eagle Bridge and East of Hoosick Junction to reverse and then run around.

Isn't that why CSX moved the AEI reader from the interlocking to the other side of Gibson Rd (to allow room for those kind of PAS moves)?

The CSX side looks pristine, but the PAS side looks decent to my amateur eyes, with recent ties and ballast. What is most intriguing is the Harvard sign. Is that a PAR/B&M standard? Also just reminded me that no other industry uses "stove bolts" i.e. nuts and bolts with 4 sides instead of 6.

We use stove bolts in modern computer racks all the time, so any industry using rack mounted computers is using them.

I've heard that WML speed between Clinton and Harvard is still 10mph despite the completion of the extensive track rehab. Is this due to needing to re-time crossing approach circuits to reflect 25mph speed v. 10mph?

BandA wrote: ↑Sun Sep 03, 2023 12:48 am The CSX side looks pristine, but the PAS side looks decent to my amateur eyes, with recent ties and ballast. What is most intriguing is the Harvard sign. Is that a PAR/B&M standard? Also just reminded me that no other industry uses "stove bolts" i.e. nuts and bolts with 4 sides instead of 6.

Can you clarify the sign question? Any railroad that uses TWC has station signs for authority limits. They can use milepost but signs are usually more user friendly.

When CSX completed the track rehab, there was a test consisting of one engine traveling at 25 mph from Ayer to Worcester. There was a CSX rep at every crossing, conversing with an official at the next crossing, timing the single engine for every crossing. It stopped at Burncoat, and the CSX supervisor said everything looks good with the re-calibration of the crossing leaving me to believe they are all good to go for the 25mph upgrade.

newpylong wrote: ↑Sun Sep 03, 2023 5:22 amCan you clarify the sign question? Any railroad that uses TWC has station signs for authority limits. They can use milepost but signs are usually more user friendly.

It looks like an old-timey actual station sign with a special font for readability

It's hard to tell because of the angle, but it could be a close match for the B&M's standard "K10" lettering diagram. Assuming the standard drawings the B&M issued over the years remained in effect even after the GRS purchase (which could well be the case), or new ones that used a similar style were issued, it certainly could be a standard station sign. Most railroads have standard diagrams for signs of various kinds.

Have railroads become more conservative on track speeds? With a roadbed at least as good as the conrail era plus new, heavy mainline cwr, csx will be running 25 while conrail I believe ran 35 for much of the Worcester main. What’s changed?