Grand Junction Branch (The North/South Side Connection)

Slushbucket wrote:Looks like there is some MOW work going on - driving along Soldiers Field Road I noticed a couple of pieces of MOW equipment on the small overpass. There was a long string of MOW equipment on the lead to the GJ and about 7-9 AFCX-marked ballast hoppers underneath I-90. I couldn't get any numbers, sorry, but the hoppers look like this one: http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=3566672

I think it's staging for the work they're doing on the B&A Main; there's a large number of stacks of ties adjacent, roughly west of the new Allston/Brighton station is.

There was a small tie job on the between the Charles River bridge and the start of the
Grand Jct Branch at Beacon Park Thursday.

The ballast hoppers are part of the group of twenty Keolis leased last year. Reporting
marks are AFCX. These came up from Rochester last weekend.

D

Was at MIT today, saw the 904 on the Grand Junction go past on the tracks closer to Vassar St. then back moments later on the outer (sorry, don't know which is the siding).
Testing?
Later there was a CSX Box/tanker then a Amtrak move with a cabbage perhaps (?) headed to Allston.

The 904 was from a Worcester Line tie train. They left five empty flats on the siding.

The CSX train was B721. The tankcar was an empty out of Houghton Chemical at Beacon Park.

The Amtrak move was one of the once or twice weekly equipment swaps. Always comes in on
the back of 686. Usually goes back to Portland solo or hitches a ride on 689.

D

Thanks!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKhg2oiKI7Y" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This video posted to UHub this morning shows just how much attention drivers pay to the Grand Junction crossings.

Note the car at the end of the video, which actually stops on the tracks right in front of the 3247 despite the lights, bells, and locomotive horn.

deathtopumpkins wrote:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKhg2oiKI7Y

This video posted to UHub this morning shows just how much attention drivers pay to the Grand Junction crossings.

Note the car at the end of the video, which actually stops on the tracks right in front of the 3247 despite the lights, bells, and locomotive horn.

http://jalopnik.com/do-you-like-apples- ... 1770995744" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

the comments in this are pretty good

After reading some of those overly confident self explanations about the Grand Junction, I think I should make some popcorn before reading further!

Quad gates might be a good idea for this crossing,but Cambridge zoning laws don't allow crossing gate installs.

I rode though the area on the #1 bus last night heading towards Boston. At the crossing, the driver stopped, opened the door to look, closed the door, started going (only a few inches) and then stopped suddenly. An MBTA locomotive with a coach in tow was waiting about 100 ft down the tracks. It was clearly waiting for something because I didn't hear the horn blowing (which I can clearly hear from my apt. on Comm Ave with windows closed) for the crossing until about 20-30 minutes later when I was at home.

Readville Switcher, holding at Cambridge Street until space opened up at BET.

Eastbounds trains coming from Beacon Park are required to hold at Cambridge
St until permission is given by the Terminal Dispatcher.

D

Quad gates sound like a bad investment. If it's feasible for the trains to move this slowly -- don't they pretty much always go slow there? -- then there's not much danger even if the drivers are dumb. Hire a detail cop to write tickets now and then to establish better habits (or at least to pay for his/her own wages with fines, with that many people running the lights), and spend the hundreds of thousands that quad gates (or even plain gates) would cost somewhere where the trains are frequent and fast. Of course, that's just my guess. Maybe I'm missing some big danger, or this train was especially slow.

No, you've pretty much got it right. For the time being, it sorta works. Every now and then someone gets their car mangled, but usually it's a slow-speed crash without injuries.

If the line were to be used for revenue (passenger) traffic it would need to have a lot of "adjustments" made

quick question?. does CSX still service the chelsea markets? If so..is this the route to the Markets?
Also looking for pictures...anyone know where i can find?

Yes, they do, and yes, this is the route they take. Into what's left of Beacon Park from Framingham, cross the river, Grand Junction through Cambridge, cross the Fitchburg Line at grade, pass behind BET, then follow the Eastern Route out to Everett/Chelsea.