CSX Acquisition of Pan Am Railways

It's hard to guage what it means because even after the "close of the record" people were still sending in documents and they appeared to still be accepted.

Hopefully Pan Am acquisition with B&E operating PAS trains will make the handling of smelly trash containers less offensive to PAS communities.

Smelly trains parked away from Mechanicville homes

After a meeting with federal officials, Pan Am agreed last month to start parking trains near a railroad bridge, in a forested area, out of smell range for the neighborhood nearby....

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article ... o-22093319

I've been through Ayer recently and have seen long blocks of trash containers parked in the residential area along West Main St and the Camp Track. I wonder why Fitchburg yard isn't used for storing/staging these cars? I'd like to think that B&E will have enough crews to keep this commodity on the move.

Because that is a heck of a lot further from the customer if they don't have to go there.

petahgriff8316 wrote: ↑Fri Apr 01, 2022 8:14 pm I was driving down by the waterfront last fall and found that one of the "harbor side" grade crossings had been upgraded to gates. I am not sure exactly what they've done around there in the last couple of years, but those signals definitely didn't use to be there – I'd bet it was a crossbuck a few years ago.

Yup, here's the proof from Google Earth. I believe the plan is to improve this crossing and remove the bridge next door to allow double-stack trains into the container port.

Re: PAS use of Fitchburg yard, which is 12 miles west of Ayer, I was under the impression that once the MBTA vacated the yard to use its new Westminster layover facility, PAS would move some of Hill Yard's work to a rehabbed Fitchburg yard. I have no idea whether the rehab work was done or is still planned. I believe FI-1 has often pulled empty auto racks from Sanvel to Fitchburg yard avoiding the Ayer clutter to await a westbound move to take them to NS.

Post acquisition, since the Sanvel racks won't move across D3 given they should be in the consist of the 22K/23K trains re-routed via Worcester, empty racks won't need to be towed to Fitchburg. And it will be interesting to see if NS fills out "Southern Route" IM trains to the negotiated 9,000 foot max length with Arrowhead trash double-stacks (and DPU).

No, that traffic will continue on PAS, only the Hill Yard IM traffic moves to the B&A.

Fitchburg was not rebuilt.

johnpbarlow wrote: ↑Sun Apr 10, 2022 6:20 am Re: PAS use of Fitchburg yard, which is 12 miles west of Ayer, I was under the impression that once the MBTA vacated the yard to use its new Westminster layover facility, PAS would move some of Hill Yard's work to a rehabbed Fitchburg yard

Fitchburg Layover tracks remain in control of Keolis and they have locked Pan Am out of them.

bostontrainguy wrote: ↑Sat Apr 09, 2022 7:17 pm Yup, here's the proof from Google Earth. I believe the plan is to improve this crossing and remove the bridge next door to allow double-stack trains into the container port.

They've been talking about removing that bridge for a while; I have no idea where it stands on the current MDOT workplan. Obviously, though, removing it hampers truck access to Cassidy Point due to the tight hairpin down below.

Since at least 2003 when the Fore River Parkway was being designed / built.

Eric

STB decision coming tomorrow?

They have until Thursday next week is what folks are saying who did the math.

Approved.
They actually made a decision a week early. Shocked they didn't take it down to the wire next week.

https://www.stb.gov/news-communications ... /pr-22-22/

To all those who doubted or didn't want it to to happen, you are "#1" in Old Pat's eyes.

Looks like the entire proposal, including Berkshire and Eastern is approved. Likely starting date for all?

6/1 from what I remember?

30 days from the decision so 5/14.

From what I am reading (first pass) B&E needs to get running in 90 days?