Rigby DOES seem to have far less cars/power.

Swung by Rigby Sat. AM, and there were fewer cars than I have ever seen. Only 2 units on the ready track, and saw no switcher(s) working,but didn't check the west end. Maybe the old yard is "winding down"?

As far as a "replacement" for yard tracks to serve those consignees in the Greater Portland area, and the small amount of interchange traffic with the Maine Eastern at Brunswick, it would seem that Bishop Street Yard, part of the old W.N.&P., at Deering Jct. could suffice. Several consignees are at Deering Jct., and the Wells,Biddeford, Saco cars could be handled by the Portsmouth Switcher(which has worked that far "east" in the past.)

Traffic is about gone on the Cumberland Mills Running track, and Deering Jct. is less than 5 miles from Sprague's facilities.

What will become of Rigby?? Who knows! Interesting that Guilford was told to demolish the roundhouse by City of S. Portland a few years ago-and it still stands. For a firm that hates to pay taxes, they have kept unused PT Tower also!

As far as Rigby and "pollution"-far less there than old Yard 7 by I -295, in Portlands "Bayside" area. I have a 1993 study of pollution in Portland, and this area has had its share of companies polluting the soil long before the old Portland & Rochester.
New buildings are going up there right and left-as this is the "preffered area" of Portland's "power brokers" and the elite--- pollution and all(yeah I know, its been "cleaned up"!!! Read that report of what was processed there, as early as the 1840's-and ya gotta wonder??

Love to see a TRUE drag strip(1/4 mile) built at Rigby site!! But NIMBYS would probably insist on no open exhausts or squealing tires!

Bud

wolfmom69 wrote:Swung by Rigby Sat. AM, and there were fewer cars than I have ever seen. Only 2 units on the ready track, and saw no switcher(s) working,but didn't check the west end. Maybe the old yard is "winding down"?

As far as a "replacement" for yard tracks to serve those consignees in the Greater Portland area, and the small amount of interchange traffic with the Maine Eastern at Brunswick, it would seem that Bishop Street Yard, part of the old W.N.&P., at Deering Jct. could suffice. Several consignees are at Deering Jct., and the Wells,Biddeford, Saco cars could be handled by the Portsmouth Switcher(which has worked that far "east" in the past.)

Traffic is about gone on the Cumberland Mills Running track, and Deering Jct. is less than 5 miles from Sprague's facilities.

What will become of Rigby?? Who knows! Interesting that Guilford was told to demolish the roundhouse by City of S. Portland a few years ago-and it still stands. For a firm that hates to pay taxes, they have kept unused PT Tower also!

As far as Rigby and "pollution"-far less there than old Yard 7 by I -295, in Portlands "Bayside" area. I have a 1993 study of pollution in Portland, and this area has had its share of companies polluting the soil long before the old Portland & Rochester.
New buildings are going up there right and left-as this is the "preffered area" of Portland's "power brokers" and the elite--- pollution and all(yeah I know, its been "cleaned up"!!! Read that report of what was processed there, as early as the 1840's-and ya gotta wonder??

Love to see a TRUE drag strip(1/4 mile) built at Rigby site!! But NIMBYS would probably insist on no open exhausts or squealing tires!

Bud

Wow...so it really seems to be happening. Well no one ever thought Mechanicville, with it's two engine facilities and retarder hump yard, would ever disappear, but it did, entirely. Now maybe Rigby's headed to oblivion.
I didn't know the Cumberland Mills R.T. was dead. No more business at Sappi?
A drag strip would be entertaining there for Downeaster riders. The dragsters could race the train. Boy those nimbys spoil everything though.

wolfmom69 wrote:Swung by Rigby Sat. AM, and there were fewer cars than I have ever seen. Only 2 units on the ready track, and saw no switcher(s) working,but didn't check the west end. Maybe the old yard is "winding down"?

As far as a "replacement" for yard tracks to serve those consignees in the Greater Portland area, and the small amount of interchange traffic with the Maine Eastern at Brunswick, it would seem that Bishop Street Yard, part of the old W.N.&P., at Deering Jct. could suffice. Several consignees are at Deering Jct., and the Wells,Biddeford, Saco cars could be handled by the Portsmouth Switcher(which has worked that far "east" in the past.)

Traffic is about gone on the Cumberland Mills Running track, and Deering Jct. is less than 5 miles from Sprague's facilities.

What will become of Rigby?? Who knows! Interesting that Guilford was told to demolish the roundhouse by City of S. Portland a few years ago-and it still stands. For a firm that hates to pay taxes, they have kept unused PT Tower also!

As far as Rigby and "pollution"-far less there than old Yard 7 by I -295, in Portlands "Bayside" area. I have a 1993 study of pollution in Portland, and this area has had its share of companies polluting the soil long before the old Portland & Rochester.
New buildings are going up there right and left-as this is the "preffered area" of Portland's "power brokers" and the elite--- pollution and all(yeah I know, its been "cleaned up"!!! Read that report of what was processed there, as early as the 1840's-and ya gotta wonder??

Love to see a TRUE drag strip(1/4 mile) built at Rigby site!! But NIMBYS would probably insist on no open exhausts or squealing tires!

Bud

Not to antagonize -I just haven't been paying attention to whats been going on over there- but, considering the power shortage, is it any wonder there were only two units there? As for the roundhouse and tower, it costs money to tear down a building, factoring in hazmat concerns, debris removal etc, its cheaper to ignore the order to tear it down and pay the fine.
If Rigby does close, where will they store the cars that just seem to sit and get only seasonal use?

There always seems to be room in Lawrence for storing cars. The yard is deader than a doornail. I'd guess any PAR yard would also be able to accomodate seasonal cars.

Check out these photos:

http://mikeroque.com/photos/v/recent/20 ... _portland/

http://railroad.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=40485

Courtesy of our Railroad.net staff, I must say Rigby looks quite sickly... I will be in Maine in a week, I will have to check it out...

I hope NS can seal the deal soon......

- BWP

Not sure if it has anything to do with Rigby, but they ran a POED last night.

Brooks; swung buy Rigby around noon today, and viewed it first from the West end, from the Pleasant Hill Rd. overpass. Very barren!! No yard switchers working!

From the East(parking lot), 2 units on ready track(trk. 217?) and an eastbound train with 2 units, idiling in yard. Could be EDNM, as that train gets out of Rigby(theoretically!) in late AM, early PM.

Went out to Cumberland Mills last week, and "0" cars at SAPPI: both on the "B&M side"(old W.N.&P) and the Bridge St. yard, off the MEC Mt.Division. B&M side has been used very infrequently over last 2-3 decades, and just for the very "rare" box load of paper shipped out.

Yet Sappi's Hinckley mill is a major rail user. Asked one of my student's dad, who was an exec. at SAPPI in Westbrook,( before he got smart and baled out!) and he said that the type of paper made in Westbrook, is used within trucking distance, and customers for it want it "NOW! (the "J.I.T." plan of businesses to keep inventory/warehousing down). Looks like Dead River Propane, off Larrabee Drive, in Westbrook, by Blue Rock, has been the only steady customer.

Hard to believe, that before it closed(and was levelled for a super market) that Southern Container, got more cars a year, many more, than SAPPI.

At Deering Jct., only Blue Lynx at the "end" of the W.N.&P, and Fore River Warehouse are steady customers.

Guilford "action" continues to be sporadic, and may be due to several factors WEST of Rigby, such as track work, and crew availabilty. Thursday, I caught 3 Guilford trains in the Danville area, betweem 10 am and 1 pm-and there is a "Yardmaster" working for GRS at Danville. No doubt, he has another "title" in GRS lingo, but he comminicates with SLR crews also.

Yet Friday, I only caught EDNM, crawling from Lewiston,through Greene, into a totally desolate Leeds Jct. 10 mph, for 4 units, and 70 cars, mostly empty boxes(and most YKRs with a SAPPI decal). But on Thursday, a single unit(a badly smoking #209) WAED tied up at Rumford Jct. West,and the DJ-1 crew went from Danville to get 5 "hot cars" from that train to hand over to the SLR crew(513) for inclusion in Thursday's 393!

Yup, the "fun part" of Guilford(still won't use PanAm name in respect to the "stewardesses" from that airline(and others) when I used to "collect stewardesses" in my single days in the 1960's!) is its lack of "routine"(unless you are a freight customer!)

Hope you have a good trip "up Heeyah", Brooks, and that weather is great, and the "local railroads" put on a show for you!

Bud

wolfmom69 wrote:Brooks; swung buy Rigby around noon today, and viewed it first from the West end, from the Pleasant Hill Rd. overpass. Very barren!! No yard switchers working!

From the East(parking lot), 2 units on ready track(trk. 217?) and an eastbound train with 2 units, idiling in yard. Could be EDNM, as that train gets out of Rigby(theoretically!) in late AM, early PM.

Went out to Cumberland Mills last week, and "0" cars at SAPPI: both on the "B&M side"(old W.N.&P) and the Bridge St. yard, off the MEC Mt.Division. B&M side has been used very infrequently over last 2-3 decades, and just for the very "rare" box load of paper shipped out.

Yet Sappi's Hinckley mill is a major rail user. Asked one of my student's dad, who was an exec. at SAPPI in Westbrook,( before he got smart and baled out!) and he said that the type of paper made in Westbrook, is used within trucking distance, and customers for it want it "NOW! (the "J.I.T." plan of businesses to keep inventory/warehousing down). Looks like Dead River Propane, off Larrabee Drive, in Westbrook, by Blue Rock, has been the only steady customer.

Hard to believe, that before it closed(and was levelled for a super market) that Southern Container, got more cars a year, many more, than SAPPI.

At Deering Jct., only Blue Lynx at the "end" of the W.N.&P, and Fore River Warehouse are steady customers.

Guilford "action" continues to be sporadic, and may be due to several factors WEST of Rigby, such as track work, and crew availabilty. Thursday, I caught 3 Guilford trains in the Danville area, betweem 10 am and 1 pm-and there is a "Yardmaster" working for GRS at Danville. No doubt, he has another "title" in GRS lingo, but he comminicates with SLR crews also.

Yet Friday, I only caught EDNM, crawling from Lewiston,through Greene, into a totally desolate Leeds Jct. 10 mph, for 4 units, and 70 cars, mostly empty boxes(and most YKRs with a SAPPI decal). But on Thursday, a single unit(a badly smoking #209) WAED tied up at Rumford Jct. West,and the DJ-1 crew went from Danville to get 5 "hot cars" from that train to hand over to the SLR crew(513) for inclusion in Thursday's 393!

Yup, the "fun part" of Guilford(still won't use PanAm name in respect to the "stewardesses" from that airline(and others) when I used to "collect stewardesses" in my single days in the 1960's!) is its lack of "routine"(unless you are a freight customer!)

Hope you have a good trip "up Heeyah", Brooks, and that weather is great, and the "local railroads" put on a show for you!

Bud

Looks like Danville is taking Rigby's place then. Obviously they (ST) are giving top priority to the interchange with SLR.
Southern Container relocated to Ayer, Mass. at the Devens Industrial Park. They have a mammoth warehouse there. Last I knew they were still a railroad customer, with dedicated truck service lanes provided by Schneider.

Trip to Rigby this AM showed two 3 unit sets there, and the #349 was working as "Switcher #4". East end and middle of yard seemed to have more cars than a few days ago. Quite a few employee vehicles in the parking lot, and MOW activity/trucks. Some MOW crews working at Walton and at Riverside Streets as I chased the #349 out as far as Falmouth.

Switcher 4 headed with some empty coal hoppers(captive service between the Sprague facility at east end of Fore River Bridge, and
paper mill at Rumford), set these out, then headed east for CPF 185(Royal Jct.) and a trip up the "Lower Road", now called the Brunswick Running Track, with 5 empty cement covered hoppers(4 CN and 1 Dragon), to turnover to the Maine Eastern. According to dispatcher, there were no cars listed to be picked up at Brunswick(and no chatter on the Maine Eastern channels), so rather than "chase" the train(10 mph on the Brunswick Runner-and STOP and PROTECT ALL crossings on the 14 miles of track), I headed home to do some grass/brush cutting.

Bud

Hey what time were you in Rigby? I was at Rigby at about 1 PM. There were no units idling on any tracks. There was a monster EDWA with 6 units (I've got pictures!) and the 307 was switching the yard. Lots of MOW Ballast cars. I'm assuming they're for the Downeaster upgrades? Drove over the tracks by Scarborough and noticed brand new ties and track already laid. Pictures will be on NEPhotos very soon. Saw 10 trains today in Maine!

I stopped by Rigby early this afternoon and it did look somewhat more "normal." Lots of cars, decent amount of power... nothing moving, though. Also saw a BRAND NEW hi-rail truck, with no markings whatsoever. Waiting for the Pan Am decals to come in?

So you, wolf and I were all in Rigby? Probably all at the same time

I think it was around noon-ish when I was there. We must have just missed each other! Jeeze, we ought to have a Rigby Railfan Gathering or something!

those "unmarked" hi-rail trucks belong to Danella, the contractor assisting ST crews with the DownEaster track upgrades.

http://www.danella.com


oops, I take that back. Looks like they're renting/leasing the trucks. Not surprised though, as a lot of the ST trucks are old and dying.

GRSGuy wrote:those "unmarked" hi-rail trucks belong to Danella, the contractor assisting ST crews with the DownEaster track upgrades.
http://www.danella.com
oops, I take that back. Looks like they're renting/leasing the trucks. Not surprised though, as a lot of the ST trucks are old and dying.

I see. Thanks for the info. I'm surprised they'd actually lease or rent anything... usually they prefer to go junkyard diving.