Bay Colony Millis Line

johnpbarlow wrote: ↑Tue Jul 02, 2024 5:44 am Per filing with STB, July 11, 2024 is officially the last day of Bay Colony's operation of the 3.4 mile Millis Industrial and 0.1 mile Dover Secondary stub and Mass Coastal will take over at that time. Given the line is lifeless I'm not sure how anyone will know the difference though.
https://dcms-external.s3.amazonaws.com/ ... 308439.pdf

Odd that it wasn't included with initial sale but there must have been a reason for it.
I assume Mass Coastal will be happy to hold onto the operating lease, so long as the potential exist for business growth.

As previously posted, it was a paperwork issue between BCLR/MBTA/MDot that the STB took exception to. If it wasn't, the sale would've gone along as planned.

Does anyone have knowledge to share about BCLR’s retreat from Newton/Needham on the Needham Branch? I’m especially interested in the industrial park around the Coca Cola distribution center and wondering when various customers stopped using rail, especially Coke, the warehouses by Cutler Park, whatever was at the Marshall’s site on Needham Street, and National Lumber at the end of the line (if they ever were a customer. Unclear from OpenRailwayMap).

On another forum, i gathered that the last Newton customers dried up in 2005. There are rrpicturearchive photos from the late 90s on the branch.

If anyone has any info or suggestions on where to look, thatd be awesome!

Zoomed out:

Closer look at Cutler Park spurs

the marshalls site was part of a large complex owned by a paper company i believe. It was all industrial park until the Marshalls site developer somehow got it allowed.

Stopped by today to see the 1701. She's sitting high in the weeds in her nest by the Treatment plant. Noted that a hinged panel is open on the short nose. Hopefully vandals are not the reason, but it should be closed before critters get inside and start chewing up the wiring.

Her wheels must be rust-welded to the rails by now. Need plenty of WD-40 to mover her.

Sad to see another little branch line disappear into the weeds and brush.

Stopped by to visit the 1701 on Saturday (11/2). There is a brush cutter parked next to her. The spur has been cut from the Secondary switch to Union St crossing. Don't know if moving day is close by or a new customer is just around the corner.

Stopped by the 1701 today. 1701 is still in her nest while the brush cutter is gone. All is quiet on the Western spur.

Did you happen to check out any of the other areas of the line? When I visited about a week ago the Millis yard and the rest of the line were littered in orange marking tape. I posted some of the photos from my visit to the line in the Facebook group "The Rails of Mass"

South Coast Rail Videos new update on the Millis line / you may have to log in to view

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9H0Itx ... luZQ%3D%3D