Beacon Line Maintenance / Current Status / Background

Yes Dutch, Route 311 bridge was raised about a foot but the rail was never raised because the rail was cut on both sides of the bridge and dragged to the north side of the bridge. I was standing on top of both bridges at 311 and Route 164 last week. Route 311 only has the ties down, no rail and Route 164 has the rail in place but they raised it several inches and there are breaks in the rails on both sides. However, like you said the line is OOS. I was just earlier remarking on how MTA can't even do a check of the line in a hi-rail vehicle due to the breaks in the rail and how I thought it was abnormal to see them dump even alittle money into the line in the Brewster area for weed spraying and tree pruning. But as pnaw10 wrote, maybe they had some money in the budget for it, or maybe they're just doing the minimal incase you have to do another emergency move from Danbury to Brewster. I'm not one of these people that's waiting to see a revenue run, either passenger or freight going past. I'm just an observer passing along what I observe.....

DutchRailnut wrote:Last time during emergency move the track was so bad, I never want to operate on it again.
as for plans, I have not heard anything.

You mean yee old jointed rail isn't fun to ride on anymore? Is their an RTC that governs the Beacon Line? (ex: District F still governs the Waterbury Branch despite it being manual block/dark track)

AMK0123 wrote:Yes Dutch, Route 311 bridge was raised about a foot but the rail was never raised because the rail was cut on both sides of the bridge and dragged to the north side of the bridge. I was standing on top of both bridges at 311 and Route 164 last week. Route 311 only has the ties down, no rail and Route 164 has the rail in place but they raised it several inches and there are breaks in the rails on both sides. However, like you said the line is OOS. I was just earlier remarking on how MTA can't even do a check of the line in a hi-rail vehicle due to the breaks in the rail and how I thought it was abnormal to see them dump even alittle money into the line in the Brewster area for weed spraying and tree pruning. But as pnaw10 wrote, maybe they had some money in the budget for it, or maybe they're just doing the minimal incase you have to do another emergency move from Danbury to Brewster. I'm not one of these people that's waiting to see a revenue run, either passenger or freight going past. I'm just an observer passing along what I observe.....

If it's like most "active" but unused or temporarily OOS lines there's got to be some barest minimal intervals of MOW work every x years. If only weed control and whatnot. Even lines that have formally flipped to the intermediate railbanked status have an obligation of enough basic structural maintenance to maintain status as a rail corridor reactivateable on short notice. CDOT has a regular weed-control detail every couple years on the railbanked portion of the Valley Line, which is likewise outright severed at one former crossing but otherwise still accessible by hi-rail.


I can't see why the MTA would ever need to use the Dykemans-Beacon stretch even for an emergency move. It's a rather ridiculous 33 miles and there are too many other ways to do it. No harm in flipping that to formal-railbanked. Dykemans-Danbury still has utility in a pinch, and proved its worth there a couple years ago. They programmed money for Croton Creek bridge rehab, right?

I wonder if the next time the Beacon gets a "use it or lose it" award of pocket change they'd consider reinstating the old Southeast wye across North Main, or some modified facsimile thereof. It lets them abandon 4 redundant miles to Dykemans, 3 grade crossings, and however many culverts. And shortens the route between the Harlem and Danbury by 25%. That's worth a little something in a "use it or lose it" scenario for reducing their their maintenance burden on the part they do seem intent to keep active.

again the Beacon line was bought for two things:
1] Rail banking cause the right of way once sold would never come back.
2] Fiber optic right of way to tie all 3 signal systems together as fall back during cable outages.

in no 2 only part missing is Dykemans to Danbury, to be completed once Danbury signal project is finished.

as for who controls Beacon line, answer is District B (upper Harlem)RTC.

DutchRailnut wrote:

RearOfSignal wrote:

AMK0123 wrote: It just seems like a lot of money for a line that's OOS...

It's not OOS, it's just not used. Sort of like track 3 at Beacon or track 4 at Peekskill.

The Beacon line is OOS, by M form to MofW, and can not be used, also the bridge at 311 was raised by foot or more but rail was not.

I swear, I absolutely knew you were going to post exactly that. OOS technically yes, but even M forms can be cancelled. It's not like it's gone the way of the Put just yet.

OOS and abandoned are two entirely different things, for anything but track equipment to move on Beacon line a lot needs to be done.
including hi-railing before each move as its no longer done on weekly basis.

The only thing you'll see on the Beacon Line is dirt bikes and weeds!!

Realistically, How Much will it cost to reactivate the Maybrook line to 59 MPH-79 MPH etc or at least a shuttle for now Brewster to Newtown? Traffic on I-84 seems to be getting worse everyday compared to past years from the NY border to exit 11 where Maybrook line Heads south.

never gone happen, HRRC just won't let passenger service on their property, not by MN or CDOT anyway.
And even if you made it 59 mph with all crossings and switchback to southeast it would take 45 min for 10 miles.
Currently there is bus service, so take the bus , Gus

Dutch, some days the traffic is so bad this summer It is taking 2 hours by car or bus Brewster to Southbury getting across the bridge. I work in the area to know and hear horror stories from co-workers. I am afraid how bad its going to be in September with I-84 closed due to a bridge replacement. Traffic was never this bad before in the Danbury area. Normal travel times take 10-20 min but goodluck trying to achive that between 7am and 7pm now and not monday thru Friday but 7 days a week. Just in the past few weeks I know many travelers complain that the rest area in Danbury does not have options for food because they do not take I-95 anymore due to Traffic, now multiply that by many more finding I-84 as an alternate route to I-95 we have a big problem in 5-10 years with no travel alternatives up here. CT can build a useless busway for 500 millon but cant find the funds for the little things that would benefit the state more?

Unless CDOT bought entire HHRC it will never happen, as they own from Danbury to Stateline, so get use to it, and stop fantasizing,
I travel I-84 everyday and other than construction just west of stateline its nothing more than few minute delay.
Now lets get of Interstate, and stick to railroads.

theozno wrote:I am afraid how bad its going to be in September with I-84 closed due to a bridge replacement.

I have to ask this for my own education since I no longer live in Danbury: What bridge replacement?

In October two viaducts will be moved into place just past last Connecticut exit. the bridges are already build and will be slid in place over course of two nights.

As much as I would love to ride it, the line that snaked up and down and around the old hat factories would require so much capital investment to make good that the cost per rider mile would be frightening, and I can't see how you'd ever get average service upwards of 30 mph anyway.

Consider this kind of project as if you were a private investor. If you personally bought that line, rehabilitated it to a trolly-like service, got the right permits and insurance, built the stations/platforms, upgraded the crossings and signals, bought the engines, paid the insurance, paid the employees, etc., how many hundreds of millions of dollars would you be willing to lose? CDOT and MNCR need to think like that too, because we all pay for it.

Think of this way, How many hundreds of millions are we loosing on a busway to nowhere?
Dutch, 2 nights but 1 day as well... for each direction