CSX Acquisition of Pan Am Railways

copcars wrote: ↑Tue Aug 22, 2023 7:26 pm NS will probably save 3 to 4 hours running time via Worcester instead of through Greenfield.Once there is clearance for double stack trains ,there will be a huge money saving and even single stack should be much more efficient

And no time-consuming mainline-obstructing backing into the yard.

I never understood why they backed down east wye when they could take a straight shot down west wye

Excluding how the move effects the T time wise there is no real difference backing down, making a cut, pulling ahead then shoving back again vs pulling down, making a cut, pulling ahead then shoving back again.

It's just the way it's always been done. East Eye is interlocked and the air plant is on the north end of the IM ramp. They'll have to put one on the other end now. Now that Camp is interlocked they could pull in there but that track sucks, so they stick with the East Wye because it's a solid 10.

newpylong wrote: ↑Wed Aug 23, 2023 12:42 pm Excluding how the move effects the T time wise there is no real difference backing down, making a cut, pulling ahead then shoving back again vs pulling down, making a cut, pulling ahead then shoving back again.

You can correct me but it seems to me that backing in requires 4 separate stops and pulling in would require 3, no?

Backing in:
stop 1
reverse (move 1)
stop 2
cut
pull forward (move 2)
stop 3
reverse (move 3)
stop 4

Pulling in:
stop 1
cut
pull forward (move 1)
stop 2
reverse (move 2)
stop 3

That's a 25% reduction in stops. Am I thinking right here?

When they leave Ayer to head west, do they head out west wye? I recall yes

bostontrainguy wrote: ↑Wed Aug 23, 2023 1:26 pm

newpylong wrote: ↑Wed Aug 23, 2023 12:42 pm Excluding how the move effects the T time wise there is no real difference backing down, making a cut, pulling ahead then shoving back again vs pulling down, making a cut, pulling ahead then shoving back again.

You can correct me but it seems to me that backing in requires 4 separate stops and pulling in would require 3, no?

Backing in:
stop 1
reverse (move 1)
stop 2
cut
pull forward (move 2)
stop 3
reverse (move 3)
stop 4

Pulling in:
stop 1
cut
pull forward (move 1)
stop 2
reverse (move 2)
stop 3

That's a 25% reduction in stops. Am I thinking right here?

Sounds right. That's why I said no real difference as that is negligible especially when you add in all the hand throws at Moore's or the restricted speed on the Camp track if they come in out there.

The only way it becomes a quicker move is if Moore's becomes powered and they come in there.

Camp track is where they had the parked train cars topple over down the embankment (zero mph derailment). Maybe they fixed that track/embankment?

The entire track is in poor condition not just where they went in the dirt.

I'm guessing that once the NS IM trains start using CSX trackage rights to get to Hill Yard in 2024, the eb train will have to pull north through the Hill Yard IM pad and use some head room on the east (or west) wye to make its cuts / drops. But unless there's a large block of racks for Sanvel head out, yarding shouldn't have to block Groton-Harvard Rd crossing for 15-20 plus minutes as 264 and 22K before have done. I remember seeing a school bus full of kids heading north on G-H Rd stuck for a good half hour at the crossing one morning with no place to turn around to find an alternate route.

Yep. Ideally the Camp would be improved and used for headroom because it wouldn't foul the main. However the B&E may want to use the East Wye for headroom with a reconfigured throat so they can also make moves towards the West out of the class yard simultaneously.

How will they fund capital improvements on PAS? Obviously CSX is trying to avoid spending before the takeover...

Both owners need to approve and contribute.

Which presumably will continue to be the case after B&E is the operator since B&E is not the owner

Yes.

Unless G&w put something in the contract requiring the owners to fund up maintenance, B&E will have trouble operating in the typical G&w fashion of having well maintained track