CSX Acquisition of Pan Am Railways

I don't know the best place to post this but comments about the scrapyard in Everett has been posted here before. I saw a video on the scrapping of some MBTA Single Level cars at the Coke Works facility, which also said that rumors abound claiming it's the last scrap move to Everett. Can anyone confirm or deny this rumor?

newpylong wrote: ↑Thu Jun 06, 2024 8:22 pm Keolis received a letter from CSX this week requesting 60 MPH and 12,000 foot train capacity on all MBTA trackage. Read, PTC changes required.

They want to run 60 from LJ to Rigby because the track is already good for it. Their ultimate goal is single crew between Selkirk to Rigby. Seems crazy especially with the aforementioned P&W slowdown.

Where would they even be able to get up to that speed within MBTA territory? By the time you clear LJ with a train of any decent size, you're already up to the curves in the Lawrence area, then you get to more curves (and the bridge) around Haverhill - maybe you might be able to get up to 60 and hold it with a freight by the time you get to the state line, but I doubt it.

The only freights they run at those kind of speeds, even on their own trackage are intermodals. Maybe they're getting serious about running stacks out of Rigby or Waterville?

jamoldover wrote: ↑Fri Jun 07, 2024 7:45 am The only freights they run at those kind of speeds, even on their own trackage are intermodals. Maybe they're getting serious about running stacks out of Rigby or Waterville?

CSX runs all their freights at 60 mph on the S line down here in Florida. You can easily pace them on route 301 at 60 mph. They only slow down to 50 mph when they pass through Wildwood Yard.

jamoldover wrote: ↑Fri Jun 07, 2024 7:45 am Where would they even be able to get up to that speed within MBTA territory? By the time you clear LJ with a train of any decent size, you're already up to the curves in the Lawrence area, then you get to more curves (and the bridge) around Haverhill - maybe you might be able to get up to 60 and hold it with a freight by the time you get to the state line, but I doubt it.

The only freights they run at those kind of speeds, even on their own trackage are intermodals. Maybe they're getting serious about running stacks out of Rigby or Waterville?

Who knows - just relaying what I was told and subsequently shown. PTC changes alone to support this type of operation are not going to happen overnight, so they obviously have future ambitions. Also CSX can ask all they want, unknown if MassDOT will accommodate.

They could get up to this speed, or at least 50 on the Portland Sub in the interim with existing CTC. There are several lines that CSX moves general freight at 60 MPH on further south.

newpylong wrote: ↑Thu Jun 06, 2024 8:22 pm Keolis received a letter from CSX this week requesting 60 MPH and 12,000 foot train capacity on all MBTA trackage. Read, PTC changes required.

They want to run 60 from LJ to Rigby because the track is already good for it. Their ultimate goal is single crew between Selkirk to Rigby. Seems crazy especially with the aforementioned P&W slowdown.

maybe they have, or are coming up with, a plan to fix the p&w situation too. As you said, the move to 60 in mbta territory will take time if it happens at all. As for 1 crew selkirk-Rigby, I recall reading that in the B&M days trains routinely ran with a single crew Rigby-Mechanicville. So the distance is doable if the track speeds are right and the other delays are minimized. csx also doesn't control how quickly their traffic moves harvard to willows so that will be another factor that didn't exist back in the b&m time.

What is the MAS across NY on the water level route? I would think it is 60, but maybe not. That's got heavy rail, minimal grades and not too many curves.

There are lots of videos on YouTube of 60 mph CSX trains running through upper New York State on the water level route.

Hours of service were 16 hours not 12 when they ran Mechanicville to Rigby keep in mind. I worked with plenty of old timers who always had stories about it. We ran Mohawk to Ayer in 12 and thought it was a big deal.

Last I knew the Water Level was 79/60/50.

very good point about the change in hours of service versus the past. 12 does make it much more challenging.

Doing some rough math here - trying to figure out the total distance from Selkirk to Rigby, to derive an average train speed required to do it in 12 hours.

Someone will be able to come up with more precise figures, but I'm coming to just over 300 miles, which is 25 mph required average speed. That strikes me as doable? Esp if you're able to move at 60 MPH for portions of the distance.

Selkirk Branch is 10 miles (this is a guess...) + B&A is 147 miles (CP 192 to CP 45) + Worcester Sub is 30 miles + GRS Freight Main is 123 miles (CPF 315 to CPF 199) = 303 miles total. (I am sure that multiple of these mileages is off by a bit, but I believe the total of just about 300 is probably about right.)

I can't fault CSX for being insufficiently ambitious!

Anyone know the length of the crew territories on the River Line?

I'd love to hear their long-term trip plan for the Portland-Keag portion of the route.

Maybe a small point in the grand scheme of things, but is CSX following the PAR tradition of a posting a 25mph speed restriction through Old Orchard Beach in the summer months? I assume CSX wants to minimize those localized speed restrictions as much as possible.

Goddraug wrote: ↑Thu Jun 06, 2024 8:57 pm I don't know the best place to post this but comments about the scrapyard in Everett has been posted here before. I saw a video on the scrapping of some MBTA Single Level cars at the Coke Works facility, which also said that rumors abound claiming it's the last scrap move to Everett. Can anyone confirm or deny this rumor?

I hope not especially since the State of Massachusetts just awarded CSX half a million dollars to upgrade the line:

CSX: A $499,000 grant will support the Everett Coke Works Rehabilitation Project, which MassDOT said “will aid the continued use of freight rail service to shippers in Everett and increase both the reliability and volume of freight rail shipments, eliminating 1,350 truck trips annually.”

https://www.railwayage.com/regulatory/m ... ss-grants/

It would be great if CSX tries to rebuild reefer traffic to the New England Produce Center or what is left of it.

Cosakita18 wrote: ↑Fri Jun 07, 2024 10:31 am Maybe a small point in the grand scheme of things, but is CSX following the PAR tradition of a posting a 25mph speed restriction through Old Orchard Beach in the summer months? I assume CSX wants to minimize those localized speed restrictions as much as possible.

Every indication shows that the seasonal OOB speed restriction (it was in the timetable) has been removed.

bostontrainguy wrote: ↑Fri Jun 07, 2024 11:28 am
It would be great if CSX tries to rebuild reefer traffic to the New England Produce Center or what is left of it.

That would be difficult considering half of the complex has been razed and is now the Amazon distro center. The traffic isn't completely dead - CSX is moving cars into there, but certainly way down from when they were running over the Grand Junction however many years ago.

What is the P&W slowdown? I've looked back several pages and searched, and can't find anything on it.

Basically the issue is with csx trains getting timely permission from PW dispatch in vt to use PW track from the B&a connection by worc union station up to the split with the gardner branch where csx ownership resumes. This causes delays. Plus that section of track is slow- restricted speed