CSX Track Upgrades & Infrastructure of Pan Am

That's very interesting and am curious as to where it will go? Could it be part of a double tracking of the shared corridor from the Barbers Switch to the double track just South of Garden St? This would allow PW and CSX to each have their own totally separate tracks along that stretch.

There are new track panels in Clinton staged near the old depot. Like the ones near New Bond, they are also for a turnout. This is near the Clinton West switch. In addition, there is a Cat loader with bucket, forks, and a jib. The loader is not familiar to me as it is not one of the usual PAR loaders that I have seen around. There is no railroad or contractor name on it. There are no panels near the Clinton East switch. If they arrive by truck, there isn't a way to get to that end of the siding other than on the ROW.

What about up by mill st crossing? Was a panel dropped there? Maybe Clinton east switch moves further north to make the siding longer and more useful

So if (and it's a big "if") CSX plans to extend the existing 1200 ft long siding south along W Boylston St in Greendale (ie Worcester), it would be almost exactly a mile long (ie, not enough to permit meets between the hypothetical 9,000 ft trains that CSX/NS contemplate in the term sheet. If the turnout at the north end of the existing siding is relocated to just south of the Burncoat St crossing, the extended siding would be about 7,000 feet in length. Unfortunately, I didn't think to go hunting for a pair of turnout track panels between Dunkin' and Burncoat St yesterday.

F74265A wrote: ↑Sun Jul 17, 2022 11:13 pm What about up by mill st crossing? Was a panel dropped there? Maybe Clinton east switch moves further north to make the siding longer and more useful

Nothing at Mill St. Upon closer look near the old depot, there are three sections built and ties/rail stacked on one of the built sections. It looks like enough material for a fourth.

Work was going on at Lawrence St in Lowell today. Looked like something to do with the bridge over Lawrence St. There was also Lowell PD detail there. All the trucks still say Pan Am but the vests and hard hats say CSX.

SpiderHill wrote: ↑Mon Jul 18, 2022 8:43 pm

F74265A wrote: ↑Sun Jul 17, 2022 11:13 pm What about up by mill st crossing? Was a panel dropped there? Maybe Clinton east switch moves further north to make the siding longer and more useful

Nothing at Mill St. Upon closer look near the old depot, there are three sections built and ties/rail stacked on one of the built sections. It looks like enough material for a fourth.

In that case I say the material is probably for the sterling st crossing plus the west switch which I recall is just north of sterling st. Clinton east switch is hard to view from public property so who knows what material is there

Not really related to any CSX investment in Pan Am infrastructure but MBTA will be replacing the aged S Mill St under grade bridge just south of the Merrimack River bridge at Bradford. No date given.

https://www.rtands.com/track-constructi ... aign=33567

The only item I have been able to ascertain so far on the work on the Worcester line, and it's still not confirmed by any means (low confidence) is an extension of the Clinton siding.

Nothing known on New Bond to Burncoat if they put something in there.

Will keep digging.

Interesting if true
I believe that the max length for a siding between sterling st Clinton and mill st Lancaster is probably a little over a mile and we’ll short of 9000 feet.
What would be the benefit of a medium length siding in Clinton? There is no online business for a local

They could get just about 7000 feet of track in there.

Like I said, I have no info on it other than what little I provided.

Understand that you have no reliable info yet.
Was merely asking a rhetorical question as to what the business reason would be for a medium siding since I can’t think of one. But if your low confidence info is true, there must be one!

Worcester main equipment mobilization continues. Clinton siding (west end) has some MOW equipment on it. I could not tell how many or what pieces of equipment in the time that I had. Two rubber tired Cat excavators with high rail gear and a second loader also with high rail gear are now parked near the other loader and track panels. These three new pieces of equipment all are RJ Corman.

More info:

I don't think the panels near the depot are for the crossing, just for the siding switch. The reason I say this is the nearly exact same setup was dropped on the siding behind Hanaford's Supermarket. That is as close as they can get to the existing Clinton east switch. I'm thinking it is unlikely that the siding will be extended. No indication of any brush clearing equipment which definitely would be required plus they would have dropped the other switch materials near the Mill St. crossing. The MOW equipment in the Clinton west end is four pieces of equipment. Here is a picture near the station. The Petibone is out of view of the picture close to one of the Mill buildings.

Is the Worcester main going to remain DCS or will it move over to 261 at some point?
Newpy?

Given the lack of a passing siding and the fact the conrail ran a higher volume of trains up and down the Worcester main in the mid 1990s with the current form D system than is likely today, I doubt things will be changed

Into the mid 80s it was not hard to find remnants of the ABS signal system once in place from Worcester to Ayer.
I doubt it will ever have signals again