CSX Track Upgrades & Infrastructure of Pan Am

Reusing rail isn't just a Pan Am cost cutting measure. Irving saves all the 100 pound rail they remove which gets reinstalled in customer tracks, passing sidings, or according to the Railfan and Railroad article on Woodland, they are relaying the Woodland Spur and Saint Stephen Sub with rail off the main line despite it being worn out. I have seen CN cannibalize out of service switches in yards to fix main line switches on the DMIR, because they don't have a full switch replacement in the budget. BNSF did the same thing on the former MRL property, by removing a bunch of tracks and switches at a former customer in East Helena. That material was then reused on the 10th sub main line, and most of the rail on that subdivision is stick rail which was rolled in the 40's which was relayed out there about 10 years ago by MRL.

The issue from what I have heard on Pan Am is there are a lot of the same rail sizes out there, but the supply of certain manufacturers is running low, which some of those manufacturers have an oddly shaped rail profile. I know when the derailment at Etna happened, they had a hard time finding rail which would match what was there already. They ended up ripping out part of a yard track at Bucksport to reopen the main line. The rest of that track CSX removed to fix various broken rails at Rigby since that rail matched what was at Rigby. Its not really surprising that Pan Am scavenged as hard as they did.

One point to keep in mind - independent of the quality of the steel, for many of the lighter rail weights (85, 90, 100), there really isn't a "standard" profile. Looking at a listing of rail sizes available as relay rail from L.B. Foster, there are almost two dozen different combinations of height, base, head width, and web thickness for 85-lb rail alone, a dozen-and-a-half versions of 90-lb rail, and over a dozen versions of 100-lb rail. Even in the heavier weights there are at least a few different versions.

Enjoy my ignorance, but I always wondered if it was possible to simply switch rails from one side to the other since it's usually the inner side of the rail that gets the wear. Seems like a way to double the life of rail but I must be missing something.

Rail train with 5933/ 7643 arrived Dover at 16:00 on the passing siding. Track crew was waiting for them and shortly after they started unloading rail for the passing track. I left after they pulled the first string. Not sure if they will tie down in Dover there or head to Rigby.

Another point about parts supply not mentioned is in this current climate of "just in time delivery" there just aren't supply houses full of parts sitting around that aren't already spoken for. Most of this material, and construction supplies in general, have to be ordered from suppliers months in advance. On a job I was on a while back, one of the engineers told be even basic stuff like electrical conduit and cable tray had to be ordered a year in advance for a job a any size. When you are forced to deal with archaic and/or obsolete material some form of salvage is the only option because new replacement material just isn't available on short notice. Things like frogs for switches and diamonds are often special order to compound the misery.

Yes #2 main, train was still there this moring at 9:30 also.

It was common on stick rail to swap inside rail for outside rail on main line curves.Relay welded rail, they cut ends off, bolt holes and bad spots, and weld it together . There used to be a private company that would set up on property of railroad ,and weld the rail on site in the yard. When they change out welded rail on mainline tracks they reuse it on branch lines and yards.I was very surprised when they used new 136 lb welded .rail on fitchburg secondary.There still is some very poor rail south of route 20 in NORTHBORO,RAIL IS ON THE GROUND.

S1f3432 wrote: ↑Fri Apr 05, 2024 6:37 pm Another point about parts supply not mentioned is in this current climate of "just in time delivery" there just aren't supply houses full of parts sitting around that aren't already spoken for. Most of this material, and construction supplies in general, have to be ordered from suppliers months in advance. On a job I was on a while back, one of the engineers told be even basic stuff like electrical conduit and cable tray had to be ordered a year in advance for a job a any size. When you are forced to deal with archaic and/or obsolete material some form of salvage is the only option because new replacement material just isn't available on short notice. Things like frogs for switches and diamonds are often special order to compound the misery.

I believe this is also why CSX has been saving a good deal of the 85 pound rail and components from the main line. Downeast Scenic got a few truckloads of tie plates, but CSX didn't want to give too many up.

copcars wrote: ↑Sat Apr 06, 2024 7:24 pm There used to be a private company that would set up on property of railroad ,and weld the rail on site in the yard.

The company you are thinking of is Holland LP. They welded a bunch of 100 pound stick into CWR on the Moosehead the summer of 2020. Then after paying them to do all that work, they redid that whole section with relay CWR and cut up the 100 pound stuff for scrap.

For those in the Haverhill-Andover area, MassDOT is having an in-person public information meeting to present the current status of the I-495 Andover-Lawrence Bridge Replacement Project. I asked if this will involve the ramps / bridges that are too low to the CSX tracks to allow double-stacks to pass through, but the spokesman wasn't sure. Anyone interested might want to go. April 23 in Andover (there was one last night in Lawrence but I didn't think to post it here in time).

Welded rail has been laid on the #2 track between Congress and Rigby East, as well as in the curve at the Wye on the number one. Ocean Park to Surf #2 track has also had new welded laid. Lots of materials and trucks have gathered at various spots on the Wells double project, with a ton of equipment at Willy Hill Rd (Dump Crossing). Looks like a lot of work is about to kick off across the Portland Sub.