Pan Am Coal Trains

I caught an NS-powered coal train passing through Shirley and Ayer Sunday evening. Just wondering where this coal originates.

Thanks!

At one time it came from southwestern Pennsylvania- I think the mine was on the former Monongahela Ry, now
a part of NS. There's a thread here somewhere but I haven't been able to find it.

From 2008, FWIW: http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?ti ... al_Sources I make no comment on the rest of that page. Low sulfur Columbian coal replaced Powder River Basin coal, which accounted for the bright BNSF engines we used to see. PRB had capacity and maintenance issues that lowered output and drove up prices a few years back.

Digging up this old thread, I would like to discuss the future of the Bow plant.
At the present time, there are proposals for a wood chip generating plant in
Berlin and a natural gas generating plant in Groveton. Also, there is the proposed
"Northern Pass" project to bring electricity into NH from Hydro Quebec. it remains
to be seen how all this new electrical capacity might impact the Bow plant.

The Seabrook Station nuclear plant is licensed until 2030, but it has already applied
for an extension to 2050. Also on the nuclear front, Vermont Yankee at Vernon
will be shutting down, so perhaps VT will need power from NH.

Even though PSNH spent $400 million plus five years ago for the Bow pollution
upgrades, Bow seems to be the low plant out during times of lower electricity
use. Part of that could be the price of coal versus the other fuels at a particular
time. I believe PSNH does not have to pay for the coal at Bow until they actually
use it, so they can keep a large stockpile at Bow at no cost. The price of coal
could likely increase substantiatly in light of all the production pollution
issues recently in WV and NC and with no good solutions being evident. The
coal ash spill alone has an early estimate of $70 million for cleanup.

All this being said, I don't think it could be ruled out that Bow might be phased out
over the next few years if all the new proposed sources of power do come to fruition.
While the cement company at Bow is a good customer, it would remain to be seen if
PAR would not want to dump the NH route beyond Merrimack or even the whole NH
route from North Chelmsford, unless the proposed passenger service proposal bears
fruit, with someone else paying for a track rebuild, like the Downeaster in 2000-2001.

The plant isn't going anywhere.

Dick,

I think the key to all of this was in your post. Specifically a) it is used only for peak power and b) they can stockpile coal on site and call for power "as needed". Furthermore the plant also has had major environmental upgrades. The price of coal right now is very low and likely to stay that way for quite some time. All of this being the case that leaves Bow in just about a perfect position to serve as the regions peak power or emergency power facility as needed. In short, I agree with newpylong. It's not going anywhere. In regards to the coal trains they probably will never be as frequent as they once were but they won't go away entirely. I noticed that during the coldest part of this winter I have seen several reports of LCTs moving over the West End.

In addition to the LCT at Wachusett before and after 0630/04-25-2014, there was a PWBO of the lime variety stopped at Burncoat Street the same date, but at 1245. The view was from the bridge, so the lime was obvious. There was a mix of PW and CEFX power, but I wasn't able to get numbers.

Power line-up was CEFX 3164-3173-PW 4006. 62 cars. Made Ayer at 1630 and kept going.

Sitting on the siding in Bow right now.. Three thoroughbreds.
NS 7638 (ES40DC) facing north
NS 9524 (Dash 9-40CW) facing south
NS 7638 (ES40DC) facing south

Does anyone know what's up with the Bow Coal Trains? I haven't seen one in quite awhile.
I was seeing one a week.

Coal is dying my friend.

An 88 car loaded coal train arrived last Thursday or Friday with 4 Ponies of various pedigree. When the mercury takes a nosedive, ye coal trains will come. I think they perform maintenance on the coal plant in September and October when demand for electricity is not as great as the summer or winter months..

There's been some recent discussion over on Train Orders about the first "clean coal" plant in the US. When it goes operational, they will basically microwave the carbon dioxide out of the coal, then burn whats left. Then of course there is the other method, currently in use in Canada, carbon capture where the carbon is cleaned from the exhaust and cycled back into the ground, keeping CO2 out of the air and EPA happy.

Consider the lack of transmission capacity (pipelines) for NG into northern New England and the facts that we are heavily reliant on NG for power, and continue to build more distribution than transmission capacity for NG.

NG is going to skyrocket again this winter, more distribution was built with no new incoming transmission capacity this year. Home heating gets priority over power generation, and so you have Maine PUC's allowance for price hikes. Power Supply rates are going to more than double for commercial users in January, and while its not been decided yet, you can assume standard offer rates for residential accounts will follow in March when the new contract will be set. http://www.maine.gov/tools/whatsnew/ind ... =article08" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; PUC release if you're interested. If the link doesnt work, its the top most article on the PUC's home page.

Anyway, back on point here, given NG's price volatility, especially in Maine, and a couple power plants in the early stages of proving clean coal is possible, the big question will be "Can clean coal be economically viable in northern New England?"

Given fracking's tendency to make tap water flammable, and the coinciding bad press it gets, NYS's refusal to allow fracking of NG in the Marcellus formation, and the long wait time on pipeline capacity into northern New England, coal may be sick, but I don't think the doctors have decided its terminal just yet.

With the success of CBR, railroads have been flirting with the notion of unit LNG trains... the biggest hold up is that an LNG tank car is not available for mass production (only prototypes exist)

Looking a little too deep. This summer was very mild here in NH, Bow has a huge stock pile already.