Pan Am Worcester Main Line

A couple of weeks ago I was watching RUPO pull through Danville Junction and noticed
most of the PAR boxcars in the train were around 45 years old and with the FRA 50 year-
old retirement rule I wondered what they would be replaced with. Probably a minor
issue for CSX.

Latest observations, from yesterday, of progress on the Worcester line upgrade; observed that stone was dropped from somewhere to the east of Rt 117 xing thru to somewhere west of Clinton. Stone was being plowed by a track machine in the area of the Clinton siding.

Johnhenry thanks again for your updates. On 11/9 you posted a picture of what appeared to be a track machine under cutting and cleaning ballast on the Worcester mainline. Do you know if they undercut and cleaned where the CWR was installed or was it just spot cleaning? I believe there was a bridge that needed to be undercut for NS double stack on the line.

They dug out ballast along the ends of the ties, sifted it, and poured the dirty stuff into piles a few feet from the rails. They did this for the entire new welded rail section that starts at New Bond St and goes to the east end of the Clinton siding. I'm not sure if they did this operation east of there. They have dropped new stone in an westward direction to a little past Prescott st. I expect there will be another stone train soon to drop all the way to New Bond.
They have not, to my knowledge, done any undercutting, IE lowering of the track.

From the looks of it, in the last few days stone has been dropped and plowed across the Wach Res causeway and through West Boylston. Not sure but probably all the way to Greendale in Worcester.

I heard some chatter about a work train this morning, but I was in another room and didn't hear any more. I've been keeping my eye out for another stone train soon. The bad weather has certainly been holding off for the to continue working. I saw a CSX truck with a small crane working at the Burncoat Street crossing. They have a lot to pick up along the way including a huge pile of track plates at New Bond.

Yesterday (Thur) just after 10am, I observed 427 coming over the Rt 12 UGB in West Boylston doing well over 10mph (my guess would be 20-25). Easy to tell after so many years at 10.

Yes sir...last Saturday (12/31) was the first day of 25 from Clinton west to Burncoat. It's good to see!

I'm surprised no one posted about this, a grain train came up the Worcester main with 2 CSX and one BNSF engine on the head end and 2 DPU units on the rear, a KCS unit and a CSX unit. Is the first use of DPU's on former Pan Am?

Video by the omnipresent "Birch Hill Subaru Guy" on You Tube. Lead engines at beginning of video, DPU's at about 12:50.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNErla4dXmw

I left his audience when he started getting obnoxiously political and then got downright nasty to anyone of his followers who got offended or requested he refrain from such totally unnecessary rhetoric.

The frequent statements of "another unfriendly Pan Am train crew" surely isn't helping railfan/train crew relations. Pretty soon they'll be giving him the universal "your number one" hand signal.

Commentary aside- to each their own on that - I like his video content so I can see what’s moving. Appears to be heavy traffic on PAS and more mixed traffic on Worcester main. He’s got a new video now of a welded rail train on the B&A heading for transit of the Worcester main.

On the topic of grain trains on the Worcester main, will they stay after B&E? The milling is, I think, a PAS customer

Per the "NSR Settlement Agreement" filed 7/20/21 as STB 30275, CSX states the following re: routing of CSX traffic over PAS via Rotterdam Jct (ie, the "Rotterdam Commitment"):

CSX agrees to interchange traffic to/from Ayer Industry Locations (as defined in the Ayer Switching Agreement), via Rotterdam for a transitional {{ [redacted]}} period from the date CSX consummates the Transaction (“Rotterdam commitment”), except to and from the following origin/terminating states and district: Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, the District of Columbia, Maryland, and, to the extent that the traffic originates or terminates on a CSX local station only, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts (the “Excepted States”). CSX may route via a PAS gateway other than Ayer any traffic originating or terminating in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts which does not originate or terminate at a CSX local station (“Non-local commitment”). Traffic to or from the Excepted States may be switched at CSX’s option through Barbers Station without prior or subsequent movement over CPF 312 subject to a switch charge of [redacted]

I infer the above to mean that given Ayer-bound grain comes via CSX interchange in the midwest (eg, BNSF, UP, CP, CN...), grain unit trains / carloads should operate via PAS once B&E is up and running. But given that Bow-bound coal is not contemplated by the Rotterdam Commitment, it would be routed on CSX Southern Route via Worcester. Similarly, Davisville-bound autos would also operate over the CSX Southern Route. OTOH, if NS were to originate the grain/coal/auto traffic to these destinations, it would operate over PAS.