Pan Am Worcester Main Line

jr145 wrote:Timetable speed for the entire Worcester main line from Harvard to Barber is 30mph except for a 1 mile section in Lancaster that is 25mph.

About a year and a half ago they changed the timetable speed by bulletin order - if my memory serves MP9 to Ayer is now TT 10MPH.

My best guess is that CSX crews will be running directly from Selkirk to Ayer when the work is complete. This is not possible now with the 10 MPH slow order, but will be possible when the line is brought back to 25 MPH.

CSX/Conrail crews were only allowed to operate unit auto trains on the Worcester Main, and only to CPF-AY. If the train had even one boxcar, it had to be an ST crew.

3-4 pages? I can't remember the last time I saw an ST speed summary that was that short! lol. I think the shortest I've ever seen it was 6 or when the PAS rebuild was done...

there is very little normal speed west of the Fitchburg now, the Sperry Car and the FRA did a number.

thanks for the info re: the rack trains, I forgot if we ran them or if CSX did. thankfully I never had to spot racks...

I think they should put everything down to 5 mph and save on paper and a few trees...Then if the speed goes up, it should be front page news ORRRRR!...BREAKING NEWS on channel 7!

Trinnau wrote:

jr145 wrote:Timetable speed for the entire Worcester main line from Harvard to Barber is 30mph except for a 1 mile section in Lancaster that is 25mph.

About a year and a half ago they changed the timetable speed by bulletin order - if my memory serves MP9 to Ayer is now TT 10MPH.

Yep you got me, I forgot about that.

Tim Mullins wrote:I think they should put everything down to 5 mph and save on paper and a few trees...Then if the speed goes up, it should be front page news ORRRRR!...BREAKING NEWS on channel 7!

I keep saying that I swear that half the paper we bring down from Sappi goes into our speed summaries and bulletin notices.

Anyone know the current speeds on this line? Also, how far have the track gangs made progress and are they working from Ayer South or Barbers North? Thanks.

Speeds are still 10mph, from what I saw the other day. Track equipment was on the siding in downtown Clinton, where Rt 62 crosses the tracks, last weekend.

j

More about speeds and stuff in this thread:

http://railroad.net/forums/viewtopic.ph ... 7&start=30

OldPaint 377, NewBlue 508, and a string of really Old Yeller hoppers formed an EB work extra dropping stone just east of the Shrewsbury St., West Boylston, on 08-03-2011 at 1240.

Saw them at Banana Joe's around lunch time. Yesterday around 11:00am I saw 2 hirails one MBCR and one MBTA at the Wachusett Reservoir.

Sorry for the late update, Yeaterday 8/10/11 track gang working at Shrewsbury st in West Boylston, replaceing ties and it appears they took out the switch that is on the New Bond side of the crossing. saw switch timbers that where pulled out and regular ties put in... stone droped there also as well as along the line towards sterling. I have not seen the ballast regulators around but did see the tamper tamping the ties they jsut put in.



Bill

A check of Burncoat st on Friday showed the Ballast regulator has worked from Burncoat st towards Ayer, tracks look good in this area. I suspect they had done this section earlier in the day because the dust wqas still fresh on the rails and ties.

Capt Bill

As maybe one indication of how thorough the upgrading of the Worcester Main is, on 08-18-2011 at 0840, the equipment case at the Prescott Street, West Boylston, crossing was getting a fresh coat of paint.

Has any of the work on the Worcester Main resulted in any speed upgrades?

Last time I was by the "church at the reservoir" in Oakdale, a northbound freight was doing about 10mph, that was a few weeks ago...

J