Pan Am Worcester Main Line

No the P&W will still have its own track coming out of their Worcester yard. They won't have to give up any track warrant they will still be in main track yard limits on track controlled by their dispatcher. The two tracks would be fully separate from CP45 to Barber Station. The tracks do not connect directly past Garden St. So it would be DCS for CSX right from CP45, using the left track in the photo, no main track yard limits involved.

You are also seriously underestimating the delays with the current setup. Sometimes it takes 20 minutes or more just to contact the P&W dispatcher to enter the yard limits, and then you also have to clear up with them. It's not unusual to hold for an hour or more waiting on a P&W move since they control the track. It's too unpredictable, and that's the point. The crews are going from Selkirk now, and while it is still early in the qualifying process, these crews are going to be expected to make it to Ayer on a regular basis eventually. The delay dealing with the P&W section eats up time.

There is no way this stays as is, no chance.

As has been said before, there has long been a rumor that restoring the 2d track might require moving some power line poles in that corridor for clearance. Doable presumably with $$

I’d love to see the 2 tracks restored but as a casual railfan observer I don't have any information as to the likelihood

Yes, they were talking about moving the powerlines like 15 years ago, before they bought Pan AM. This is really nothing new, they knew this short section would have to upgraded eventually when they bought Pam AM.

I'm not understanding why people are having such a hard time with this. Hundreds of millions have been spent already. A few million more to make a unified system to Maine, without dealing with the "P&W dispatcher in Saint Albans" is just a drop in the bucket.

It's not main focus right now obviously, but I would say that within the next 2-3 years it will be done, along with sorting out Ayer.

Absolutely. CSX already hates having to deal with crossing PAS and the MBTA as it is to hop between their territory in Ayer anything they can do to obtain full control of the route will be done.

With $$ there is much that can be done. The stb filing had a plan to streamline the hill yard. I thought that would happen quickly but there were other priorities. Over time, so much infrastructure has been removed. There is room for another track or two between wl and Ayer if folks are really ambitious about creating capacity.
Adding a passing siding somewhere on the Worcester route would also add significant capacity. The entire row accommodates 2 tracks. New bond st to shrewsbury st could fit a long siding for example

You could add something (like an extended South Track) in Ayer between AY and WL but they would still need to cross the Fitchburg unless they put in some crazy flyover.

There already is a siding in Clinton that can be extended which would make more sense than all the way down in Worcester, perhaps they will look closer at that once NS 264/265 move to the Worcester Sub. For now a siding is not needed for 1 train pair.

Agree it is not needed now. Based on the work ongoing at VO, it is realistic to think that 264/265 will move via Worcester starting sometime next year. Then maybe. I’m doubtful that there is room for 9000 foot siding between sterling st and mill st in Clinton/lancaster but don’t know for sure. Since csx doesn’t have a place to park trains between Harvard and the beginning of their track east of WL, a long siding somewhere to pass or park a train on the Worcester main would add flexibility I think for minimal cost

As for Ayer, yeah they have to cross the Fitchburg at grade and that won’t change.

Nov1 0905 Sterling Junction - special gizmo, about 6 or so cars strung together with a crane running along the top. Traveling east, not working there. Also, last Saturday saw work (tie replacement and possibly more) being done at the south end of Harvard yard.

A lot of limestone slurry has been moving worcester - ayer lately for the maine mills. Presumably this means it is being sourced from a location other than its traditional vermont

The slurry cars I saw on the B&A were OMYA which if this is the case CSX is getting the long haul to Selkirk and then switching them to send to PAS at Rotterdam > N. Bennington (VTR) and loads in the other direction.

Hmmm. Interesting that that traffic has moved off the Fitchburg and is taking the long way around. On the other hand, that’s one solution to the departed edpo and the messy csx/B&E interchange logistics

F74265A wrote: ↑Wed Nov 01, 2023 7:52 pm that’s one solution to the departed edpo and the messy csx/B&E interchange logistics

One ran yesterday. The train still exists, just under a variety of different symbols and movements.

Which makes it even stranger if in fact VT slurry is moving via Rotterdam-Selkirk-Worcester-Ayer

Then you have the cars that go Rutland-Whitehall-Montreal-BVJ.

F74265A wrote: ↑Thu Nov 02, 2023 8:51 am Which makes it even stranger if in fact VT slurry is moving via Rotterdam-Selkirk-Worcester-Ayer

I guess they could go via CP to the VTR at Whitehall too. Not sure what the deal is.