Portland Waterfront Rail Ops (Yard 8, Intermodal, etc)

Thanks to Sixteen Ave Productions, [Austin] for this video of SEPO shot on 5/12. Very interesting to know where the last 99 well cars are headed. Any thought's?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwUu0N8kCi0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Pan Am. Of note are the two five packs and one three pack of 40' wells.

I have noticed that the standard 30 container blocks have increased to 40 containers. Is there more room in Ayer, or are they splitting of 10 containers for another warehouse? BTW, are there 2 sets of water cars? Or just one with a really fast turn time?

There have been 10 containers going periodically to Q427 then to Q403. Currently Q403 terminates in Philadelphia according to the CSX Train Symbols page so I am guessing they go there?

Here's a video I found of the Eimskip containers on Q403. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UWJ6ceWWeA" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The "BigTrainsTV" webcam on YouTube has also caught a few other Q403's with containers out of Maine in the past month or so, usually toward the front or mid train.

Do we know that these Eimskip containers on Q403 are hauling Poland Springs water or could they be hauling something else like Icelandic fish?

Q403 comes out of Selkirk, right? Where does Pan AM hand these cars off? How do they get to Selkirk?

Worcester Q427/POSE

Do we know that these Eimskip containers on Q403 are hauling Poland Springs water or could they be hauling something else like Icelandic fish?

That fish would be pretty ripe after traveling 2,500+ miles in a dry can.

johnpbarlow wrote:Do we know that these Eimskip containers on Q403 are hauling Poland Springs water or could they be hauling something else like Icelandic fish?

The main purpose of Emskip coming to the port of Portland is to have quick access to the Eastern market distribution areas. One of their biggest customers is the glacier water product. This could be what some of the containers are carrying. link:
https://icelandicglacial.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

As for the additional well cars, Pan Am maybe planning on using them with POSE to Ayer doublestack to Selkirk, or CSX out of Worcester to west and south.

doublestack wrote:Thanks to Sixteen Ave Productions, [Austin] for this video of SEPO shot on 5/12. Very interesting to know where the last 99 well cars are headed. Any thought's?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwUu0N8kCi0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Well there are plans in the works to expand the Port of St. John Intermodal and apparently Pan Am is thinking they can be a part of that:

Pan Am Clipper - 2017

In September of 2016, Pan Am Railways embarked on a mission to return rail service back to Mattawamkeag,
Maine to interchange with the New Brunswick Southern Railroad (NBSR) after a two year hiatus. The freight
main line between Carmel and Mattawamkeag was given a facelift between September and late November
with 37,000 new ties installed and was also tamped and surfaced.

. . . .

Since returning the service to Mattawamkeag, Pan Am Railways has seen its best transit times in recent
history from Mattawamkeag to Ayer, Worcester and Mechanicville. PAR is currently averaging 4 days to Ayer
and Worcester, and 6 days to Mechanicville. In this same time, Pan Am has also cut transit times by 5 days
between Saint John and Worcester from last year’s average. Due to the success of returning to Mattawamkeag,
the possibilities could be endless, especially with intermodal coming out of the Port of Saint John destined
for the U.S. East Coast and beyond with connections with two of the Class 1 Railroads.

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/ ... Issue2.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

4 days to go 300 rail miles, really setting the bar high there.

SAD. Very, very sad.

newpylong wrote:4 days to go 300 rail miles, really setting the bar high there.

And it's the best transit times in (their) recent history too!

Makes you realize why so much runs on the highway next to them doesn't it.

What keeps PAR from running POMA /MAPO or even MAAY / AYMA ?? Seems like that would be a fairly easy way to reduce transit times, since they don't seem overly interested in maintaining higher track speeds.