Portsmouth Branch Activity

drcrf93 wrote:Just wondering, has anyone seen any GDJX cars going west out of Portsmouth in the last few weeks? Grimmel's in Topsham has not been switched since August 19.

The ones that I photographed and posted in my first post in this thread are still at the pier. I did see them finally unloading them earlier this week. I haven't seen any others come or go. Nothing in the yard except those mystery box cars.

The LPG cars coming in are loaded. I don't think there's been a ship in to unload for a while. Some tank cars come in to be loaded at Sprauge from what I've heard.

MEC

Thanks ereuter. Great video by the way.

Agreed. We definitely used to get loaded gas cars for Rockingham (assume Portsmouth) in from the west on SEED or from the north on WJED...

Just drove by the pier, and the three GDJX hoppers are gone.

Somebody wrote about a run around at Shiller Station....There is another run around at Sprague which is just west of C3 and Cyro...Since I haven't worked in along time, I don't know if it ist still in use...We would take loaded tanks down, run around them there and then set up the customers. That way you didn't have to ride them all the way down there...It gets pretty cold along the river in the winter.

Tim Mullins wrote:Somebody wrote about a run around at Shiller Station....There is another run around at Sprague which is just west of C3 and Cyro...Since I haven't worked in along time, I don't know if it ist still in use...We would take loaded tanks down, run around them there and then set up the customers. That way you didn't have to ride them all the way down there...It gets pretty cold along the river in the winter.

Thanks, Tim. I have never watched a delivery down there, and was just going by what I could see in Google Earth.

Eric

ereuter wrote:Two interesting things to report on the Portsmouth branch. Not sure what either means.

1. A small truckload of ties has been dropped in Kittery, in the open area just outside the shipyard access road (across from St. Raphael's church). The line has also been cleared of brush. This section of track is already in better condition than most of the rest of the Portsmouth branch. Strange that they'd be doing MOW work here for what amounts to about 1 freight movement a year. There is already a siding, so I doubt it's for new track. And if they were destined for the shipyard, they'd just truck them in.

2. In Newington, brush has been cleared from the end of what is currently in use (at 43.107602,-70.803432 ) to some distance northwest of Patterson Ln. There are 1" diameter weeds in the gauge, so it hasn't seen a train for a while. I wonder if this is in preparation for a new customer, or if they are planning to pull up the track?

Eric

Part of the Spaulding Turnpike reconstruction is the addition of an elevated rail spur up and over into Pease, it will depart from the Newington Branch right about there. A link to the large (10mb) pdf is here: http://www.newington-dover.com/pdf/0709 ... an-web.pdf

artman wrote:

ereuter wrote:Two interesting things to report on the Portsmouth branch. Not sure what either means.

1. A small truckload of ties has been dropped in Kittery, in the open area just outside the shipyard access road (across from St. Raphael's church). The line has also been cleared of brush. This section of track is already in better condition than most of the rest of the Portsmouth branch. Strange that they'd be doing MOW work here for what amounts to about 1 freight movement a year. There is already a siding, so I doubt it's for new track. And if they were destined for the shipyard, they'd just truck them in.

2. In Newington, brush has been cleared from the end of what is currently in use (at 43.107602,-70.803432 ) to some distance northwest of Patterson Ln. There are 1" diameter weeds in the gauge, so it hasn't seen a train for a while. I wonder if this is in preparation for a new customer, or if they are planning to pull up the track?

Eric

Part of the Spaulding Turnpike reconstruction is the addition of an elevated rail spur up and over into Pease, it will depart from the Newington Branch right about there. A link to the large (10mb) pdf is here: http://www.newington-dover.com/pdf/0709 ... an-web.pdf

??? I thought the whole of the highway was to be elevated from the area by the lane drop to the bridge itself, with the ROW going under.

Hux wrote:
??? I thought the whole of the highway was to be elevated from the area by the lane drop to the bridge itself, with the ROW going under.

That was my understanding as well.

Hux wrote: ??? I thought the whole of the highway was to be elevated from the area by the lane drop to the bridge itself, with the ROW going under.

That was the original plan but it would require a long elevation and many ramps. The rail overhead spur is cheaper and can be added at any time

Are there plans to reintroduce rail service to Pease? When was the last time Pease was serviced by rail?

DO-1crossing Rte-33 headed into Portsmouth with 514 1 covered hopper and 5 gas cars at 17:00 hours. Sounds like they are canning for the night. There are 3 loaded fish cars on the High Liner spur to be spotted and 2 loaded centerbeams sitting in the yard for Boise, also 3 empty centerbeams at Boise. We'll see if they come back tomorrow and switch everything out.

Does anyone know if Foss still gets cars? I know the line is up for abandonment bet when you mentioned a covered hopper it got me wondering...I was down there switching them once...We spotted some cars and while I was waiting for the conductor to tie them down I heard a little kid yell to me from the school playground near the tracks...It was a warm summer day so the window was open and when I looked at him , he was pointing one of those great big huge supper soaker squirt guns at me...Fortunately for me, the teacher intervened just in time...The gun had the power and he had the range and target insight....Me!
Just alittle funny story I thought I would share...