Fitchburg Line Upgrade Discussion

Reportedly, the work going on around the northwest and southeast abutments of the Rte. 31 UGB is Extension-related and will provide access for bridge work.
Also, there is now a banner on the North Leominster garage announcing that it's open.

jaymac wrote:Reportedly, the work going on around the northwest and southeast abutments of the Rte. 31 UGB is Extension-related and will provide access for bridge work.
Also, there is now a banner on the North Leominster garage announcing that it's open.

RE: Leominster Garage, supposedly free parking for a while, then commuters will be charged to park there....

Based on a ~0700/06-06-2014 drive-by and the presence of an excavator on the northeast embankment of the Bemis Street UGB along with an off-to-the side augur and a rebar cage, it looks like there may be new signals -- EB? -- going in for CPF-FG.

A lot of trackwork activity seen from a distance today (Saturday 6/07/14) between Ayer and Shirley. Tampers, ballast cars, regulators, rail heaters,hi-rail vehicles, excavators, and dump trucks. Without any public access in most of this area it's tough to say exactly what's going on, but it appears every weekend is an all-out effort.

Approximately mid-morning on Saturday 6/7/14, construction guys blocked part of Front St in Shirley to lift a large equipment cabinet into place along track 2 east of the T station parking lot. Looks like there will be a large signal gantry going in there judging by the huge concrete base already installed there. Work crews had track 1 barricaded between CP Slab City and CPF-AY and had Stop boards up on track 2 from Slab City to west wye at Ayer. Work was also going on at west end of siding and/or track 1 near MacPherson Rd at west end of Ayer. Too bad the Pan Am owned RoW isn't getting this same treatment!

Yesterday crews were testing gates and working near Route 117 crossing in Lincoln.

Seen during a morning 06-11-2014 Fitchburg drive-through, small crew in PAR visi-vests and a large pile of sand at the southern abutment of the western River Street UGB and not 1 but 2 excavators on the northeast embankment of the Bemis Street UGB.

Pre-0930/06-13-2014 drive-bys showed presumed surveying along 2 and east of the Rte. 31 UGB at Wachusett, traffic cones out at the western abutment of the western River Street UGB, and -- today -- only 1 excavator at the eastern embankment of the Bemis Street UGB.

Out of curiosity, what does "UGB" stand for - from context it sounds like it refers to a RR bridge over the highway?

Google came up with "urban growth barrier" but that doesn't seem to apply here.

Jon

jonnhrr wrote:Out of curiosity, what does "UGB" stand for - from context it sounds like it refers to a RR bridge over the highway?

Undergrade Bridge.

This weekend's work includes the cut-over of a new interlocking in Lincoln called CP-Hills.

CP-Hills is named after long retired, now deceased B&M Train Dispatcher Donald G.Hills. Don
was one of the best B&M TD's ever and a railfan to boot. Morning Sun put out a book of
his photos just prior to his passing.

251 operation continues for a few more weeks, then single track (261) with a new schedule
all the way to Tenny in Littleton to accommodate bridge rehab in Concord.

Dave

Wow, that's a lot of single tracking. Which side are they going to use? Eastbound or Westbound?

Not sure...I think No.2 Track gets done first.

D

Does anyone have or know of the final plan for that bridge in Concord? It's needed work since the late 80s; I would imagine that nothing less than "tear it down in sections and rebuild it" is going to suffice.

Which bridge is this in Concord? Is it the one that endured the truck strike a few years ago?