Cape Cod Branch Connector

From what I have seen walking along the Falmouth secondary line all I have found are 107 lb rails dated 1915

for 103 year old rail it's looking pretty good. a tribute to very little traffic not going very fast.

Picture was taken right after Mass Coastal 2008 passed by at about 10-15 mph with 1 car bound for SEMASS and 2 C&D cars headed off to Ohio from being picked up at UCRTS out on Otis / Joint Base Cape Cod

In its day the Woods Hole branch saw 50-mph passenger trains and heavy wartime traffic to Camp Edwards. That the New Haven standard 107-lb rail has held up well all these years is a tribute to the New Haven's track maintenance back in the day.

The Falmouth secondary is in the planning stages for rehabilitation per MassDOT CIP State Rail plan. The Otis Industrial track is to be evaluated for rehabilitation as well to better serve the Military & the reopened UCRTS station, along with other future use's of the line such as establishing a regional salt supply depot.

Today Northern Construction started staging construction supplies next to the Barlow's Landing RR crossing in Pocasset, MA to replace water culverts between the Pocasset river RR trestle and Monk's Park area on the Falmouth secondary line. Will be watching progress as RR line is active with C&D being shipped from transfer station on Joint base Cape Cod.

Northern Construction setting up staging area by Barlow's Landing RR crossing in Pocasset, MA today for upcoming culvert replacement project

Falmouth Secondary to Otis wrote:From what I have seen walking along the Falmouth secondary line all I have found are 107 lb rails dated 1915

Is it necessary to upgrade this rail to meet military preparedness requirements?

I don't know what the military requires for rail these days. However, the rail currently in use on the base trackage is so bad that I think they'd have an awfully hard time claiming that the 107 on the Falmouth wasn't up to their combat ready standards.

From what I have read locally the Military is planning some equipment moves in the next year or two. The Otis Industrial track spur is to be under study by MassDOT to be rehabilitated according to the 2018 Mass State Rail plan with new ties and ballast. Also the Falmouth secondary line is in the planning stages for ties / ballast / crossing upgrades and also culvert replacements which started this past Monday. In the past the Military shipped tanks / trucks / various other equipment & supplies which resulted in most of the bridges being replaced on the Falmouth secondary line in the mid 1980's due too crumbling bridge abutments dropping concrete chunks on the road below when the fully loaded train would pass.

Culvert replacement on Falmouth Secondary line underway in Pocasset, MA by Monk's Park area

Mass Coastal delivered 8 empty C&D cars to UCRTS on Otis today and picked up all there full cars as the Falmouth Secondary is being shut down for about a week. A 36" culvert is being replaced under the RR tracks along with some repairs to the tracks and causeway by Monk's Park in Pocasset, MA

Falmouth Secondary line culvert excavation is underway with supplies being railed down to Monk's park area site from Barlow's landing RR crossing staging area in Pocasset, MA

Culvert replacement on Falmouth Secondary line in Pocasset, MA is completed with MOW track work being done today to restore the line to active status so Mass Coastal can pick up full cars of C&D from the Otis transfer station.

Do you think the culvert replacement took into thought the possible connection of the bike trails and left enough room for a bridge to piggyback the rail line?