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  • Delmarva track between Berlin and Snow Hill reopening.

  • Discussion pertaining to all railroading subjects, past and present, in Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C.
Discussion pertaining to all railroading subjects, past and present, in Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C.

Moderator: therock

 #1511317  by RailVet
 
How this might affect the proposed tourist train is uncertain, but this Delmarva line, used for years for tank car storage, will soon see rail service again.

https://mdcoastdispatch.com/2019/05/30/ ... nce-again/

Excerpt:

May 30, 2019
Freight Trains To Run Through Berlin Once Again
BERLIN, MD – Freight trains are expected to return to the tracks through Berlin next month.

The Maryland & Delaware Railroad will resume freight service along the tracks between Berlin and Snow Hill as soon as a few final repairs are made, Mayor Gee William announced at a town council meeting this week. The service hasn’t operated in seven years.


https://www.delmarvanow.com/story/news/ ... 369789001/

Excerpt:

May 8, 2019
Berlin, Snow Hill railroad freight lines will be active by end of the month
Residents in Berlin and Snow Hill can expect freight train service return to their towns soon after years of inactivity.

The southern part of a freight line, which runs from Frankford, Delaware, to Snow Hill, stopped service when Tyson Foods, Inc. transferred its business from trains to trucks, according to Cathrin Banks, president of the Maryland and Delaware Railroad Company.

While service on the northern part of the track has stayed active, trains haven't run anywhere south of Selbyville since 2012, according to Banks.


http://www.wboc.com/story/40585425/frei ... this-month

Excerpt:

June 3, 2019
Freight Trains Will Run Again Through Berlin Starting This Month
BERLIN, Md.- Freight Trains are coming back to Berlin. After seven years of the rails, trains will be returning to the Worcester County town in the next few weeks.

"The resumption of that freight service we think it's a very positive benefit," says Berlin mayor Gee Williams.

Williams announced the return of the freight service during a council meeting last week. This will be possible through a partnership with the Maryland & Delaware Railroad and Tyson Foods. The company will use the rails to transport goods across Worcester County.

"It will travel at 10 miles an hour or less," adds mayor Williams. "It will not run at odd hours."
 #1511814  by RailVet
 
Good news!!!! I guess we'll see boxcars, covered hoppers and reefers in consists at that end of the line?
Probably covered hoppers.
please keep posting day and time when trains runs.
A friend dropped by Snow Hill yesterday afternoon and reported that clearly there had been railway traffic through there, as evidenced by the flangeways, but no cars were left in Snow Hill. He theorized that they came in and were later pulled out by the same crew. I know of no schedule yet or if there will be one, but I suspect the MDDE will be ready to ship cars when Tyson Foods Inc. calls. From what I've been told, Tyson stopped shipping by rail when the company's previous management had become unresponsive to Tyson's requirements, but now there's a new president in charge (see below), plus new people in charge at Tyson as well.
Was any track work required before operations resumed, or had the trackage been maintained with an eye to possible new business in the future? Thanks.
My friend reported there was evidence of significant track work and plenty of tie replacement. The line had been used for tank car storage but wasn't in active use and it's unlikely there was much, if any, MoW work being done at that time, as the future of the line was in doubt. A new president took over earlier this year and it appears she is steering a different course, regaining at least this one lost customer. See:

https://www.progressiverailroading.com/ ... oad--56941

When a line goes inactive on the Delmarva Peninsula, it's unlikely to come to life again, but this is one of those rare occasions and it's a pleasant surprise.
 #1512642  by RockGp40
 
RailVet wrote: Thu Jun 20, 2019 3:49 pm
...From what I've been told, Tyson stopped shipping by rail when the company's previous management had become unresponsive to Tyson's requirements, but now there's a new president in charge (see below), plus new people in charge at Tyson as well...

I suspect Tyson's stopped receiving in 2012 more so due to NS rates and requirements than any roadblocks from the MDDE. NS, and I suspect most class 1's, are harder to deal with than the local short-line. Regardless, business has returned to Snow Hill.
 #1512785  by RailVet
 
The word I got from someone in the area was that the MDDE's previous management was not being responsive to the timely shipping requirements of Tyson. It escalated into a pissing contest between the railroad and the shipper that ended in the shipper switching to trucks. MDDE President Cathrin Banks is the new skipper at the helm so it looks like things are going to be different now. See:

https://www.progressiverailroading.com/ ... oad--56941
 #1576719  by olneytrains
 
In the past couple of months, I have driven past Tyson and
have not seen any hoppers. Today, there was some MOW equipment a little north of Tyson. Does anyone know if they still ship by rail? There were a lot of truck tankers at the property coming and going. Thanks ed
 #1577855  by Sand Box John
 
olneytrains
In the past couple of months, I have driven past Tyson and
have not seen any hoppers. Today, there was some MOW equipment a little north of Tyson. Does anyone know if they still ship by rail? There were a lot of truck tankers at the property coming and going. Thanks ed


Those "truck tankers" are actually feed trucks used to deliver feed to the poultry contractor chicken house feed silos.