"Up North" Gawking (District 1 sightings)

CP has cancelled the Brownville-NMJ haulage effective sometime in the spring so PAR has moved a tie job up there to get ready to go back to keag.

If that’s the case, I guess we will probably see the wreck train up here again.

Backroads, I think you read everyone's mind. I know I was thinking about that.

They don't care. They've made it clear over the years the beancounters think it's cheaper to pick cars out of the dirt than maintain track.

Supposed to be going back to Keag sometime next month according to what we've been told at CP. Irving is doing a 7000 tie spot replacement program up there (lol) right now. Nothing like trying to replace ties two thirds of the way through November.

Just like every trackwork project east of Waterville they have done in the past 10+ years, wait around all summer and start working the first week in October.

Did you switch employers 690?

I wonder when the track work associated with that grant is going to startup?

I would guess CP would not want a cl 1 RR with traffic sources/outlets deep in the eastern and midwest US interchanging directly with NBS at Wattamkeag for access to Saint John. So if CP is cancelling Irving's haulage to Pan Am interchange at Hermon, forcing Pan Am (with Irving's assistance apparently) to re-furbish its Bangor-Mattawamkeag line, CP must be assuming that a Cl 1 RR with deepish pockets (eg, NS, CSX, Conrail Shared Assets) does not intend to buy Pan Am?

Realize, a driving force for any class 1 purchasing the property is the line to 'Keag. The grant money Pan Am was awarded would be a drop in the bucket of what I'd expect to see a CSX or NS dump into WTVL-KEAG in the first 24-36 months. That line has so much potential for it's access to SJ. The line isn't even OOS. Pan Am has been routinely running trains to 'Keag to switch the tie grinder. Any party who purchases the property will acquire a serviceable (haha) line to 'Keag, regardless of a haulage agreement with CP. You all seem to talk about it like the rails were ripped up. It's in, essentially, the same condition its been for a decade. It's good for a solid 10, outside of few weeks in the spring where the roadbed goes to hell. It really needs rock in places more than ties...Either way, the line is there and waiting for somebody's wallet to take it from zero to hero in short order. I expect those 60 miles to be a gem of a line in another few years.

Realize also that for CM&Q a few hundred dollars/car was well worth the hassle of haulage. For CP the hassle out weighs the $. CP is interested in the ports and line haul. 50 miles and pittance doesn't really fit a class 1's model, and since they don't need the money like CM&Q did they don't want to deal with it.

If CP cancels the agreement on their terms, they:
A) don't have to eff with interchange at NMJ as often.
B) have a speedy and more competitive route, which will outservice Pan Am on any SJ connection bound outside of New England in the short term. (Irving just reshuffled their "schedules" to reduce dwell time at BRVJCT.)

Their maintaining haulage does nothing to prevent a competitor from reaching Irving directly, adds hassle to CP's routine, and essentially subsidizes a competitor. I'm surprised it lasted as long as it did.

newpylong wrote:Did you switch employers 690?

Yes, went to the CMQ, then stayed with CP (so far).

johnpbarlow wrote: ↑Sat Nov 21, 2020 5:50 pm I would guess CP would not want a cl 1 RR with traffic sources/outlets deep in the eastern and midwest US interchanging directly with NBS at Wattamkeag for access to Saint John. So if CP is cancelling Irving's haulage to Pan Am interchange at Hermon, forcing Pan Am (with Irving's assistance apparently) to re-furbish its Bangor-Mattawamkeag line, CP must be assuming that a Cl 1 RR with deepish pockets (eg, NS, CSX, Conrail Shared Assets) does not intend to buy Pan Am?

CP's decision from what I know was made far in advance of PAR going up for sale.

If they weren't selling, how long do you think it would take them just to get to 25? 2 years? CP now has 50 miles up to 40 MPH of the ex-CMQ and they've only had the property for 5 months.

Don't let the door hit ya.

2-4 years on the states dime is my guess.

Never. Because by the time they finished the segment they started with would already have fallen apart