Portsmouth Branch Activity

I believe that is a mobile gps mapping system used for many things like creating new track charts etc reflecting what is actually found in the field and exactly where each item, xovers etc, is located.

in the old days, teams of surveyors used to do all the field work used to make these charts. the field data was then relayed to the office engineers who used to direct the drawing of the charts. on a good day single tangent track i'll bet they could almost do a thousand feet a day of field measurements.

these hyrail gps rigs can probably do 30 miles a day producing printer ready material that can be downloaded on any number of computers for any number of applications including track charts.

from a purchasing railroad point of view, this on the money field info well ahead of the probable start up date would be invaluable.

Yeah. CSX doesn't use track charts and timetables in 3 ring binders that some guy in Billerica made in MS Publisher...

The city of Portsmouth can't stop the railroad. Remember the court cases the city lost against the state and Pan Am regarding how the railroad uses their own property. They have no idea how much business CSXT and NS plan to funnel into the city. Both RRs said they are safeguarding the customers and will go after the city if they attempt to regulate commerce.

It would be nice to see the old yard reinstalled, esp with car loadings they're thinking about. Even NHDOT wants to expand rail service at their "port" . There's a lot of yard sitting in the weeds people don't know is there. IIt'd be good to see the roughly 7-8 old yard tracks go back in. Although short you can pack minimum 100 cars in there. Re configure the yard so they're drilling from the west end, only blocking the lonely BarBerry Ln crossing.

Soon gone will be the days of dragging cars to Rigby to make u turn to head west.

Besides existing traffic that is currently on the upswing, is there any potential new traffic?

Not that I am aware of.

The crossing at Depot Road has finally been replaced. The rails over that soft ground were really moving before it was replaced.

That's what happens when the B&M uses sand instead of trap rock for over a century LOL

While not substantial Highliner would like to use more rail but they don't like it taking a week for their fish to go 250 miles.

Speaking of Highliner. http://photos.nerail.org/showpic/?photo ... 113643.jpg

Caught the local heading to Portsmouth today...from Rockingham to Stratham to Greenland. I know they don't move quickly, but it seemed they were under a some sort of even slower order today...

Steve

They finished work and left the city around 1700. Saw them going by the fish spur about 1715.

Where would DO-1 pick up cars, Lawrence?

Dropped at Rockingham by a road job or Rigby. I don't know why they still call it DO-1 Dover hasn't had an actual local in decades that I remember.

Funny how the Portsmouth job is called DO-1, and the DOBO crew is called PH-1 even though they’re out of Dover.

The pics on NERail were taken in Plaistow,

caught a ballast train at Rockingham Junction today. They headed onto the branch and were working just east of Depot Road. I later saw them working just beyond Rt 33, heading toward the Rt 95 area. 7 cars of ballast.
Steve