"Up North" Gawking (District 1 sightings)

Yep, unless new rail is dropped expect the Rumford branch to remain 10.

Plenty of ties have been laid out ready to be installed along the ROW in Auburn and I'd guess Lewiston too

Speaking of ties...Here is yesterdays (6-6-2022) PORU passing through downtown Auburn.
Today observed tamper/liner and ballast regulator at North Leeds, another ballast regulator
working at Leeds Junction and tie machines working west of Stetson Road in Lewiston-
almost like old times if only it were a regular occurrence. With all the machinery delivered
at Libby's Pit a while back I wonder if more activity is happening on the main line farther
east; I haven't been up that way in a while.

How much longer is the HoltraChem cleanup job in Orrington supposed to last? The Maine DEP website says: "It is anticipated that the cleanup activities will be complete some time in 2019."

but it's clearly still ongoing and getting cars switched out regularly.

They just detected high levels of mercury in the river as far as Searsport, so now the Penobscot will have to be dredged as part of the clean up. So I wouldn't be surprised if the site had atleast 10 more years before everything gets packed up.

HoltraChem... the gift that keeps on giving...

Does anybody have any photos of HoltraChem plant from when it was in operation???

Ironically, Holtrachem only used water and salt as its’ 2 raw materials to make all the nasty stuff that came out of that plant. They were successful until the paper mills stopped using Chlorine and switched to Sodium Chlorate. They could still sell the Caustic but had no local market for the chlorine anymore and basically had to give it away or even pay to get rid of it just to stay operational.

Ariel photo of the Holtra Chem plant in this Portland Press Herald story:

https://www.pressherald.com/2021/10/01/ ... cot-river/

Look at all dem railcars...

Holtrachem only used water and salt as its’ 2 raw materials

You missed the third ingredient: Electricity. Lots of electricity.

Here is a then and now comparison of Lewiston Yard. Todays shot is of RUPO Eng 501-506-517 and 56 cars
approaching the Bridge Street overpass. From about the same vantage point is an April 1975 view of the
Lewiston Upper yard crew weighting loads of scrap metal that had originated at National Metals in Leeds
and had been delivered to Lewiston by DR-2. The next days DR-2 will drop another batch and lift these
cars and take them west.

Not much posted here lately, have there been any significant changes to power or operations on D1 since that "other company" (will never be able to call it 'CSX' in Maine...) took over?

Haven't seen PORU/RUPO in more than three weeks- wondering if manpower issues are having
some affect on timing and frequency. Have been through Rumford twice in the last two weeks
and the lower yard is the emptiest I've ever seen it. Both times there were strings of slurry tank
cars on the three tracks closest to Route 108 with the rest of the yard empty and scattered cars
in the upper yard by the the old shop and clean-out tracks. Observed two CSX semis with low-
boy trailers off-loading more track equipment at Libby's pit including an excavator. Went by
Rigby last Friday afternoon and while the yard seemed relatively full of cars there were only two
four-axel units visible at the east end of the yard.

oibu wrote: ↑Tue Aug 30, 2022 3:21 pm Not much posted here lately, have there been any significant changes to power or operations on D1 since that "other company" (will never be able to call it 'CSX' in Maine...) took over?

What is the issue with saying CSX now owns the railroad? Could it sound worse than a bankrupt airline name from the 80s running it? Gonna have to get used to it, that blue and gray paint's days are numbered.