CSX Track Upgrades & Infrastructure of Pan Am

CSX stated to regulators during the approval process that they plan to invest more than $100 million in infrastructure improvements across Pan Am lines within the next three years. Post any system-wide improvements to track structure, terminals and yards here as CSX's integration of Pan Am moves forward.

This video from You Tube by Stephen Demboske shows a crew from Manafort Transit performing thermite welds on June 21 in Royalston, Ma. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXrYygGX9N0 So who is hiring this private contractor to work on this track? CSX, NS or Berkshire and Eastern? Only guy at site wearing Pan Am vest looks like he's a flagger.
If you want to know about Manafort Transit-------https://manafort.com/manafort-transit/

It would be PAS, and since the ST is still the operator of PAS thats where the Pan Am vest comes in. The B&E has not taken over yet.

That's interesting to find out that Manafort is in railroad construction now. I grew up in their HQ town of Plainville, Conn., and know some of the family.

Being that the construction season is much shorter up here in the northeast you would have thought CSX would have hit the ground running on takeover day with their Upgrades and infrastructure Improvements.

I am fairly sure they've got plenty on their plate trying to operational better understand, and then integrate the railroad (as well as figure PAS out). All in due time.

The only report I can recall of MOW supplies moving north was a cut of 25 loaded ballast cars coming north towards Rigby maybe two weeks ago. Someone commented that they were "all for Rigby" - and, thinking back on it, it's not totally clear if that meant (a) they were bound for Rigby (and would be forwarded on from there), or (b) they were meant to be dumped in and around Rigby Yard itself. (If it's option B, then that tells you a bit about CSX's vision for Rigby as a hub for Maine operations.) As a general matter, I find myself agreeing with FireTiger that I would have expected to see a lot more material coming up by now.

CSX noted somewhere that their only two "real" plans for MOW upgrades this year were "two sections of mainline" - which I figured would be the Worcester Main and the Stony Brook. But even there - it's not like they're not going to lay CWR the whole way; when will that rail arrive on site?

Getting the line to Keag upgraded clearly has to be a priority as well.

OK so keep in mind this is not a visual confirmation but a "radio monitoring. " Today at 10:04 hours M427 was given a" Form D Line 4 for single track out of service from MP 25 to Burncoat in charge of foreman Jones" In addition another" foreman name ? "was working his way with Track car 1000 and-- 3 additional equipment from CPF-312 to the Hill Yard about the same time. Could be a precursor of upcoming work on the Worcester Main.

Within the past couple of days, I read a posting somewhere in the WWW ether that track panels were observed lying near the track around Barbers to Burncoat area. Don't know anything further.

See post by GKS in the Worcester Main discussion thread - something about flatbed truck loaded with pre-fabbed track panels...

1 truck of track panels is a start
Here’s hoping there is a WHOLE lot more where that came from to improve the Worcester main

Could the track panels be for the road crossings?

Very good possibility, that's the best way to proceed with this type of project. Geometry, drainage, and signal requirement transitions are much easier to tie into from a long distance from a crossing that is in good condition than "shoe horning" a 40-50 foot crossing into track that is already rebuilt.

Here is a photo of 2 track panels near New Bond St xing that are obviously part of a turnout - I’m guessing CSX is building a passing/parking siding between New Bond and Burncoat St?

That’s M427 tied down at noon Sunday 7/17/22 waiting on a crew to go to Selkirk.