CSX Track Upgrades & Infrastructure of Pan Am

Yes, Worcester union station to Gardner branch switch still owned by p&w
Csx has trackage rights on the segment

rustyrails wrote: ↑Mon Jan 09, 2023 12:37 pm At Burncoat, I've seen the crew tie down the train different ways. Sometimes not braking the 5 end cars, and sometimes braking them. What is the rule of thumb or SOP for tying down a train of that size?

The more recent ST timetables may have more specific rules but the last one I had just specified a "sufficient number". Some railroads say 1 per every 10 cars on such and such a grade, hand brake test required, etc.

If they got off the train entirely and there wasn't a crew right there to relieve them, at least some should have been put on.

CP-45 is on the CSX B&A main at the west end of Union Station Worcester where the P&W line to Barbers/Gardner/ex-B&M Worcester Main connects so that would be mp45 roughly.

However, assuming the information about changes to mileposts is accurate (and I'll believe that when it actually happens, based on how these things usually work), the milepost at CP45 will be irrelevant. If changes are made, a new "zero" milepost location will be determined for any line where the mileposts are changed, and miles will be counted from that point starting from 0.

I do have my suspicions about what changes will be made, if they actually happen - the short version is that mileposts will revert back to what they were before the Guilford renumbering of everything to run from Maine to Pennsylvania. That will eliminate the milepost count/direction disjunction that happens at the MA border (where the MBTA has kept the original B&M milepost numbers in place), and align the mileposts with the historic valuation data to make things easier for the engineering and real estate departments. That's the only reason I can see for CSX to want to make that kind of significant change - because it will make things easier for multiple corporate departments. They're not going to make up a completely new system of milepost measurements or counting.

Joshua

F74265A wrote: ↑Sat Dec 31, 2022 5:17 pm Is there enough room there for a meaningful siding? Would need about 10k feet. The CC has a crossing, which complicates things

Here are two photos of the right or way in this area. One is taken looking east from Burncoat St and the other is from the gold course further east, also looking east. I don't know the laws for blocking private crossings, but they have been blocked regularly for the past 30 years by westbound trains stopping at Burncoat.
Despite only being about 7000 ft between the crossings, maybe that is deemed enough to park a general freight while allowing a super-long to come by?

If I'm not mistaken, the P & W owns from the P & W yard up the branch to the split St. Gobain, CSX, formally PA owns from the split "Y" at St Gobain east up to AYER. In the other direction at the split or "Y" P&W owns the rail north up to Gardner rail yard which runs directly through St Gobain. The CSX exits CSX from CP 45 and heads up the P & W branch to the "Y" where it splits east to MP25 in Ayer.

newpylong wrote: ↑Wed Jan 04, 2023 1:51 pm Not worth much, it's been happening for decades and still doesn't warrant ribbon rail for 10 cars/week regardless of the owner. Putting some actual ballast and spot ties out to get back to a solid 10 MPH certainly would be more beneficial.

The plan is to rebuild the Danvers Branch this spring, the crew on BO-1 is ready to run a rail train up there. New rail and ties on the line. It is only 15 cars a week but as a class 1 railroad now, repeated derailments are not acceptable and inspectors will crack down. CSX has no option to give up the line either because the STB is watching them closely especially in these first years after acquiring PAR, CSX agreed to keep rail access to all current customers. Same with the Hillsboro branch, that will be rebuilt for the same reasons, not sure about the timeline on that one.

Yes and the acid traffic doesn't help the idea of Class I trackage (in name only) condition either.

It must be the sulphuric acid that is driving what you say is a complete rebuild in Salem area. Clinton to Leominster still has age old light rail. A recent tie job keeps the C&D on the tracks there at 10mph

Wow, that would be something if they came to the Peabody/Salem area! In 2015 PanAm did some minimal rehab work on this line to Peabody in order to get the acid deliveries back via rail. Here is a link to my web page where I posted a few of the shots: https://www.stephendelaneyphotography.c ... rehab-2015

That work in 2015 was the first track work that I had seen on the line in over 50 years! Imagine if CSX scored a new customer at the Peabody Industrial Park. The line is still there, not far from Rousellot. The line just beyond Rousellot has been out of service for at least 20 years. I think Bicknell Fuller was the last customer. At one time I think there were three customers at the industrial park...Bicknell Fuller, Stern Can, and SS Pierce. The line ended just beyond Corwin Street before the industrial park was built. In the late 1960s it was extended to the industrial park...panel track was used.
A great video by the late Richard "Moose" Ouellette shows some action on this branch, including switching out Bicknell Fuller. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFv342PGn8g

Steve

highrail wrote: ↑Tue Jan 10, 2023 11:56 am Imagine if CSX scored a new customer at the Peabody Industrial Park.

Well that is happening at Myles Standish Industrial Park in Tauton:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pfqrGI ... RailVideos

On the FB group, there is a picture of a loaded rail train crossing over Great Bay on the Portsmouth branch today (1/10/23). Pretty freakin' cool to see.

Don't do Facebook and never will but thank you for the post.

Misconception. You don’t put ties in before rail. You put in gage ties, rail, ties and surfacing. Pulling and plugging ties for rail decreases the integrity of a new tie.

Another rail train arrived for the NMJ-Keag section the other day. Supposedly more on the way. Wonder if this is all grant funded so far? The grant probably won't cover all the work CSX wants to do up there this year