"Up North" Gawking (District 1 sightings)

CPF66 wrote: ↑Mon Apr 15, 2024 9:12 am

bostontrainguy wrote: ↑Mon Apr 15, 2024 8:18 am What about when containers start coming down from Saint John?

4 years ago CP was anticipated 3 train pairs a day to and from Saint John.

3 pairs all in, not just intermodal, correct? And was this CP's prediction or that of the "foamer brain trust"? (I love that!) Either way, Saint John's intermodal potential has been way over-hyped.

CN9634 wrote: ↑Mon Apr 15, 2024 7:34 pm Just passing on what I heard from some crews... everyones getting a bit stirred up.

I can understand the cross qualifying of crews on Pan Am and the B&A, that was destined to happen at some point once the union agreements were worked out. It makes sense considering how many vacancies CSX has. As for the second train pair being added for just intermodal, thats quite the stretch considering there isn't really any of that business at this time or for the foreseeable future (outside of the scaled down Poland Springs traffic). I could possibly see a second road job working out of Rigby a few days a week if CSX continues to pull carload traffic off CPKC, but thats about it.

Cowford wrote: ↑Tue Apr 16, 2024 12:15 pm 3 pairs all in, not just intermodal, correct? And was this CP's prediction or that of the "foamer brain trust"? (I love that!) Either way, Saint John's intermodal potential has been way over-hyped.

I am not 100% sure, I remember that stat coming from Keith Creel himself in an interview on the CMQ transaction. I am not sure if those three train pairs were supposed to be just intermodal jobs, or if that included the existing train pair that was moving car load traffic. Although in the past when CP has run dedicated manifest and intermodal trains, IIRC the manifest trains were only running a few days a week. I know CMQ was operating the Moosehead 5-6 days a week pretty consistently prior to 2020. Once the sale was finalized on the Canadian side they lost a lot of crews and could only handle 3 day a week schedules on road jobs (They just doubled the 3 road jobs they were running per week so they had 4-6 locomotives and 100-150+ cars per trip).
The longest train I saw during that time was 6 units (3 SD40-2F's, the two CMQ AC44's, and another SD40-2F) and something like 152 cars of just mixed freight. I am sure the carload traffic has decreased quite a bit since then since a few customers closed or switched to trucks, some others stopped using rail due to a variety of issues with CP, and others eventually went to Pan Am/CSX. It will be interesting to see what will happen with the Dead River LPG traffic. CMQ moved all the stuff for points north of NMJ via the Moosehead, while cars for Hampden came via Pan Am. Once the derailment in Etna happened and I forgot the exact series of events, but DR lost a good deal of money because of that, they switched to CMQ/CP. I think the LPG for Westbrook started coming in on SLR about the same time. Regardless, if CSX started stealing some of the LPG back from CP that would really hurt CP. I am not sure about the comparison between rates for LPG and intermodal, but LPG is a high paying commodity. Not only that but railroads make a killing from storing loads in the winter time. Until CP cut up the storage tracks at NMJ (because some genius CP manager saw the tracks were empty and figured they weren't used anymore) CP, CMQ, MMA, and the BAR used to flood the yard at the farm in the winter with LPG until it could be unloaded. I know CP intends on building some storage tracks, but with the interchange down to a trickle, if CSX were to get some of the LPG going via District 1 to NMJ then to CPKC, I suppose they could work storage into their rates since very few of the yard tracks are being used these days.

They're storing some LPG loads on the WACR, I was aware some were for Bourne's in Newport, apparently they're storing some for Maine as well according to some CP guys.

CPF66 wrote: ↑Tue Apr 16, 2024 9:21 am

newpylong wrote:There is around double that in T&E on the former ST/PAR.

https://www.railwayage.com/news/blet-ra ... agreement/

"According to BLET, the agreement covers approximately 30 union members and addresses changes in operations and the merging of workforces following the acquisition."

Read the article entirely. That is referring to only Engineers. The other half of the equation (the formerly UTU) Trainmen are seperate contracts.

My apologies, I guess I didn't dig too far into it then, I thought it was covering both conductors and engineers.

NHV 669 wrote: ↑Tue Apr 16, 2024 2:20 pm They're storing some LPG loads on the WACR, I was aware some were for Bourne's in Newport, apparently they're storing some for Maine as well according to some CP guys.

Didn't Bourne's just get bought out by Dead River?

*Edit:

There is an empty rail train at NMJ, they dumped most of the rail on District 2, as well as for tracks 1 &2 at Waterville and a segment out to the siding at Canaan Rd in Benton. A few sticks were dropped in Orono where MEC had some poor mans welded rail (existing stick welded into CWR). The rest was dumped at Great Works in Old Town, I think it ended up being only a few hundred feet. Thats probably just to do the section of stick rail Corman missed last year when they redid 1/2 a mile or so through the mill complex. From there to the yard ladder for the old Bangor Yard, is already CWR dating to Guilford.

Today's Rumford Branch departures had RUPO/L054 leaving Leeds Junction with 506-5972 and 31 cars at 1244.
L053/PORU with 5966-503 and 28 cars left at 1306.

One more- RUPO crossing the Androscoggin River into Auburn at 1345.

NMWA or LO68 (I think CSX calls it) derailed yesterday near mile 90. Sounds like upwards of 10 cars derailed. RJ Corman is on site per a post on Facebook and they are working to build a new road into the site from behind the Ware-Butler cabinet factory. I couldn't tell for certain when I drove by early this AM, but it looked like they had rolled the rails under the overpass at Detroit, so I would say they probably dragged them from Newport Jct (where the track is very sketchy under I-95) until they derailed. Hopefully I get called to drop off materials today so I can get some photos.

Would likely be either L071 or L070. All former ST symbols have been purged from existence on CSX.

However, my contacts still up there on the RR say there is no derailment. Where are you getting your information from?

There was no derailment.

perhaps it was this train full of heavy lumber cars that was recently seen heading west from keag.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPPrS4dWyg4

newpylong wrote:Would likely be either L071 or L070. All former ST symbols have been purged from existence on CSX.

However, my contacts still up there on the RR say there is no derailment. Where are you getting your information from?

A post on Facebook/ the rear of yesterdays train is sitting out behind the two feed customers, and RJ Corman's wreck division has a bunch of trucks parked at the cabinet plant along with several pieces of equipment. Along with a bunch of railroad and Corman trucks that were in Pittsfield this morning. As well as the fact that the west bound never made it to Waterville last night.

*Edit 2:40 PM

It appears the Facebook post was deleted, however I did see Corman trucks and equipment there when I was heading to Pittsfield this morning. When I went back by at 2 PM the trucks and equipment were gone. If there wasn't actually a derailment, I am not exactly sure what Corman would be doing with wreck dozers and the rear half of a train.

Monday's EMRY 909 dropped off 71 cars, and took 101 east.