CSX Activity in New England

[Backshophoss]

More likely bales of shreadded office paper to be made into paper pulp for other paper products,
53 ft containers are used for US/Canada/Mexico freight only,largest Sea Container is a 48 ft Maxi

[johnpbarlow]

Wellesley RDF personnel confirmed CSX container was loaded with either recycled paper or cardboard for shipment out. I'm guessing CSX Intermodal is offering some attractive rate to generate back haul of such low $ value payload.

[QB 52.32]

Backhaul rates out of the New England market are low in most cases to the west and south, created by the oversupply of equipment vs. the demand in the region and within those lanes. Kind of interesting to see scrap paper moving from New England via CSX intermdodal since much of it heads to China and Canada, though it's conceivable that this particular shipment was heading to the midwest to be transloaded into a China-bound international (ocean) container.

[roberttosh]

Looks like CSX is running Q420 again, though unlike the previous version which went to Boston, this one appears to terminate in West Springfield. That's two road freights that terminate at West Springfield, didn't realize there was that much business out there. Anyone know if this is a daily job or just run as an extra when traffic warrants?

[MBTA1016]

Long local with 3 engines leading heading from readville to Walpole on up to Framingham. It stopped in Walpole to pick up a decent cut of cars. It was already a long train to start with. 6245 leading short hood, 6239 in the middle 6243 bringing up the rear. I'm waiting at the 109 crossing for this train.


What's the speed limit on the Framingham sub?

Edit: I think it went back to readville. Oops

[Knucklehead]

Long local with 3 engines leading heading from readville to Walpole on up to Framingham. It stopped in Walpole to pick up a decent cut of cars. It was already a long train to start with. 6245 leading short hood, 6239 in the middle 6243 bringing up the rear. I'm waiting at the 109 crossing for this train.


What's the speed limit on the Framingham sub?

Edit: I think it went back to readville. Oops

10 MPH

[MBTA1016]

Thanks for the info. I was caught by surprise when I saw it.

[MBTA F40PH-2C 1050]

currently, 6:30p, 6/5, CSX B731 is operating in Attleboro, MA to exchange cars from Framingham to an unknown B7** pair of lite locomotives sitting on the Middleboro Secondary. RARE daylight move this late in the day. Look for B731 to head lite back to either Mansfield and up the Framingham Secondary, or a strait shot up the Amtrak Corridor to homebase of Readville

[MBTA1016]

Wednesday evening when I was at Rte128/university park there was a pair of CSX locos sitting light on the industrial track south of the station. It was odd, I've seen CSX serve that track with 1loco but not 2. They proceeded to readville after the sprinter test train went by.

[MBTA F40PH-2C 1050]

CSX Q436-16 thru CP 44 in Worcester, MA at 4:25a 6/17 with 2 7** series units and a decent sized train. Lots of ARMN frozen food cars

CSX B731-17 out of Readville, MA @ 10:05a with 35 cars for Framingham

[ferroequinologist]

I'm not in-the-know enough to give more details, but I saw a pair of locos pulling a consist of mostly boxcars from the yard in Mansfield onto the NEC southbound. Wasn't close enough to ID any #s, unfortunately.

While I'm posting here, I'm a bit of a newcomer to freight-watching in general, and don't know much about the CSX operations in the area, so I'm having trouble filling in the blanks by reading through this thread. Anyone mind filling me in on what runs where, what the yards in Mansfield and Readville are used for exactly, etc?

[MBTA F40PH-2C 1050]

I'm not in-the-know enough to give more details, but I saw a pair of locos pulling a consist of mostly boxcars from the yard in Mansfield onto the NEC southbound. Wasn't close enough to ID any #s, unfortunately.

While I'm posting here, I'm a bit of a newcomer to freight-watching in general, and don't know much about the CSX operations in the area, so I'm having trouble filling in the blanks by reading through this thread. Anyone mind filling me in on what runs where, what the yards in Mansfield and Readville are used for exactly, etc?

That would be B733 that you witnessed in Mansfield. That is the local freight that services the "Chocolate" industrial park (lumber loads, food loads, paper loads), just North ( RR East) of Mansfield station, as well as "Zayers" ( West Mansfield Ind. Park----various loads) just South ( RR West) of Mansfield. They work M-F, based out of Walpole, and are usually in Mansfield by 10am to put their train together from the nights drop off from B725 (Framingham - Mansfield - Attleboro - return--which is an overnight job, usually in Mansfield after 1:30am and return round 4am) ...any whooo, you can catch B733 returning to the Framingham subdivision to head home anywhere between 2pm and as late as 6pm, depending on their work load and how the Amtrak Mainline traffic is operating. hope that helps!

[ferroequinologist]

I'm not in-the-know enough to give more details, but I saw a pair of locos pulling a consist of mostly boxcars from the yard in Mansfield onto the NEC southbound. Wasn't close enough to ID any #s, unfortunately.

While I'm posting here, I'm a bit of a newcomer to freight-watching in general, and don't know much about the CSX operations in the area, so I'm having trouble filling in the blanks by reading through this thread. Anyone mind filling me in on what runs where, what the yards in Mansfield and Readville are used for exactly, etc?

That would be B733 that you witnessed in Mansfield. That is the local freight that services the "Chocolate" industrial park (lumber loads, food loads, paper loads), just North ( RR East) of Mansfield station, as well as "Zayers" ( West Mansfield Ind. Park----various loads) just South ( RR West) of Mansfield. They work M-F, based out of Walpole, and are usually in Mansfield by 10am to put their train together from the nights drop off from B725 (Framingham - Mansfield - Attleboro - return--which is an overnight job, usually in Mansfield after 1:30am and return round 4am) ...any whooo, you can catch B733 returning to the Framingham subdivision to head home anywhere between 2pm and as late as 6pm, depending on their work load and how the Amtrak Mainline traffic is operating. hope that helps!

Thanks for the summary! So would the B733 have reversed after I saw it to get to the "chocolate" industrial park, or was it headed south/west? Judging by the speed I don't think it was about to reverse--it accelerated through mansfield at a pretty good clip.

Anyway, let me make sure I have this straight: B725 drops off cars in Mansfield and Attleboro overnight from Framingham. B733 puts these cars on the right sidings during the day, from Walpole through Mansfield. Is that right?

Also, is the "chocolate" name anachronistic now? The reason I saw it was that I was biking through Mansfield, and the chocolate factory doesn't look like it's running, and I didn't get the delicious smell of chocolate as I biked by.

[MBTA1016]

CSX Q436-16 thru CP 44 in Worcester, MA at 4:25a 6/17 with 2 7** series units and a decent sized train. Lots of ARMN frozen food cars

CSX B731-17 out of Readville, MA @ 10:05a with 35 cars for Framingham

I saw a CSX local at readville Monday that took the Franklin line but I somehow lost it after readville. It was all boxcars I think. 2 engines were the power.

[ferroequinologist]

Spotted B733 in Mansfield, came on to the main after MBTA #805 passed through around 10:30. Locos #6239 and #6203 were leading. They were hauling 3 bulkhead flatcars (with paper from the look of it), 2 boxcars, and a gondola.