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  • Csx locals on the franklin mbta line

  • Discussion of the operations of CSX Transportation, from 1980 to the present. Official site can be found here: CSXT.COM.
Discussion of the operations of CSX Transportation, from 1980 to the present. Official site can be found here: CSXT.COM.

Moderator: MBTA F40PH-2C 1050

 #954463  by MBTA1016
 
What does csx have for customers south of Walpole on the franklin line. I was at a baseball game at the west st fields next to the tracks and a csx engine was going south. It was a lite move.

Edit: Instead of just south of Walpole I'm asking about the entire line.
 #954805  by CSX Conductor
 
The Franklin Main line does not run south of Walpole, that is CSXT's Framingham Sub, aka Framingham Secondary. The only siding between Walpole and Mansfield is Foxboro Terminals which is at MP 5, right at the Foxboro Stadium commuter rail platform. Local B732 originates in Framingham and services Foxboro M-F.

Now, as for the MBTA's Franklin Main Line there were two sidings between Franklin & Forge Park both of which I forget the names. One of these wasn't used at all when I was with CSXT, but I do re-call a very sporadic car into or out of the other siding.

Just west of the Forge park platform you have Garelick Farms which has a short stub track which holds 3-4 covered hoppers which deliver plastic pellets for making plastic bottles. Next wood be Georgia Pacific / Blue Links which has it's own run-around in the building. Just west of here on the opposite side there is an old siding which was only used by MBTA track department to store equipment. Further west there is a siding into an old power plant, which in about 2005 started being used as an unloading spot by BOC Gases for unloading Liquid Nitrogen from railcars.

Further west is Saint Gobain (formerly Foster/Forbes), which receives covered hoppers of industrial sand for manufacturing glass. Just past Saint Gobain the Grafton & Upton Railroad is supposed to be tying into the mainline.

Lastly there is a short sidng which I never saw used, it's right at the beginning of the runaround. The runaround is the end of the Franklin Branch.

The local which serves thses customers is B735 which reports in Readville at 4pm or 430pm.
 #955062  by 130MM
 
CSX Conductor wrote:Now, as for the MBTA's Franklin Main Line there were two sidings between Franklin & Forge Park both of which I forget the names. One of these wasn't used at all when I was with CSXT, but I do re-call a very sporadic car into or out of the other siding.

Just west of the Forge park platform you have Garelick Farms which has a short stub track which holds 3-4 covered hoppers which deliver plastic pellets for making plastic bottles. Next wood be Georgia Pacific / Blue Links which has it's own run-around in the building. Just west of here on the opposite side there is an old siding which was only used by MBTA track department to store equipment. Further west there is a siding into an old power plant, which in about 2005 started being used as an unloading spot by BOC Gases for unloading Liquid Nitrogen from railcars.

Further west is Saint Gobain (formerly Foster/Forbes), which receives covered hoppers of industrial sand for manufacturing glass. Just past Saint Gobain the Grafton & Upton Railroad is supposed to be tying into the mainline.

Lastly there is a short sidng which I never saw used, it's right at the beginning of the runaround. The runaround is the end of the Franklin Branch.
The siding between Franklin and Forge Park was just west of Fisher St. crossing, and was called Clark-Cutler. There weren't any other sidings between those two points (at least since it was rebuilt in the early '90's). Though the Franklin Industrial with its sidings connects with the main between those two points.

The old siding in Bellingham is called Vadnais Lumber. If it is still named that I don't know.

The siding at Bellingham Jct. is Westinghouse. It is a relatively new power plant - built in the mid-90's. In fact, a lot of the transformers for the plant came in by rail. But, as was said, it has seen very few cars since then.

The siding at the Milford Runaround is Barney Coal Yard. They used to get a car of coal a year, but it's been a while since that happened.

There is another switch just east of S. Cedar St. that was a rush job -- "It's gotta go in!" -- that was to connect to new tracks to be built for the Boston Terminal RR, but apparently, they got a better offer; and the switch sits unused and not connected to anything. I suppose that the G&U could connect with it, but their line originally connected west of the crossing.

DAW
 #955075  by CSX Conductor
 
Clark Cutler, thanks 130, it's been over 3 years since I've been out there lol. I forgot that the Boston Railway Terminal was going out there......they ended up in the old Pawtucket Yard off of track 2 at Lawn on the NEC. I left out the Franklin Industrial because those customers weren't right on the main.
 #955082  by MBTA1016
 
CSX Conductor wrote:Clark Cutler, thanks 130, it's been over 3 years since I've been out there lol. I forgot that the Boston Railway Terminal was going out there......they ended up in the old Pawtucket Yard off of track 2 at Lawn on the NEC. I left out the Franklin Industrial because those customers weren't right on the main.
Thanks for the replies, also does csx hav customers in Milford they serve.
 #955085  by MBTA1016
 
[quote="CSX Conductor"]The Franklin Main line does not run south of Walpole, that is CSXT's Framingham Sub, aka Framingham Secondary. The only siding between Walpole and Mansfield is Foxboro Terminals which is at MP 5, right at the Foxboro Stadium commuter rail platform. Local B732 originates in Framingham and services Foxboro M-F.

Now, as for the MBTA's Franklin Main Line there were two sidings between Franklin & Forge Park both of which I forget the names. One of these wasn't used at all when I was with CSXT, but I do re-call a very sporadic car into or out of the other siding.[quote]

Csx conductor I know about the secondary, I have a question on that anyway, just past the route 27 bridge heading towards medfield there's a customer who is it and what do they get
 #955148  by CSX Conductor
 
The customer on the left facing north towards Medfield used to be Robert Bury Panel and used to receive cars very seldom. South of the bridge used to be CTX which received car loads of pulpboard and wine but back in about 2006 or 2007 they moved to a location in the West Mansfield industrial park.
 #955175  by MBTA1016
 
CSX Conductor wrote:The customer on the left facing north towards Medfield used to be Robert Bury Panel and used to receive cars very seldom. South of the bridge used to be CTX which received car loads of pulpboard and wine but back in about 2006 or 2007 they moved to a location in the West Mansfield industrial park.
I thought that might been it but wasn't sure. There was a cut of cars at Robert bury a couple of weeks ago but most of the time there's nothing there.
 #955205  by MBTA1016
 
Did the millis branch connect to the Franklin line at all if so where is it on goggle earth
 #955383  by CSX Conductor
 
Mbta fan wrote:There was a cut of cars at Robert bury a couple of weeks ago but most of the time there's nothing there.
It's not unusual to store cars in a siding that don't belong to that customer. I used to have to do it when I owned the local to Foxboro when it was B732 outta Readville. It happens often when a yard or industrial park has a large number of cars that can't fit on a customer's siding or if a car/cars has a defect which needs to be repaired before it is allowed to be moved.
Mbta Fan wrote:Did the millis branch connect to the Franklin line at all if so where is it on goggle earth?
The Millis Branch connects to the Framingham Secondary at Medfield Junction in Medfield, approximately Milepost 13.
 #955387  by MBTA1016
 
What about the commuter rail line does it connect to the millis branch at all in milford
 #955511  by MBTA1016
 
CSX Conductor wrote:Nope.
Ok I tried to follow it on google earth I lost it past Medway
 #955932  by 130MM
 
Mbta fan wrote:
CSX Conductor wrote:Nope.
Ok I tried to follow it on google earth I lost it past Medway
It used to connect with the Milford branch (what is now the Franklin Branch) at Bellingham Jct. which is near the power plant discussed above. It also continued to a junction with the P&W at Woonsocket. When these connections were broken, I do not know.

On Google Earth the right of way can be traced, but it is very faint. Bellingham Jct. can be found by following Depot St. out of downtown Bellingham, and one can see the sharp curves at the junction. The old right of way crosses from northeast to southwest.

DAW
 #956280  by charding
 
According to Ron Karr's 'Lost Railroads of New England', the section from Caryville to Bellingham Jct was abandoned in 1941 while the section from Bellingham Jct to Woonsocket Jct was abandoned sometime around 1934. Hope this helps.