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  • Vermont Activity and Sightings

  • Discussion of present-day CM&Q operations, as well as discussion of predecessors Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway (MMA) and Bangor & Aroostook Railroad (BAR).
Discussion of present-day CM&Q operations, as well as discussion of predecessors Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway (MMA) and Bangor & Aroostook Railroad (BAR).

Moderator: MEC407

 #1386421  by CN9634
 
Why don't you try to run a railroad? Making a five day a week run at a loss makes no sense if you can still maintain service two or three days a week. Also, you can't help customers picking the best rates on competing lines. Perhaps blame CP for having a better rate going CMQ-CP-NS or NECR for snuffing PAS on rates on the Conn River.
 #1386466  by CPF363
 
You are lucky that you are getting the service that you do get and via two different railroads in Newport. Lets just face it, it is long way down there for return. The line the CMQ uses is owned and maintained by the CMQ, while the VTR's line is State of Vermont owned. If it were not for the State of Vermont's financial input, the entire line north of White River Jct. would look like the northern end of the Mountain Division east of St. Johnsbury with no rail activity. The CMQ has a lot of line to take care of in Maine that largely sees bridge traffic. This is where their revenue comes from. What might have sustained the Vermont lines more rests on CP's decision to remove the Beebe Subdivision of the Quebec Central north of Derby. Here, a more direct line to CMQ's system to the east might have been able to generate traffic to the south over a more direct line verses running west to go east essentially. Beebe would have fit the CMQ more so than the Richford line that fit CP's system from Montreal.
 #1389812  by Fritz
 
Hello,
With CMQ only making at most two trips from Farnham to Newport each week [and now much of the line in Quebec relegated to 10 MPH (16 KPH for our friends north of the border)], I rarely encounter the CMQ in Newport. However, recent work along the Black River found me in Newport last Monday afternoon just after the CMQ eastbound 710 arrived around 1545 with the following:

LTEX GP35U 2573
LTEX GP35U 2558
CEFX GP40U 420
3 GNWR boxcars
1 covered hopper
1 PINX covered hopper
1 COER hi-cube boxcar
1 FBOX hi-cube boxcar
1 TOFX hi-cube boxcar
1 IANR hi-cube boxcar
2 CMQ boxcars
1 LRS boxcar
6 loads of Irving lumber
1 load of Twin Rivers lumber
1 load of Rene Bernard lumber
2 loads of Louisiana Pacific strandboard
1 SSEX hi-sided gondola

That's 23 cars total, including 19 loads and 4 empties. For those keeping track, the 19 loads likely include 15 loads originating on the MNR/NBSR and 3 loads originating on CMQ (and one load of grain destined for Newport).

After dropping their inbound train, the crew reversed direction and coupled to their outbound train, which departed Newport at 1615 with the following:

CEFX GP40U 420
LTEX GP35U 2558
LTEX GP35U 2573
1 DUPX covered hopper
1 AEX covered hopper
1 CHSX covered hopper
1 INTX covered hopper
1 SOO covered hopper
4 CMQ boxcars
1 ATW boxcar
3 AOK hi-cube boxcars
2 CRLE hi-cube boxcars
1 COER hi-cube boxcar
2 centerbeam flats

That's 18 cars total, including at least 14 empties (and maybe more depending on how many of the covered hoppers were loaded).

It was nice to see the CMQ in Newport for once, and also good to see that they were bringing in and taking out good-sized trains, even if only twice per week. As of this morning, they had another 17 cars waiting to go north (and the WACR will likely bring more cars north today).
Have a great day,
Fritz
 #1389813  by CN9634
 
Huber out of Easton has elected to ship via MNR-CMQ-VRS-NECR-CSX to reach their Westford, MA facility rather than by way of ST. Should be a noticeable increase in boxcar traffic
 #1389824  by Fritz
 
CN9634,
Hello. Thanks for that great news. Huber used to ship carloads of engineered wood via Newport and the WACR to various lumber yards in Vermont and New Hampshire, including Manchester and Bethel, Vermont and Claremont, New Hampshire. It's been awhile since I've seen any of their loads, but that may be as much due to changes in cars being used. I'll try to check for these.
Best,
Fritz
 #1389854  by Fritz
 
Hello,
Here are links to a few photos of Monday's CMQ westbound 710 leaving Newport and en route to the U.S. Canada border at North Troy:

http://fritz.rrpicturearchives.net/show ... id=4483816

http://fritz.rrpicturearchives.net/show ... id=4483818

http://fritz.rrpicturearchives.net/show ... id=4483820

http://fritz.rrpicturearchives.net/show ... id=4483825

http://fritz.rrpicturearchives.net/show ... id=4483821

Hopefully, this will post with clickable links. I hope you enjoy.
Best,
Fritz
 #1389874  by johnpbarlow
 
CN9634 wrote:Huber out of Easton has elected to ship via MNR-CMQ-VRS-NECR-CSX to reach their Westford, MA facility rather than by way of ST. Should be a noticeable increase in boxcar traffic
Where in Westford, MA is this Huber facility? Pan Am is the only RR running through Westford. Thanks.
 #1389875  by CN9634
 
johnpbarlow wrote:
CN9634 wrote:Huber out of Easton has elected to ship via MNR-CMQ-VRS-NECR-CSX to reach their Westford, MA facility rather than by way of ST. Should be a noticeable increase in boxcar traffic
Where in Westford, MA is this Huber facility? Pan Am is the only RR running through Westford. Thanks.
Thanks for spottig my typo.... Westfield is what I meant
Apologies for confusion.
 #1389879  by johnpbarlow
 
CN9634 wrote:
johnpbarlow wrote:
CN9634 wrote:Huber out of Easton has elected to ship via MNR-CMQ-VRS-NECR-CSX to reach their Westford, MA facility rather than by way of ST. Should be a noticeable increase in boxcar traffic
Where in Westford, MA is this Huber facility? Pan Am is the only RR running through Westford. Thanks.
Thanks for spottig my typo.... Westfield is what I meant
Apologies for confusion.
Typos happen - fortunately I only have 10 fingers!

So just one more question on this new Huber routing: do CSX locals simply forward these cars from NECR at Palmer through W Springfield to Pioneer Valley RR at Westfield? Thanks.
 #1389985  by Fritz
 
Hello,
I swung by CMQ's South Yard in Newport today. Nothing moving and no sign of CMQ, even at 1820, but they have 40 cars waiting to move north, including 14 centerbeam flats, 10 hi-cube boxcars, 12 boxcars, 3 covered hoppers, and 1 propane empty. I think all but one of the cars are empties.
Cheers,
Fritz
 #1389993  by csx2039
 
Glad there at least paying car hire on the cars they leave sitting for days on end down here... at least thier crappy service is costing them some $ too...
 #1390022  by bigfreight
 
Huber used to put their product at Riverside Reload in Bellows Falls VT. The stuff going to Westfield is probably for Boise Cascade or Lowes Distribution center.
 #1395008  by highrail
 
I took a first time ride up to the Newport area yesterday. I found the yard just south of the grain company downtown. Is that yard the interchange point? The yard was empty except for a plow and a caboose. I was pleasantly surprised to find the old roundhouse and an operating turntable. The roundhouse is unused, but the turntable looks to be frequently used to turn the power.

Steve
 #1395124  by NHV 669
 
highrail wrote:Is that yard the interchange point?
It is. Just north of the yard are two CMQ customers now switched by VRS (Poulin Grain & Columbia Forest Products), and all other track north is CMQ.
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