Connecticut Southern (CSOR) Discussion

Suffield is stepping to the plate: Suffield Seeks To Stop Rail Abandonment

Hartford Courant 6:14 p.m. EST, February 1, 2012 wrote:"If it is removed, the cost to replace it would probably be prohibitive," said McAnaney. "It's early to talk about it, but there is a possibility that in the future there could be an adjunct to the New Haven-Springfield line. [Possibly], it could be a feeder to that line — the problem is if they take up the tracks, the possibility of it being that four to five years down the road is gone."

"I'm trying to stop them from ripping up the track," he added. "If they do, we're not going to be able to replace it."

The line dates to the 1870s, when it was part of an independent railroad called the Windsor Locks and Suffield Railroad that "didn't last but a year," before it was sold to the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad, said town historian Lester Smith.

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The transportation board said that there is a middle way, known as railbanking, for railroads that want to rid themselves of responsibility for a rail line but retain the right to resume service in the future. After abandonment is granted, the railroad can convey usage rights to an authority that will remove the tracks and turn it into a trail, with ownership and easements of the property reverting to the railroad.

What exactly do they think they're going to be able to use it for? Suffield Depot has no properties left conducive to any new rail customers, and the residential density in town is so unevenly distributed it would take well-planned connecting buses to make it worth their while. And well-planned connecting buses serving enough of the town are going to flow squarely into Windsor Locks and Enfield stations on NHHS. At the anemic headways Suffield Depot could expect with the Bradley Branch hogging nearly all the off-mainline traffic, they get far better transit access off the bus connections than they do a local stop.

While it's a pleasantly gratifying change of pace to see the rare rich town make a spirited YIMBY! pitch, there's nothing conceptually here that could ever work. That's the least useful active branch in the entire state. Eliminating the need to service that dead-end would free up the state to consider Bradley service on a more direct ROW cutting between the tobacco fields after the Route 159 crossing to save 2 miles, 1 sharp left turn, and 1 crossing...which would make Bradley passenger service that much faster and more palatable. And possibly even cheaper given how much existing ROW would need an absolute total rebuild from the bottom roadbed up to get passenger-rated.

I don't think the protest has got a prayer of holding. Pains me to say it, but abandonment is probably in everyone's best interests and a trail would have some transit bona fides by providing walking-distance neighborhood access to the bus stops at Suffield Depot and Suffield St. that should be feeding the two nearby NHHS stations. They should be pivoting off this to lobby CTTransit for those beefed up connections to Enfield and Windsor Locks because that's readily achievable in the next 4 years and is the maximum transit growth the town can achieve.


I do like the YIMBY spirit, though. And it needs to be underscored that railbanking needs to be much more liberally applied in New England with the way the landbanking laws have been perverted to meaninglessness by NIMBY's dressed in trail lobby clothing. Hell...I would easily support that here if there's no money for a trail to promote the intermediate step as the fail-safe default move over landbanking when plans for the corridor are murky at best. Make every abandonment scooped up under public control pass through that stage so there's enough rigor put to the future-use proposals to make sure they're good ones. There's too much a rush here to get something, anything occupying a ROW right this second even if it means an unmanageable, resource-drain trail farting away a viable transit corridor (MBTA, I'm looking in your direction with evil eye). Due caution is a good thing that should be encouraged.

I wittnessed MN (M2/M4 etc not sure which as I couldn't get close enough to see #'s) car on CSO headed north this morning out of Hartford Freight yard. On my way back this afternoon I saw second car to head north most likely tomorrow morning. Both cars are stripped down and on flat cars.

Larry wrote:I wittnessed MN (M2/M4 etc not sure which as I couldn't get close enough to see #'s) car on CSO headed north this morning out of Hartford Freight yard. On my way back this afternoon I saw second car to head north most likely tomorrow morning. Both cars are stripped down and on flat cars.

MNRR's started cleaning out its dead line. Those would've been units that were held OOS for longer-term repairs, that they can now safely dispose of with the M8 supplies reaching critical mass.

I don't think they start doing this with working M2/M4's for awhile longer--it's only the lost causes right now--but if CSO's getting any significant amount of disposal business there might be a lot of those passing through Hartford.

CSO had out on Manchester line today two Brush cutters clearing the line and then they were seen later in the day up at the Bradley Field connector as well. They may have also worked the South Windsor Armory Branch but not 100% sure.

Yes, looks like they also ran up the South Windsor Branch as well cutting back trees and brush next to the ROW.

What is the motive power situation on the CSO? I have seen only the New Rngland Central and Rail America EMD's in Hartford recently, although I've only seen the local jobs passing through on I91. Are the GE's all gone?

I saw on NERail an SD40-2 has been lettered Connecticut Southern. Is there still two of them in CT. I know NECR and CSO swap out engines fairly frequently.

Lastly, were did the B23-7's go when they left the railroad 10 years ago? scrap? to another RA line? They must be long scrapped by now though.

Thank you for any info.

AR1

As of now, I'm pretty sure the active units are: CSOR 3398 (SD40-2), NECR 3844, 3869 (GP38), CSOR 8511, 8565, 8579 (B39-8E).

The B23-7s went to the Georgia Southwestern. The 2009 and 2013 were on the Ohio Central at Morgan Run, OH as of last March, and the ISRR 3988 was in Tarrant City, AL in September. The 2010, 2011, 2012, 3977, and 3983 have no sightings since 2004-5. The 3398 was brought in to replace the 8552 and 8554, which were sold off by RA. It had been on CSO (along with the 3715) as a CEFX unit until the economy went downhill and then it went back to the NECR. With both the 8552 and 8554 leaving, time will tell if the 3715 comes back too.

The engines I've seen recently are B39-8's 8511 and 8565, SD40-2 3398, and NECR 3844, 3849, and 3869 which are GP38's. CSOR 8554 has been sitting behind the Hartford engine house for a few months now. I was last told that the 8530, 8552, and 8579 are all up in St. Albans, VT at the NECR shops.

Yesterday I was in Palmer, Mass. and saw an ex-CEFX SD40-2 with Connecticut Southern markings on an NECR train. This one looks almost identical to #3398 except it does not say Connecticut Southern on the side, and it has number 3715. There is a third SD40-2 on NECR (CEFX 3771) which might be going to CSO soon.
Here's a link to a photo: http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPictur ... id=2959617

Also, NECR 3843 (GP38) is now in Hartford. This engine has a purple cab/nose and a silver long hood. I remember seeing it a few times over the summer, I wonder if it has cab signals or not?

amtrak-wnd wrote:Yesterday I was in Palmer, Mass. and saw an ex-CEFX SD40-2 with Connecticut Southern markings on an NECR train. This one looks almost identical to #3398 except it does not say Connecticut Southern on the side, and it has number 3715. There is a third SD40-2 on NECR (CEFX 3771) which might be going to CSO soon.
Here's a link to a photo: http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPictur ... id=2959617

Also, NECR 3843 (GP38) is now in Hartford. This engine has a purple cab/nose and a silver long hood. I remember seeing it a few times over the summer, I wonder if it has cab signals or not?

If it's being used on the Springfield Line it would have to. NECR doesn't run in cab territory, but all of CSO's fleet would have to be equipped because I doubt they divide up their smallish fleet for Springfield vs. strictly east-of-river duty. If the NECR unit made the trip on its own it likely has a cab unit installed. If it hitched a ride to Hartford from PAR, CSX, or P&W, then it may be getting retrofitted in Hartford. Amtrak's not real gracious with freight in general on the Springfield so it probably didn't grant a waiver for a cabless move.

The 3843 has been around a few times and to my knowledge it wasn't cabbed. It was used strictly for Manchester/South Windsor work and was occasionally sandwiched between two GEs for a run on CSO-4.

CSO reopened the Windsor Locks branch to the Turf Products distribution facility on North Street. Usually one or two covered hoppers are placed alongside their dock, the type commonly used for vacuuming plastic resin from. Does anyone know if they are the customer or are the cars spotted there for transloading to trucks?

Jedijk88 wrote:CSO reopened the Windsor Locks branch to the Turf Products distribution facility on North Street. Usually one or two covered hoppers are placed alongside their dock, the type commonly used for vacuuming plastic resin from. Does anyone know if they are the customer or are the cars spotted there for transloading to trucks?

On the north side of the tracks off Industrial Rd. there's several small businesses, mostly auto repair shops. South side of the tracks to North St. is all military Camp Hartell. No direct sidings there, just the mini-yard/runaround track. But the trucking access is very convenient to the entire area and there's decent amount of storage so could be anyone in the immediate vicinity taking cars, then doing a grab-and-go to the yard such as vacuuming out the resin in the cars. Could be one of the auto glass shops if they make their own.

I'm talking about the very end of the branch, which accesses the industrial area off of Choice Road after it loops through the airport and dead ends at North St. There are several buildings with sidings, or had sidings at one time. The Greif plant on North St. is one facility that removed their siding. Turf Products has cars spotted next to their building, but it doesn't look like they are set up to offload them. There is however plenty of room for a truck to access the cars for transloading.