Lewiston Industrial Track/Lewiston Lower Rd/Branch status

miketrainnut wrote:A waste of money if you ask me. But really, they are splitting $1 million between 2 projects. Can't be much in the way of improvements.

When you consider that the money is exclusively for tie replacement and some surfacing on a line that is already in very good shape it actually adds up to quite a bit. As I've mentioned elsewhere when I rode the train from Rockland to Augusta and back last year I saw hundreds new ties in bundles sitting by the track being prepared for installation, this was before any 'special initiative' was in place to fund this. We're not talking about the $1 million per mile that PAR charges for complete track structure renovations we're talking about $1 million for essentially ties only on a line that has been under continuous upgrade and renovation since 1994.

It's worth mentioning that ballast isn't an issue either as the ballast on the line is quite deep right now. This is one area that the 1994 rehabilitation and work since then did not scrimp on at all.

gokeefe wrote:It's worth mentioning that ballast isn't an issue either as the ballast on the line is quite deep right now. This is one area that the 1994 rehabilitation and work since then did not scrimp on at all.

It's also worth mentioning that the Lewiston Lower line has received tax payer funds not once but twice, yet never to see one revenue wheel turn on the line. It is insane to think anyone would want to see one more penny put into this line.

- Brooks

bwparker1 wrote:

gokeefe wrote:It's worth mentioning that ballast isn't an issue either as the ballast on the line is quite deep right now. This is one area that the 1994 rehabilitation and work since then did not scrimp on at all.

It's also worth mentioning that the Lewiston Lower line has received tax payer funds not once but twice, yet never to see one revenue wheel turn on the line. It is insane to think anyone would want to see one more penny put into this line.

- Brooks

Brooks,
I was referring to the Rockland Branch rehabilitation. I can't tell from your post whether or not you understood that as such. I'm aware of the fact that the state has invested money in this line twice and still not had any service on it. I agree that it's wasteful. I'm hopeful that most of the 'Question 6' money will go to the Rockland Branch.

Service to Grimmel's has begun. The photo contributor took three photos of PAR PO-4 enroute toward Topsham.

Nice looking cars for the new service plus the ballast on the right of way looks top notch.

http://photos.nerail.org/showpic/?photo ... age=3&key=

http://photos.nerail.org/showpic/?photo ... ey=farmall

http://photos.nerail.org/showpic/?photo ... ey=farmall

Highball wrote:Service to Grimmel's has begun. The photo contributor took three photos of PAR PO-4 enroute toward Topsham.

Nice looking cars for the new service plus the ballast on the right of way looks top notch.

The ballast better look nice, it was rehabbed not once but twice!! Grimmels and PAR should both be thanking Maine taxpayers.

BWP

This is an excellent and exciting development that caught me completely off guard! I hope it continues!
-Alan S.

Well if the location is correct where it shows the ballast is correct, it is on Pan Am rails, not state owned. The state owned rails begin in Brunswick, with Pan Am owning the yard if I remember correctly. Has this changed recently?

Actually, the state owns the yard. PAR ownership ends near Church St.

miketrainnut wrote:Well if the location is correct where it shows the ballast is correct, it is on Pan Am rails, not state owned. The state owned rails begin in Brunswick, with Pan Am owning the yard if I remember correctly. Has this changed recently?

You are correct, the Upper Mast Landing Rd. location in Freeport is PanAm's. -Alan S.

Looking at Googlemaps, it doesn't appear that the line goes right by the scrap yard - although there is what appears to be an old ROW, several hundred feet long, that does go to the yard. Was this track relaid I wonder?

http://www.bing.com/maps/Default.aspx?v ... vl=1&sty=b

If you follow the spur down on the left, it looks like it runs into the metals yard, but I would agree, it must have been rebuilt, otherwise, the main line of the lower road runs now where near their active work area.

BWP

roberttosh wrote:Looking at Googlemaps, it doesn't appear that the line goes right by the scrap yard - although there is what appears to be an old ROW, several hundred feet long, that does go to the yard. Was this track relaid I wonder?

The scrap yard (formerly the Pejepscot Paper Mill) is reached by a long spur off the branch. According to my MEC sidetrack diagram book it was over 7000' long! It is a good question who rebuilt the spur and when. I was not aware that the spur rehab was included in the state-funded rehabilitation of the branch itself. Incidentally, the diagram in my book shows a runaround track partway down the spur. I'm assuming this is where they will run around their train to return to Brunswick. Otherwise they would have to continue west a couple of miles to my home town of Lisbon and use the siding there. Regardless, this is very exciting news and I hope to someday catch a train on the branch! Unfortunately, the scrap yard and spur are inaccessible so it would be hard to guess when Grimmel's requires a switch.
-Alan S.

bubbytrains wrote: Regardless, this is very exciting news and I hope to someday catch a train on the branch! Unfortunately, the scrap yard and spur are innaccessible so it would be hard to guess when Grimmel's requires a switch.
-Alan S.

Unless you can get into a boat and watch from the Androscoggin River!!

bubbytrains wrote:Incidentally, the diagram in my book shows a runaround track partway down the spur. I'm assuming this is where they will run around their train to return to Brunswick. -Alan S.

Which is/was here:

http://www.bing.com/maps/Default.aspx?v ... vl=2&sty=b

I was also going to say how damn long this spur looks to be. Good news for sure...

Looks like another business with an inactive spur just to the left of that site...

Someone on another forum has reported there are ten more of the new scrap gons in Deerfield now, possibly heading east tonight!
-Alan S