New England Central Railroad (NECR)

The deity appeared again tonight, this time manifesting itself as the Deity of Disappearing Debit Cards.

Due to the search flowing into travel time, it was past 10pm when I pulled up to the most northern crossing of the most northern yard of WRJ. The northbound was already parked, and after a brief wait, took off with 4 units (an ex-UP six-pack, a G&W job, the CSOR unit again, and the [still in RailAmerica paint] widecab) and 14 cars with what I presume is the [Bethel] local. A trip across town showed CLP 306 solo, facing south behind the station (9/28 NPWJ sitting in the south yard), with switching duties out front being handled by the Black Beast and 3851.

NHV 669,
That northbound that departed White River after 10 p.m. would have been the 323, just with a short train, which I think is fairly typical on Mondays. It seems like road train lengths are incredibly variable on the NECR, ranging between the teens to over 100 cars.

Were the Black Beast and the 3851 coupled together or working separately? Thanks!
Best,
Fritz

Fritz wrote:NHV 669,
That northbound that departed White River after 10 p.m. would have been the 323, just with a short train, which I think is fairly typical on Mondays. It seems like road train lengths are incredibly variable on the NECR, ranging between the teens to over 100 cars.

I should mention, this was after they cut off from the rest of the train, which took up most of the track down to roughly Tip-Top bakery. The other night, I only saw them cut off just prior to the first string of empty gons, I had figured they were making a drop in the yard. I thought the same was occuring last night, but they hit the last crossing and sped right out of town.

Were the Black Beast and the 3851 coupled together or working separately? Thanks!
Best,
Fritz[/quote]

Last week they were separated, with 1525 sitting crewless. Last night they were coupled together.

Amtrak busing between New Haven and St, Albans both ways on 10.3

http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentSe ... 1629450297" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A railfan on Facebook is reporting that the NECR is switching the old C&C in Claremont with 2 GP38s.

New ties are stacked at the salt shed in Claremont.

I went over the yard in New London yesterday on Amtrak 170. I was amazed to see exactly 0 cars in the yard there. Are things THAT bad in New London for NECR?

I would consider it highly possible that they cleared the yard in advance of the bad weather. They would have had to have done, or started doing this at least by yesterday, before the storm's track was known.

Rockingham Racer wrote:I went over the yard in New London yesterday on Amtrak 170. I was amazed to see exactly 0 cars in the yard there. Are things THAT bad in New London for NECR?

I went by there a couple times this summer and the yard was empty or close to it then too, with no hurricanes anywhere in sight. It's a far cry from Central Vermont days.

They're still early on in the 286K upgrades state line to New London they scored the grant for. State and NECR together have keen interest in developing that port into something better than it currently is, but NECR has nothing to hang its hat on down there marketing-wise until they can offer prospective customers the weight rating across their system and to the interchanges. It certainly hasn't been a priority of late with all the upgrading concentrated on the northern end of the system and with opening up the Willimantic interchange + P&W partnership taking so much of their time. If they're talking with anyone for future prospects at NLN it's quietly, with a couple years and probably more on-port upgrade grant applications from the state yet to go before they start making a full-court press to reel in some substantial catches.

Wasn't New London yard used as a lumber transload to trucks headed by ferry to Long Island? If so, did that business dry up?

Report on the Guilford Sightings Group that two Amtrak locomotives are headed to
Montpelier Jct. to remove damaged equipment from Vermonter derailment on
October 5th. The move is expected to be on Thursday.

Usually, these "hospital" trains run at restricted speed.

Does anyone know why the DED at Balloch's (Cornish NH MP166.04, AAR ch 87) is announcing itself as "BNSF"?

Photo by Gary Knapp:

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=560703" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Photo by Gary Knapp:

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=561242" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Awesome shot.