New Widett Circle Rail Yard

As for Amtrak and the Acela II, The current Acela S&I (tracks 6&7) are staying the same, we've had an outside contractor retrofit the S&I building for the Acela II. Future Amtrak plans (i.e. 2026+) call for the current Amtrak yard tracks 9&10 to have a building built over them for the new Trainsets coming (if they ever do). Amtrak Convential S&I (Tracks 4&5 will become the new wash when the new train sets arrive.

BandA wrote: ↑Sat Apr 15, 2023 9:13 pm Refresh my memory, where is the present layover that Widett is replacing? And I still love the idea of using Beacon Park. Although it is about 4 miles away, the T owns it. They can run frequent shuttle service between south station and Boston Landing or beyond for revenue and crews. I'd also love to see Beacon Park used, and I'd love to see a balloon track to access the Grand Junction from the east without a reversing move. (Sadly, nobody else seems to agree with me).

I believe a lot of today's layover is now handled in Readville.

I also would love to see a N/E connection for the Grand Junction. I was hoping that a new wye leg could be constructed with the new throat project (by lowering the Pike) but I guess it's not in the plan. You may be aware that there was a balloon track around the engine house many years ago to flip the engines.

BandA wrote: ↑Sat Apr 15, 2023 9:13 pm .... And I still love the idea of using Beacon Park. Although it is about 4 miles away, the T owns it.....

Harvard University now owns Beacon Park.

Not all of it. And through a land swap with the Pike the plan for West Station includes layover tracks at Beacon Park.

Please tell me that comment about believing the MBTA would tell us the truth is sarcasm?

And please, all, open your maps and look at the ROW west Allston Depot. There is more than enough space to meet Worcester Line layover needs

And EMUs ARE designed to operate all day and do so all over the globe.

And although South Station was a union terminal each of the three maintained their own storage and maintenance facilities (at least I think they didn’t share) until the “rationalizations” of their infrastructure. Now the only stuff left is remnant

BandA wrote: ↑Sat Apr 15, 2023 9:13 pm I'd love to see a balloon track to access the Grand Junction from the east without a reversing move. (Sadly, nobody else seems to agree with me).

IMO agree. It could be fished in maybe 2 years. N-S who knows how long to build and at what cost? Grand Junction is needed now to connect the NEC to the Downeast part of the US..

Over the past couple weeks at work, I've noticed a new big purple "T" sign put up at the entrance to Widett circle as well as a a few piles of new ties dropped off and one of those big temporary canvas like garage/tents put up with rails leading into it. Perhaps things are advancing.

CRail wrote: ↑Sun Apr 16, 2023 1:50 pm Not all of it. And through a land swap with the Pike the plan for West Station includes layover tracks at Beacon Park.

I thought West Station was going to be built by Harvard on its land, beginning in 2040.

By the way, does anyone know what all those strange gray boxes sitting on flat cars are? There seem to be more and more every day.

BandA wrote: ↑Mon Apr 17, 2023 10:51 pm And although South Station was a union terminal each of the three maintained their own storage and maintenance facilities (at least I think they didn’t share) until the “rationalizations” of their infrastructure. Now the only stuff left is remnant

If memory serves, the B&A yard was where the Prudential Center now stands.

charlesriverbranch wrote: ↑Tue Apr 09, 2024 6:41 am

CRail wrote: ↑Sun Apr 16, 2023 1:50 pm Not all of it. And through a land swap with the Pike the plan for West Station includes layover tracks at Beacon Park.

I thought West Station was going to be built by Harvard on its land, beginning in 2040.

By the way, does anyone know what all those strange gray boxes sitting on flat cars are? There seem to be more and more every day.

Contaminated dirt from the former locomotive parking area at the balloon track. The trains come and go between midnight and 2AM.

charlesriverbranch wrote: ↑Tue Apr 09, 2024 6:43 am ...If memory serves, the B&A yard was where the Prudential Center now stands.

The B&A passenger yard and commissary were located E of Mass. Ave. and were lost to the Pike, Prudential, and diminishing passenger business. There was also a minuscule B&A freight facility at South Station, S of the REA facility.

CSRR573 wrote: ↑Sat Apr 06, 2024 8:35 pm Over the past couple weeks at work, I've noticed a new big purple "T" sign put up at the entrance to Widett circle as well as a a few piles of new ties dropped off and one of those big temporary canvas like garage/tents put up with rails leading into it. Perhaps things are advancing.

I take the bypass road every day for work and recently noticed in between the two main building on Foodmart Road there are a couple of switches just laid down on the pavement and are connected to each other, probably 3 of them if I remember.

I wonder what will happen to the two ancient land locked box cars that have been there forever. I don't know the history on them ? Perhaps old B&M ?