Operations around Nashua, NH

Do any Guilford Rail System trains still go up through Nashua, New Hampshire? Do they own the small yard in Nashua?

Guilford Rail System became Pan Am Railways in March of 2006. They do serve Nashua and have a yard there. Here's the system map from their web page.
http://panamrailways.com/Maps/map.htm

Thanks for the response. So what customer do they serve between Nashua and Milford, NH.

While I don't know who they serve, I can tell you that the line going from the Nashua yard west was active. I periodically see a 4-car (or so) train heading VERy slow on that dilapidated line. Last time was a couple of days ago. The Main Street (Nashua) crossing doesn't have any lights or gates - they still use a guy with a red flag walking in front of the train.

As a mental exercise, I wonder what percentage of PAR rails are rated faster than walking speed?

Anything the MBTA or Amtrak operates on.

djlong wrote:While I don't know who they serve, I can tell you that the line going from the Nashua yard west was active. I periodically see a 4-car (or so) train heading VERy slow on that dilapidated line. Last time was a couple of days ago. The Main Street (Nashua) crossing doesn't have any lights or gates - they still use a guy with a red flag walking in front of the train.

As a mental exercise, I wonder what percentage of PAR rails are rated faster than walking speed?

The entire line from Nashua to Milford is known as the Hillsboro branch. The entire line is 5MPH. There are sveral customers on the line. Hendrix Cable, a few warehouses and some smaller customers.

As for the mainline in Nashua that comes across Bridge St, Crown st, etc. That is the North South main line known as the Northern Main Line. PAR operates it from North Chelmsford to Bow NH. North of Bow, New England Southern operates it. There are active yards at Nashua and Manchester NH. Lots of customers on the line as well. The coal plant at Bow being the biggest. Bud there are lots of small companies there as well. Budwieser gets a good deal of cars too. Lots of hazmat traffic on the line as well account the power plant and Jones Chemical. There lots of areas where the speed in 25, but alot of it is still 10. Some big changes coming soon though.

Yeah, for some reason I couldn't think of the word "Hillsboro".. Brain fart.

FWIW, the mental exercise wouldn't include any track the MBTA operates on because they (the MBTA) own it all (of the ex-Guilford stuff). If memory serves, the MBTA bought far more than they operate. For example, the MBTA owns the track from Lowell to the NH state line (Tyngsboro MA to Nashua NH) but don't run anything past Lowell.

Dare I ask what "big changes" are coming? I know there are periodic rumors of NS buying PAR which never go anywhere. And there is still some progress on upgrading the line from Lowell (in stages) all the way to Concord NH for passenger runs that would also serve the Manchester airport (via shuttle bus where the new airport access road will cross the tracks in Bedford NH when the road construction is completed),

djlong wrote: And there is still some progress on upgrading the line from Lowell (in stages) all the way to Concord NH for passenger runs that would also serve the Manchester airport (via shuttle bus where the new airport access road will cross the tracks in Bedford NH when the road construction is completed),

That is what i was reffering to. Up in Manchester, there are new signal foundations for large, double track style cantilever signal supports being staged by the old tower. New signals are already in place (but not yet cut in) for CPN-20 going south. And materials are popping up in different places. So something is going on, and it has nothing really to do with the NS deal as the Northern Main Line is not part of the proposed Pan Am Southern deal.

Someone posted a nice photo of Hendrix Wire on NERAIL today: http://naphotos.nerail.org/showpic/?200 ... 103394.jpg

Hendrix looks like a pretty big operation. Link to Windows Live: http://tinyurl.com/8pulos

You can see a bunch of customers on Windows Live, including the Milford-Bennington Railroad (which leases part of the line from Pan Am to run aggregate trains).

Can anyone tell me what's in these white and black tankcars found closer to Nashua: http://tinyurl.com/7zsh8q

Thanks!!

NA-1 with the B&M 332 and 1 covered hopper, headed up the Hillsboro branch on Tuesday. This is the most recent movement up to Milford is a long time. Their was at least 1 foot of snow plus on the tracks and high snow banks at crossings. NA-1 left Nashua at noon, arrived in Milford around 3:30/3:45. Over 4 hours to deliver that car! They did make it back if I recall correctly right before NAED left Nashua Yard headed south.

rb wrote:Can anyone tell me what's in these white and black tankcars found closer to Nashua: http://tinyurl.com/7zsh8q

Thanks!!

Those are cars for Jones Chemical. They get several chemicals in White/Black tanks. Chlorine, Sodium Hydroxide and Sulfur Dioxide.

NV290 wrote:

rb wrote:Can anyone tell me what's in these white and black tankcars found closer to Nashua: http://tinyurl.com/7zsh8q

Thanks!!

Those are cars for Jones Chemical. They get several chemicals in White/Black tanks. Chlorine, Sodium Hydroxide and Sulfur Dioxide.

Not exactly. Sulfur Dioxide? Never saw that on an X-7. Jones only does the Caustic Soda now, not much chlorine, if any at all. Some of those cars are also for PSNH. Also, there are Caprolactam tanks for Nycoa in Manchester. These cars look like chemical tank cars, but are not hazmats.

mick wrote: Not exactly. Sulfur Dioxide? Never saw that on an X-7..

They get it, not every week, but a few times a month. Very often it's in solid black tank cars. It, along with Chlorine travels in RJBO trains due to it being classified as a PIH. I have seen the paperwork on CSX showing the destination.

mick wrote:Jones only does the Caustic Soda now, not much chlorine, if any at all.

The chlorine had stopped for a few months due to the cost of rail shipping vs truck. But it's been back for a few months now. PAR must have lowered the rates or Jones was willing to pay. Again, i have seen the paperwork with the destination of Merrimack NH, Jones Chemical. 2 weeks ago we had 4 of them in our train headed for Rotterdam.

mick wrote:Some of those cars are also for PSNH. Also, there are Caprolactam tanks for Nycoa in Manchester. These cars look like chemical tank cars, but are not hazmats.

The picture posted of the three black and white cars are not Caprolactam cars. Caprolactam is not a hazmat and travels in black or grey tank cars with a distinct dome combination. As for PSNH, the only tank cars they get are Anhydrous Ammonia Ammonia cars. And they are either solid black, or solid white and are much longer then a liquid car. The Anhydrous loads also stopped for a while a few months back for costs reasons. But they seem to be back for now.

last week or the week before that i saw a lumber spine loaded with logs in the nashua yard, then a few days later i saw what i thought was the exact same car sitting in the yard in manchester. Does anyone know if there is a lumbermill customer somewhere on the line?

elbow wrote:last week or the week before that i saw a lumber spine loaded with logs in the nashua yard, then a few days later i saw what i thought was the exact same car sitting in the yard in manchester. Does anyone know if there is a lumbermill customer somewhere on the line?

The car in question was most likley loaded with Poles, not logs. Carloads of pressure preated poles head up the Northern Main Line weekly to Manchester where they are interchanged with New England Southern for a customer somewhere north of Bow. There is also a customer who gets poles in Billerica, or somehwere close by. I believe that customer is Fortek.