Pan Am Worcester Main Line

Has it started to work yet, or is there any rumors where and when its going to start?

It's been roaming the system for a few weeks now, at least..... They've already been up to Maine, NH, and East Northfield, where PAS joins the NECR.

What does it identify by on the radio?

Seems to be W003.

Couple of flatbeds of pre-built rail sections as well as other ties and rails were delivered to the Greendale siding near Quinn's this afternoon.

I went by today and saw all those prebuilt sections up there. I’m trying to find out where and when the installation will begin.

11:30am - Welded Rail Train dropping rail from East to West starting at about MP14. Was told by an observer that a West Bound freight was parked to the west, waiting for later. Was told that the train held about 6-1/2 miles worth of rail. Also was told that a train dropped ties last night.

I thought I heard chatter last night. I saw CSX rail train parked at CP45 loaded with rails Friday. It looks like work will be starting soon. I’m wondering where those pre build rail pods are going to be installed?

Do you mean panels? Usually switches and grade crossings.

I guess you can call the pre made sections panels. I know Burncoat street crossing has needed attention every so often. The rails are in rough shape as well. It sooks like some sceduale changes for the M426 & M427 might be coming up.

Saw the rail cars dropping rail along the side of the tracks. It’s a very interest operation how it’s unloaded. The removal of the old rails will start soon. A couple of guys sat in chairs on the rail car sat in the open chairs all the way back to Ayer.

At which locations did you observe rail being dropped or seen it already dropped?

Am curious if the current work is limited to the reservoir watershed or if a wider scale rebuild is underway. Has any rail been dropped north of sterling street at in Clinton?

Of course it's for more than the reservoir. One of those trains holds 6.5 miles of rail, it's only a little over a mile going by the reservoir. If the intent is to keep going 10 MPH on the the line there would be no incentive to put new rail on any of it even through the watershed.

CSX stipulated in their agreement with the MWRA that they would place 7.5 miles of CWR and bring the line up to class III standards but run at 25 mph in the reservoir area. One post stated that rail was dropped from MP14 west. Was the 2nd load of CWR dropped from MP 14 east? If that's true then almost 2/3 of the Worcester Main will have 136lb CWR. I will be impressed if that is the case. When was the last time B&M/PAR put down that weight of CWR on their dime? My guess is never!

I understood that MWRA and csx reached a deal to upgrade the reservoir adjacent trackage to class 3. I don’t know whether it just covers the causeway in Oakdale, which is a very short stretch of a mile or so, or if it applies to the whole several mile stretch where the tracks are very near the reservoir or in the watershed. That’s north dike just south of Clinton High School all the way to west boylston. The tracks are right in the shore of lake waushacum in sterling, which I believe empties into the reservoir. Pretty sure Mwra would be very unhappy if a hazmat car were dumped on north dike or in lake waushacum. I speculate that the initial upgrade here will be west boylston to Clinton.
Question— the 6.5 miles of rail on the train is 6.5 miles of one rail, or 3.25 track miles if both sides are done, correct?
Worcester main is about 25 miles in total, so a few more rail trains will be needed for a full rebuild to get rid of the 100lb, beat flat, 1912 rail that I remember being in the Lancaster/Harvard area.