Ethanol Trains to Revere

Sir Ray wrote:

mick wrote:Umm, read what I wrote. On the Fitchburg and Eastern routes, not on the branch itself. The switch to the branch is back in service, that does not mean they are going to use it yet.

Yeah, I understand that, obviously I was trying to be funny, but for a long time now there has been no evidence of rebuilding the branch and building new storage tracks and unloading platforms. Have they at a minimum done any work on, say, bulkheads for the shoreline (I don't know what kind of tides, if any, the estuary at that point experiences)? Installing and rerouting piping from the storage complex?

No, none of that has been done yet but it doesn't take long at all to dump a bunch of stone and plunk down some panel track, they will show up one day with an army of trucks, it won't take much more than a couple weeks or so to put all that back.

i think i read they are using existing piping when they used to receive rail shipments

There is a Pan-Am work crew on the tracks right now behind the hotel. 4 workers wearing Pan-Am safety vests and one lawnmower. So far they are just clearing tracks again, and no heavy equipment has been dropped.

reported by Don Lejuene in the Yahoo Guilford group with permission
"As reported over this list last month PAR was supposed to run their OCS train from Waterville to E. Deerfield to pick up NS officials or from Ayer up the Eastern Route to Revere and to Wonderland Interlocking, then back down about 300 feet on to the branch to officially announce the commencement of the rehabilitation-rebuilding of the East Boston Branch. A number of factors prevented this from happening, some of which was the absence of necessary permits, along with political pressure from residence to their representatives on the scheduled route of the Ethanol to Revere trains. Those that have not followed this thread, PAS+PAR has planned at least two 60 car ethanol tank car trains a week to be unloaded at the Global Petroleum facility on the Lee Burbank highway in Revere, Route 1A after the East Boston Branch is rebuilt.
This morning there are a total of four MOW vehicles, some hi-rail, on both sides of the former Railroad Street crossing. Crews are clearing trees and some debris in addition to 5 foot high grass towards Global with power tools. Three years ago a firm from the South Shore was hired to clean up the branch, widen the r o w and install bales of hay along the boundaries towards Chelsea Creek.
In spite all of this Atlantic Paving/Roofing and Capital Rubbish Removal still has their active and junked vehicles on both sides of the r o w.
NO new work/preparation has began at Global. Behind the former roundhouse stakes have been placed. Even with these installed it has not detered the abutters from parking their vehicles on railroad property.
With this new work commenced by PAR it's apparent that something will be taking place in the very near future. This proposed project has been followed closely for the past three years and reported over railfan lists as well as in the last issue of the B&MRRHS Bulletin.

More information will follow this afternoon-evening but first I'd like to pass along through the courtesy of Chris Tirone who has been very helpful with this upcoming event this week. Chris reports that the train left Deerfield this morning at 0700 with no less than three 12 passenger vans filled with PAR & PAS personell from many Departments, headed west and at this hour is close to Zoar.
The train will go to Mechanicville put up for the night, leave Thursday morning with PAR,PAS and NS personell. Head east to Ayer on PAS then follow the route that the Ethanol to Revere trains will take to Chelsea. Drop off their passengers at Chelsea Station. The train itself will go to Wonderland Interlocking, back down on to the E.Boston Branch on the current OOS track off Railroad Street. Arrival at Ayer is geared for 1:30PM while disembarking passengers in Chelsea is supposed to be taking place by 3:00PM
A PAR engine will head light to Wonderland from Boston, and after the OCS train pulls out on to the Eastern the PAR engine will tie on to the passenger car and take the train to Boston where it will make an exit between passenger trains. No run around move with PAR-1/PAR-2 will take place at Wonderland.
Changes, additions and futher information will follow. Thursday afternoon in the Boston suburbs will be a very important and historical day"

Thanks for the info....

Took a ride down Railroad Ave to see the progress. All of the equipment on Capitals side is removed, the ROW on that side is completely cleared of trucks / trailers and the other junk thats been sitting there, it's still under water, but all the junk is cleared off.

On the Atlantic side, looks like the cleared some of the dead equipment off the ROW, but they are still parking cars on it.

The track work being done is just enough so the OCS will not derail backing down the branch a bit. I would be surprised to see them go past Railroad Street. You can expect a lot more (the total rebuild) once PAR gets the green light from Global.

Good stuff , piker , things are rolling now, roast beefs at kelly's all round. Now with all the historic encroachment ,and bad habits being hard to break, surely they will secure the tracks with jersey barriers or guard railing you would hope.Chain link fencing wont cut it, it will get rammed to smithereens.But a fly in the ointment, with the new hazmat ban 6 am to 8 pm through the city of Boston ( The State will advertise the new route for 30 days and it will go into effect on June 13, 2012.) , might the volume of ethanol be reconfigured so that less comes into this center. The cartage of fuels might be shifted to originate from say Providence or Braintree ( dont know what's going on in Fall River ) to south of Boston to avoid the extra daytime mileage and the carnage of nightime running through Boston .

Kelly's Roast beef, now we're talking! Glad to see this project in moving forward.

OCS Train is scheduled to leave Mechanicville at 0800 with NS/PAS/PAR personell on board.
Proceed east to Ayer, hold until MBTA Train 422 leaves the Station, follow on the same route that the Ethanol to Revere Trains will take through Concord backyards. This departure time should be by 1:30PM.
Anticipated arrival at Swift Interlocking by 2:30PM, then east to FX Interlocking expecting an arrival by 2:45PM. Then at Chelsea Station ( located on Arlington St. near Washington Ave) the expected OCS arrival should be there by 3:00PM. There, the dignitaries will disembark from the train. The train itself will then proceed to Wonderland, back down on to the E. Boston Branch about 200 ft. Any further it would sink into the mud. PAR Mow crews have been working this week to clear trees, brush and obstacles from the branch.
A lot of derelict equipment parked on the r o w has beeen moved the past two days. There are new stakes on the side of Atlantic Paving marking the railroad's property. I don't belive either business wants to create a problem. With the Railroad Street former crossing being covered over with hot top and the rails sunk in mud we can't expect the train to back down much further than a couple hundred feet from the switch off the Eastern Route.
A PAR engine will follow MBTA train 175 east and tie on to the last car after the train pulls out from the branch and pull it back to Boston's Tower A. The OCS will highball to Lawrence by way of the Western Route or New Hampshire / Wildcat. MOST likely WILL be the Western Route that's chosen.
A further update will follow on Thursday.

Don LeJeune

Sweet news , http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ig3GcDBjQN4

OCS departed Mechanicville earlier this morning and is enroute east to Ayer. I wouldn't be surprised if additional passengers embark at Ayer which will be a HOT SPOT this afternoon with the OCS waiting to go east after MBTA #422.
This couldn't have been a better day weatherwise too!

While both sides of the r o w at Railroad Street Revere has been cleared of trucks, cars, dumping,litter and construction vehicles along with cutting tall grass within eye sight, trees making one's first observation of exposed rails of what is anticipated to happen in an area that has not seen rail traffic in many many years, the sight will look at least presentable to the NS,PAS,PAR officials that will be there in about 3 hours.
The spot where the OCS will park after their passengers disembark and be bused to Railroad Street is marked. Backing up any further on the branch could result in a derailment at worse.
A lot of work needs to be done on the Branch. This morning there were no PAR trucks or employees on sight. Further west behind Global most of the tracks are still top of the rail high in ground water with no drainage. Nothing short of a very involved construction project lies ahead, as with the public pressure regarding derailments no one would take a chance to allow this to happen to an inferior roadbed.
This visit DOES NOT exactly signal the commencement of the Ethaol trains to Revere, at best it will show the geographics of the area to Railroad officials. No Press Releases to the media have been sent out announcing this event. Still, remaining as of last check is the lack of permits needed by Global Petrolium to make this happen. Also, Global is responsible to build within their property 2 tracks to unload ethanol tank cars for the two 60 car trains a week. Modifications of the Global Terminal's yard must also be completed and as of today nothing has began.


Don LeJeune

The area hasn't been touched since the ROW has been cleared of vehicles two years ago.

You mean since yesterday. Behind Capital rubbish were just what I said, and behind Atlantic were there equipment on the property.