Haverhill Line Upgrades (Western Route)

F-line to Dudley via Park wrote:

roberttosh wrote:

insider485 wrote:laying rail down at Andover station easterly route. slow and steady!!!

Am assuming this is for the new second track, not replacing rail on the existing track? Is there still the gap from the end of the new track just south of Essex St to Frye? Any word on when they will be laying track across Essex St, that seems to be the biggest remaining hurdle now that they've done the work on Andover St? Thanks.

Andover 2nd platform is dependent on the DPW yard moving, but I gather those plans are in motion now. Nothing DPW-related prevents them from connecting the track, only the new platform. So they could very well be getting the track work over with soon, and then just letting freights and Downeaster use it until the DPW is packed up and moved and they can get to work on the platform next year or something.

DPW yard isn't moving any time soon, as Andover voters haven't approved a new site for the yard. Move makes sense, but there is a contingent at town meeting opposed to spending money on it, even though it will save money long-term

Hi, long time lurker, first time poster. I take the Haverhill line from Lawrence to and from Boston every Tuesday. Anyways, I've noticed some hi-railers and track crews at a disused switch, just south of North Wilmington station, behind Planet Fitness. I added a link to Google Maps.

https://maps.google.com/maps?ll=42.567, ... n&t=h&z=15

Does anyone know what type of work they are doing on this switch, or are they using it as a staging area for other work going on elsewhere on the Haverhill line?

to answer your question; the switch was removed from the main line before north Wilmington station. this turn out was no longer in use.

insider485 wrote:to answer your question; the switch was removed from the main line before north Wilmington station. this turn out was no longer in use.

They doing any similar cleanup elsewhere of derelict switches? I know the Malden freight siding finally came out a year or two ago. But the switch in Wakefield to the abandoned Newburyport Branch is still connected, and so is the derelict freight siding between Oak Grove and Wyoming Hill just a few feet after the double iron starts. There's also the siding at the south end of the outbound Cedar Park platform, but that looks to be in too decent condition to be abandoned so I'm not sure if that's still maintained as a MOW siding.


And since Google hasn't been updated in about a year in the upgrades project area, have any old sidings north of Wilmington Jct. come out? I know CSX is usually quick to yank a switch on the southside when a customer goes dead, but PAR usually just lets 'em rot until somebody else does it for them. On Google it looks like Gilette in Wilmington has removed all the track on its property, but the switch and about 300 ft. of track are still there coming off the main. And in Lawrence is the M&L and all that siding crud north of the old station platforms still connected?

Just to round up a few...

The switch just north of the start of double track at Oak Grove has the frog removed and presumably the points are spiked. It's definitely not operational. I'll have to look at the Cedar Park siding sometime when I remember...that might have gotten the same treatment. I don't recall ever seeing MOW equipment parked there - but they definitely have used the stub of the Newburyport branch in Wakefield for that (although last summer the work equipment was usually going up to the Reading Middle track).

I'll also have to listen for the switch at Gillette - I know it was a couple years ago (IIRC) that they pulled up the track on their property. I'm fairly sure the last remaining siding on the other side of the tracks in Wilmington is the one just north of WJ (on the east side of I-93 from the WJ switch). I think that switch is still in...and my hazy memory says there may have been some MOW equipment on that track recently, but not sure.

Trans World just east of the Fells (near Oak Grove) -- to be removed shortly
Mason Deering just west of OB platform at Melrose -- gone for a couple of years now
Monroe Paper just west of N. Wilmington station -- just recently removed
Georgia Pacific just east of Rt. 93 OH at Wilmington Jct. -- to be retained for now. May be victim of double tracking
Gillette just west of Lowell Jct. -- gone for some time now
Old Southern in Lawrence -- still goes to track which goes inside a warehouse at the old Lawrence station

DAW

Interesting. Why the recent interest in switch deactivation outside the project area? I would've expected that north of WJ and on the entirety of the Fitchburg Line as those upgrades trudge eastbound, but not in the places outside the project scope. Is this part of a systemwide tidy-up that'll eventually churn its way through some of the long-dead/non-MOW residue elsewhere on the northside?

They have been doing this slowly on all the lines.

insider485 wrote:to answer your question; the switch was removed from the main line before north Wilmington station. this turn out was no longer in use.

Thanks! I tried to look at some of the switches along the line today but there was too much snow on the ground to make out anything.

F-line to Dudley via Park wrote:Interesting. Why the recent interest in switch deactivation outside the project area? I would've expected that north of WJ and on the entirety of the Fitchburg Line as those upgrades trudge eastbound, but not in the places outside the project scope. Is this part of a systemwide tidy-up that'll eventually churn its way through some of the long-dead/non-MOW residue elsewhere on the northside?

Probably helps eliminate potential sources of slow orders.

gokeefe wrote:

F-line to Dudley via Park wrote:Interesting. Why the recent interest in switch deactivation outside the project area? I would've expected that north of WJ and on the entirety of the Fitchburg Line as those upgrades trudge eastbound, but not in the places outside the project scope. Is this part of a systemwide tidy-up that'll eventually churn its way through some of the long-dead/non-MOW residue elsewhere on the northside?

Probably helps eliminate potential sources of slow orders.

Or they've got to start taking inventory of what's active, dormant but still a future consideration, or dead-dead and take out the trash before they advance design for their PTC implementation. The T, after all, is going to be the national guinea pig for the cab signal-less version of ACSES that has to go on the northside, since every other East Coast commuter RR is either using the tried-and-true cabbed ACSES or using their Class I freight host line's system. Hand-throw or no, a complicated design/testing/debugging job gets a whole lot more complicated the more surplus-to-requirement switches of unknown origin there are. They're taking just about everything that doesn't absolutely have to be there out on the Fitchburg inside of Willows. And southside is pretty squeaky clean to begin with (pretty much the only oddity I could find that isn't a real/recent going concern is the West Quincy Industrial Track still somehow being connected to the Old Colony at the Red Line underpass in Braintree).

F-line to Dudley via Park wrote:And southside is pretty squeaky clean to begin with (pretty much the only oddity I could find that isn't a real/recent going concern is the West Quincy Industrial Track still somehow being connected to the Old Colony at the Red Line underpass in Braintree).

I have seen cars stored there in recent years, so it is being used even though there's no customers on it.

F-line to Dudley via Park wrote:

gokeefe wrote:

F-line to Dudley via Park wrote:Interesting. Why the recent interest in switch deactivation outside the project area? I would've expected that north of WJ and on the entirety of the Fitchburg Line as those upgrades trudge eastbound, but not in the places outside the project scope. Is this part of a systemwide tidy-up that'll eventually churn its way through some of the long-dead/non-MOW residue elsewhere on the northside?

Probably helps eliminate potential sources of slow orders.

Or they've got to start taking inventory of what's active, dormant but still a future consideration, or dead-dead and take out the trash before they advance design for their PTC implementation. The T, after all, is going to be the national guinea pig for the cab signal-less version of ACSES that has to go on the northside, since every other East Coast commuter RR is either using the tried-and-true cabbed ACSES or using their Class I freight host line's system. Hand-throw or no, a complicated design/testing/debugging job gets a whole lot more complicated the more surplus-to-requirement switches of unknown origin there are. They're taking just about everything that doesn't absolutely have to be there out on the Fitchburg inside of Willows. And southside is pretty squeaky clean to begin with (pretty much the only oddity I could find that isn't a real/recent going concern is the West Quincy Industrial Track still somehow being connected to the Old Colony at the Red Line underpass in Braintree).

Nothing so esoteric as that. Production gangs shut down, maintenace crews full, and makes for good winter work. Trans Worls was converted to condos, Monroe Paper paved over their siding, And Gillete retired their track up to the right of way line.

DAW

130MM wrote:

F-line to Dudley via Park wrote:

gokeefe wrote:

F-line to Dudley via Park wrote:Interesting. Why the recent interest in switch deactivation outside the project area? I would've expected that north of WJ and on the entirety of the Fitchburg Line as those upgrades trudge eastbound, but not in the places outside the project scope. Is this part of a systemwide tidy-up that'll eventually churn its way through some of the long-dead/non-MOW residue elsewhere on the northside?

Probably helps eliminate potential sources of slow orders.

Or they've got to start taking inventory of what's active, dormant but still a future consideration, or dead-dead and take out the trash before they advance design for their PTC implementation. The T, after all, is going to be the national guinea pig for the cab signal-less version of ACSES that has to go on the northside, since every other East Coast commuter RR is either using the tried-and-true cabbed ACSES or using their Class I freight host line's system. Hand-throw or no, a complicated design/testing/debugging job gets a whole lot more complicated the more surplus-to-requirement switches of unknown origin there are. They're taking just about everything that doesn't absolutely have to be there out on the Fitchburg inside of Willows. And southside is pretty squeaky clean to begin with (pretty much the only oddity I could find that isn't a real/recent going concern is the West Quincy Industrial Track still somehow being connected to the Old Colony at the Red Line underpass in Braintree).

Nothing so esoteric as that. Production gangs shut down, maintenace crews full, and makes for good winter work. Trans Worls was converted to condos, Monroe Paper paved over their siding, And Gillete retired their track up to the right of way line.

DAW

I see on the most recently updated Google overhead (straight overhead, non- 45-degree angle) that there's been new rail dropped from the Winter St. overpass just past the Haverhill platforms all the way to the state line. Is the replacement of the pre-existing DT welded rail about to imminently commence?

And I guess if that part of the project is approaching...any sidings Lawrence to state line likely to come out? There's that one very much active customer at the double-track siding off Fondi Rd. halfway between Rosemont Ave. and the state line. And I assume that siding hugging the river about 1/3 mile north of Haverhill station is a going-concern MOW pocket, since there's some piles of ties and old stick stacked neatly next to it. And a dead customer @ Rosemont Ave. had its switch disconnected at some point in the last 2 years between when Google updated the 45-degree angle view (switch connected) and the more recent overhead view update (switch removed).

Few other connected sidings of unknown status that I can see:
-- North Andover next door to the airport (north side). If it's active at all it's in poor condition.
-- Hale St. about 3/4 mile north of the Haverhill platforms. Google 45-degree shows a PAR boxcar sitting on it close to the switch, except on the west-facing vantage point where most of the siding is blocked by old track panels dumped on top of it. Looks freshly brushcut north of 8th Ave., totally overgrown south of there where it gets in any proximity to buildings. Which would suggest temp parking spot, not active business?
-- 200 ft. south of state line, going to a truck loading pad. Switch connected, but rail looks either buried or missing immediately adjacent the loading pad.

F-line to Dudley via Park wrote:

130MM wrote:

F-line to Dudley via Park wrote:

gokeefe wrote:

F-line to Dudley via Park wrote:Interesting. Why the recent interest in switch deactivation outside the project area? I would've expected that north of WJ and on the entirety of the Fitchburg Line as those upgrades trudge eastbound, but not in the places outside the project scope. Is this part of a systemwide tidy-up that'll eventually churn its way through some of the long-dead/non-MOW residue elsewhere on the northside?

Probably helps eliminate potential sources of slow orders.

Or they've got to start taking inventory of what's active, dormant but still a future consideration, or dead-dead and take out the trash before they advance design for their PTC implementation. The T, after all, is going to be the national guinea pig for the cab signal-less version of ACSES that has to go on the northside, since every other East Coast commuter RR is either using the tried-and-true cabbed ACSES or using their Class I freight host line's system. Hand-throw or no, a complicated design/testing/debugging job gets a whole lot more complicated the more surplus-to-requirement switches of unknown origin there are. They're taking just about everything that doesn't absolutely have to be there out on the Fitchburg inside of Willows. And southside is pretty squeaky clean to begin with (pretty much the only oddity I could find that isn't a real/recent going concern is the West Quincy Industrial Track still somehow being connected to the Old Colony at the Red Line underpass in Braintree).

Nothing so esoteric as that. Production gangs shut down, maintenace crews full, and makes for good winter work. Trans Worls was converted to condos, Monroe Paper paved over their siding, And Gillete retired their track up to the right of way line.

DAW

I see on the most recently updated Google overhead (straight overhead, non- 45-degree angle) that there's been new rail dropped from the Winter St. overpass just past the Haverhill platforms all the way to the state line. Is the replacement of the pre-existing DT welded rail about to imminently commence?

And I guess if that part of the project is approaching...any sidings Lawrence to state line likely to come out? There's that one very much active customer at the double-track siding off Fondi Rd. halfway between Rosemont Ave. and the state line. And I assume that siding hugging the river about 1/3 mile north of Haverhill station is a going-concern MOW pocket, since there's some piles of ties and old stick stacked neatly next to it. And a dead customer @ Rosemont Ave. had its switch disconnected at some point in the last 2 years between when Google updated the 45-degree angle view (switch connected) and the more recent overhead view update (switch removed).

Few other connected sidings of unknown status that I can see:
-- North Andover next door to the airport (north side). If it's active at all it's in poor condition.
-- Hale St. about 3/4 mile north of the Haverhill platforms. Google 45-degree shows a PAR boxcar sitting on it close to the switch, except on the west-facing vantage point where most of the siding is blocked by old track panels dumped on top of it. Looks freshly brushcut north of 8th Ave., totally overgrown south of there where it gets in any proximity to buildings. Which would suggest temp parking spot, not active business?
-- 200 ft. south of state line, going to a truck loading pad. Switch connected, but rail looks either buried or missing immediately adjacent the loading pad.

All rail from Haverhill to State Line has already been replaced.

Customers: WBC Extruding (east of Rosemont) >> active.
Eagle Leaf (siding at Atkinson) >> to remain for MW -- our patrol ends at the State Line -- makes for easy set on/off -- no cars for many, many years
Gare (just east of Rosemont) >> removed a couple of years ago, but had the occasional car before that
Hall Yard (east of Haverhill along the river) >> will remain for MW, no active customers (before Bradford, it was the layover -- remnants of a turntable can be seen)
Hale St. Yard (east of Haverhill opposite Hall Yard) >> MW, no active customers. The Guilford box car was a cripple that sat there for a long time before being fixed, and removed.
Sweetheart Plastices or Solo Cup (North Andover) >> recently shut down. Don't know its future. They had moved from the Tower C area in Somerville.

DAW