CSX Track Upgrades & Infrastructure of Pan Am

So by the end of the year, burncoat to the hill yard should all be at least 25!

Yes and it operationally would be nice if they figured out another recrew place so they could remove the yard limits to New Bond and get that to 25 too.

Actually, I think the issue there is that (at least according to the ETT that I have) it isn't yard limits (which would require permission into and out of) - it's "Other than Main Track" which isn't controlled, but therefore has a 10 MPH limit regardless of track condition. If they actually made it "Yard Limits", they could raise the speed to 25 with no problem, but that would require additional work on the part of the dispatcher.

If the pig ever moves to the B&A, seems to me that the crew change point has to move to somewhere east of WL

jamoldover wrote: ↑Mon Jun 12, 2023 6:55 am Actually, I think the issue there is that (at least according to the ETT that I have) it isn't yard limits (which would require permission into and out of) - it's "Other than Main Track" which isn't controlled, but therefore has a 10 MPH limit regardless of track condition. If they actually made it "Yard Limits", they could raise the speed to 25 with no problem, but that would require additional work on the part of the dispatcher.

Really there are no Yard Limits that are 25 MPH, they are restricted speed. That is the whole point of them. Well maybe in remote Canada somewhere where they give VIA paperwork through if no one else is working, but that just isn't reality around here.

My point was it's currently restricted speed between New Bond and Burncoat (yes it's other than Main) and if they moved the crew change point it could be an option to bump the speed up through there.

newpylong wrote: ↑Mon Jun 12, 2023 4:47 am Yes and it operationally would be nice if they figured out another recrew place so they could remove the yard limits to New Bond and get that to 25 too.

Lately they've been making the former PAR crew that gets 426 go to Worcester office and wait for an available pilot crew from CP45, so they've been riding the whole thing. Part of it is they didn't want crews sitting in the Taxi tying them up. (cabs have been abysmal lately) I don't think New Bond will last much longer. AFAIK they gave up the old ex-yoga studio store front last year when the lease came due again.

Is crew change required in the barbers area until there is a new labor contract?

On the upgrade topic, Chux productions has a YouTube video today of Rigby that appears to show work continuing in the yard- there is an excavator sitting out by the ladder track and the place looks under construction

They are definitely going to have to make some operational changes. One of the biggest problems is the main tracks in Worcester are being used as a yard, Worcester is not set up for that. West of CP 46 is a steep grade which slows down anything they try to do here. Yards generally are not built on steep grades for this reason.

They need to stop trying put the traffic on as few trains as possible. PSR has caused all these problems, they think they are saving crews and power, but they are wasting them. 426 should be the Pan Am train, no P&W's straight shot Selkirk to wherever up there, Ayer, WL whatever. Get that train out of the way, out of Worcester. 436 should of course go to Framingham with the Selkirk crew like it did before. No Palmer drop, straight to Framingham.

They'd have to bring back the 422/423, 422 is a River Line symbol now, but they can just make up a new symbol. That would be the junk freight with the P&W's, Palmer's and West Springfields that 424/425 can't handle. Especially not now that the garbage and construction debris is getting big. No way 424/425 is going to be able to handle it. This would terminate/ originate on the P&W like it used to.

All problems solved.

100%.

There is just too much tonnage for what they are trying to do. It's a good thing that traffic is healthy overall though if they effectively move it. Perhaps if the crew meltdown ever subsides some of this will happen. I know management on the New England Division side wants another train pair but without crews it won't happen... I imagine it's the same deal on the B&A.

Yes, no crews on the B&A side as well. They are regularly using Selkirk extra board engineers to work yard jobs in West Springfield. Forget about requalifying to Framingham or qualifying on Pan Am past Burncoat. All self-inflicted of course.

They still have the 424 giant road train stopping to drop or pick up a handful of cars at Niverville, 15 miles east of Selkirk. But the place is busy so 424 is stopping there like everyday. Why not just run a turn out of Selkirk to Pittsfield to do Niverville and the Housy. Thats what would have been done pre PSR.

Enough with the PSR, it didn't work. Let us railroad.

Don't expect PSR or use of Worcester as a hub to mix/match traffic or hold/originate/terminate trains, including use of main track west of CP-45, to end any time soon. Both have been too beneficial.

Without the former doubtful there'd even be this thread. Maybe even no more CSX crews who could "railroad" New England.

Without the latter, especially during this period of crew shortage from the so-called "self-inflicted" Covid Great Resignation widespread across our economy, there would be no benefit of better crew & power utilization and better service for the carload business that wants reliability over speed. The grade from CP-46 to CP-48 is less than that between CP-60 and CP-64 where trains, including without power, of loaded and empty auto racks have been tied down for almost 20 years.

To the extent and how Worcester might be used to handle blocks and trains (unlike a yard required to classify cars), at the intersection of growth & investment in East-West passenger rail and PAR, the next MA DOT infrastructure upgrade investment indicates further use of main track west of CP-45 and with a likelihood intermodal traffic and blocks over Barbers will be hubbed in Worcester as well.

Even RR C levels who were quick to tout PSR to investors are not only cooling off but regretting many aspects of what it has done to their respective railroads under prior management. Read between the lines in the interviews. Within 5 years "EHH PSR" as we known it will be a thing of the past. It was his draconian "all or nothing" implementation that exacerbated the mess we're in. The components that make sense will stay. The rest will be backed out. It's already happening.

I’m disappointed to hear that csx mgmt wants to add 2d train pair via barbers but there’s no crews. With or without psr, staff shortages mean fewer trains
RRs need to make their jobs more attractive

Not via Barbers but between Ayer (environs) and Rigby since 427/426 is doing so much work.

I think Hinrichs is probably the breath of fresh air that CSX needed. Time will tell whether his praise for improving employee relations and working conditions come true, but he speaks of it often.

Ah, that makes sense since 426/427 have apparently picked up the eastern end of edpo