Rockland Branch Discussion

Seems to corroborate what’s been said in these last few pages; they knew after the barge stopped that relying on one shipper would not be sustainable in the long run. I wish them best of luck.

All of the current doom and gloom aside, does anyone have a good idea of how often and when PO-3 (or former PO-3. L077 I guess is what CSX is calling it now?) goes to Brunswick?

Generally Monday/Thursday, same days Midcoast goes there.

Thank you NHV 669- any idea of typical timeframes it gets out of RIgby and comes back?

The L077 interchange with Midcoast tends to be a midday operation in Brunswick. It’s hard to put an exact time on it but generally if you’re there between 11am-2pm you’re likely to see something.

As for today, CSX dropped several hoppers in Brunswick sometime between noon and 3pm. I don’t believe Midcoast operated today so hopefully will catch them tomorrow.

2310 just went light engine through Warren WB about an hour ago.

[Edited at 15:25]

And back east through Bath at 13:16 with 15 empties.

Thanks for the info! Sounds like they probably are out of Rigby mid-late AM-ish and back mid-late afternoon-ish on the days they run.

Video on the Midcoast Railservice Facebook page shows a short eastbound freight this morning with, among other cars, a single flatcar loaded with steel.

The state owns the track. So who pays for maintenance? If midcoast only has to pay for the trains they roll then their break-even is fairly low.

The remaining freight revenue will barely cover the cost of a single full time employee. FGLKs owners are the types who don’t like to admit failure, but sooner or later they will come to grips with reality - they are done. Last rail shipments to come out of the mill in Dec or Jan.

I find the stubbornness of FGLK refreshing. A railroad company who, despite a serious hit, is still willing to serve remaining customers while seeking to expand their traffic base? I’m happily surprised. A bit too early to start making sweeping assumptions about the line’s future when that’s the case.

I’m particularly interested in the steel flatcar from yesterday. I thought ASW wasn’t taking cars at their spot on the Rockland line anymore?

That would be BIW/Hardings; ASA has continued to recieve cars.

8 cement loads, an empty flat and spacer boxcar for today's WB to Brunswick.

[Edited at 16:18]

18 empty hoppers and a steel load back east.

I also unfortunately do not share the optimism. If you take out the cement there isn't even enough left to pay for fuel, forget the crew. Unless they find another anchor consignee (or somehow grow the existing traffic exponentially) it's hard to see a path forward. Considering the amount of steel that BIW uses it's a damn shame they aren't just such a customer.

Well some of the good news is that ASA is a supplier to BIW.

Mike Smith is a long time rail traffic marketing guy who has done well massaging old traffic and bringing in the new.

The cement operation over the past 50 years has had a myriad of owners, shut downs etc and always seems to bounce back. And if Maine is thinking positively it might make some sense for considering weekday commuter trains from Brunswick to Damariscotta.