Rockland Branch Discussion

The highest weight per axle or per car is much more significant than the total weight of the train or number of cars. One very heavy car can cause much more damage than 100 lighter cars.

It's a huge liability issue for Amtrak. They're not going to risk dumping a carload of human beings in a river every time they cross a bridge that's at risk of failing. That's a very different risk calculation than dumping, say, a car of cement or steel plate or perlite.

yeah. i just want the line to active because its the only rail line near me

If in fact there are bridges on the branch that are close to or are in fact in a condition where they are prone to failure, then the line should be shut down until such time as they are repaired. Amtrak or no Amtrak. And if this is all true, I would say that the state of Maine has a certain amount of responsibility here for its failure to properly maintain their bridges in accordance with FRA bridge standards. Or is the bridge safety issue just a red herring remark for Amtrak not really being interested in running to Rockland. As they all like to say, safety first.

i think its the "red herring remark" because the frieghts that ran before with 20+ cars were fine over those bridges (yes downeasters are heavier but im using the existing heaviest trains as the example)

Emmett wrote: ↑Fri Dec 08, 2023 11:26 am downeasters are heavier

Wrong again, as 4-5 loaded cement cars (using 263k weight limit as an example) and a single B23-7 would be heavier than an entire Downeaster, but the point remains that Amtrak holds more liability for carrying trains full of people.

If the work was really that necessary, it could easily be done during the spring when there's nothing beyond occasional car(s) to DiCaperl to worry about.

Safetee wrote: ↑Fri Dec 08, 2023 10:39 am ...properly maintain their bridges in accordance with FRA bridge standards.

FRA bridge standards are not a binary "safe or unsafe" condition. A bridge can, for example, be safe for 10 MPH freight operation but unsafe for 60 MPH passenger operation. Bridges are given ratings for exactly this reason. Unlike highway bridges, railroad bridge ratings not just weight-dependent, they are also speed-dependent. This is why, for example, the Merrimack River Bridge in Haverhill had a speed restriction for many years — 10 MPH for passenger trains and 5 MPH for freight trains. A train traveling at 60 MPH puts much greater dynamic forces on a bridge than a train traveling at 10 MPH.

In the Haverhill example, it was the only significant bridge speed restriction on the entire Downeaster route, and it was right next to a station stop, so it didn't have a detrimental impact on the service. That might not be the case on the Rockland branch. If I recall correctly, there were at least two bridges of concern, and I don't think they were near station stops, so the impact to the timetable might have been deemed unacceptable.

At any rate, MaineDOT did announce that they were putting the bridge repairs out to bid, and I'm sure the bridges will be repaired eventually, or perhaps this has already happened. I just haven't heard anything about them recently but that doesn't mean nothing's been done.

NHV 669 wrote: ↑Fri Dec 08, 2023 12:28 pm

Emmett wrote: ↑Fri Dec 08, 2023 11:26 am downeasters are heavier

Wrong again, as 4-5 loaded cement cars (using 263k weight limit as an example) and a single B23-7 would be heavier than an entire Downeaster

alright. i guess i forgot that again, but the point is safety.

MEC407 wrote: ↑Fri Dec 08, 2023 12:41 pm At any rate, MaineDOT did announce that they were putting the bridge repairs out to bid, and I'm sure the bridges will be repaired eventually, or perhaps this has already happened. I just haven't heard anything about them recently but that doesn't mean nothing's been done.

All I can find is mention of a study to see what needs to be done.

sometimes Amtrak finds reasons for not doing what they dont want to do. see hoosier state

Red Wing wrote: ↑Thu Dec 07, 2023 12:53 pm They tend to add cement blocks in the same weight as the equipment that was removed.

Non of the NPCU's used in DE service have cement blocks in them, there's some lead shot ballast in the old fuel tank and in the frame but thats it. They're literally tin cans with a control stand. Every time they come to SHSY for their 92 days, they're always written up for how horrible they ride because they're light

Thank you for the correction CSRR573.

Midcoast went through Cooks Corner at 13:30 heading into Brunswick. Four cement cars and one perlite car.

They returned east with four steel loads.

Red Wing wrote: ↑Mon Dec 11, 2023 10:01 am Thank you for the correction CSRR573.

Ive tried looking up the current weight put cant seem to find the right documentation at work for an official weight. Remember these have literally nothing inside the body of the locomotive and no traction motor combo units in them either. Just 4 dummy axles, so there a lot of weight saving there too. However when the 406 was up these ways, it had a cat generator in it for the display train. Thats the only time ove seen something in one of these

2310 with 2 loaded scrap gons and an empty perlite car west through Finntown Road in Warren at 10:41.

RIP to the whale-bellies.