"Up North" Gawking (District 1 sightings)

mrj1981 wrote:But then... how did they bring up 47 cars in that first batch, if the tracks only hold 40?

The rest got back hauled to NMJ.

NHV 669 wrote: ↑Sat Dec 09, 2023 10:34 pm NBR/EMRY is also apparently building a 10,000' siding at Knight's Landing as well.

Thats going to be used for CPKC bound traffic. CPKC has a habit of letting BVJ get plugged with cars, to the point where EMR has almost all of their sidings and Millinocket Yard full of west bound cars. That or they hold up EMR until the crew is almost ready to time out before they let them into the yard. The cautionary limits are being pushed east of the new siding so if CPKC can't get their act together, EMR can just dump the train there.

It doesn't help that they often only show up with two units instead of 3, or make a habit of dropping one for G16, leaving two for the return trip west.

They've shown up at BVJ well into the evening lately; this weekend they've hit Greenville before 13:00 two days in a row, it's never consistent.

PR invested $20M between Dover and Jackman and $25M for Enfield as a greenfield site. $4.2M of this was public grant monies. $500M is way outside the capital strength of PR, but is also an enormous sum of money for timber operations of any sort outside of large scale industrial manufacturing (engineered timber or pulp & paper for example)

I saw a post on the CSX Northern NE Facebook page there was a minor washout at Winn ME (mp 2.5) near Mattawamkeag due to heavy rain.

Irving had one too-- lots of rain in short period of time down east, plus melting of any snow compounding the issue.

EMRY 909 made a pick up and delivery yesterday and CSXT apparently plans to operate L072 today pending repairs to washouts.

Both of the washouts at Pollard Brook and Winn were fixed today.

CN9634 wrote:Irving had one too-- lots of rain in short period of time down east, plus melting of any snow compounding the issue.

Irving didn't have any washouts. They tied down 120 at Kirby and ran the power into Mattawamkeag Yard since the MOW department was tied up elsewhere and hadn't patrolled east of Mattawamkeag. Unlike a certain Class 1 nearby, they don't like running trains after a lot of rain without a high water patrol.

CN9634 wrote: ↑Sun Dec 10, 2023 6:24 pm PR invested $20M between Dover and Jackman and $25M for Enfield as a greenfield site. $4.2M of this was public grant monies. $500M is way outside the capital strength of PR, but is also an enormous sum of money for timber operations of any sort outside of large scale industrial manufacturing (engineered timber or pulp & paper for example)

I meant to say $50 million not $500 which was a typo. They have done other expansions which haven't been covered by the press. They just finished a new planer mill at Enfield along with expanding the current manufacturing line and I believe they want to do another big expansion there next spring. They also have plans to build more kilns at that site, as most of the green lumber is sent to Dover to get dried currently.

The washout was repaired, but the area in Winn still needs a lot of work done to it. CSX also left piles of ballast on both sides of Main Street in Winn which obstructs the view of oncoming traffic on Route 2. I imagine CSX will pick this material up in the coming week, however the excavators which had been at the site have since been hauled off.

EMR worked the interchange today, from radio chatter between the crew and the Saint John planning office, EMR is only allowed on the two interchange tracks as well as the main line, since most of the other yard tracks are in rough shape.
From what I understand the former BVJ-Oakfield job now works the CSX interchange, while the former Oakfield-BVJ job runs from Millinocket-BVJ-Hardy Pond-Millinocket, with the former Squapan-Oakfield turn now operating as a two sided road job from Squapan-Millinocket and return. There still seems to be some operational hiccups with the interchange, as the EMR crew spent a good portion of their shift reblocking the inbound cars which CSX had left in the wrong order. From what I understand, some traffic will still be interchanged between CP and CSX at NMJ, but only at a fraction of what it used to be. It sounds like the chlorate for Sappi and Rumford as well as the occasional grain car for Detroit and Augusta will be routed that way. If the 40 car limit at Mattawamkeag becomes too much of a headache, I can see the MNR traffic being sent over CP in the coming months as well.

Rumford Branch, Hinkley Branch, and the Augusta Industrial Track are all closed from what I have heard. The Hinkley Branch is or was flooded from the 201 crossing by the mill to Shawmut as well as in Fairfield. Monday's train is stranded at Canaan Road still. The main in Milford will be going under tonight. At MP-40 the water was about 4 feet from the bottom of the bridge at 10 AM. At 2 PM the water was almost touching the bottom of the girders. Lots of flooding on other railroads too. CP has several on the Moosehead, eastbound train 120 almost became the third train to hit a washout in the course of a year, but luckily the crew stopped in time. There was a small one on the EMR Millinocket Sub, and it sounds like the NBSR Saint Stephen Sub will be out for a while.

EMRY 907 dropped 15 cars for CSXT today at Mattawamkeag.

Some of the ROW between Bangor and Keag looks like a mainline railroad, especially around enfield. Other parts of it not so much. See video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyvQODErs5Q

The scene at 2:05 in the video is definitely good old fashioned Guilford!

That’s exactly what i meant about the not so much part. Ha
Rocking, rolling and smoking