Interesting CSX rumor of purchasing some Guilford property

Hearing a very interesting rumor now that CSXT is eyeing the Fitchburg Line from Ayer into Boston, anybody else hear anything yet?

Eyeing it? It's owned by the MBTA to start with. There's no local traffic and still has clearence issues if intermodal is the idea. There's no yard to speak of once you get to Somerville. This is one bizarre rumor.

D

I know Dave, I'm familiar with the line, they plan to use it to get over to the NEP.....but as I said, this is just another rumor that started kicking around.

What's "NEP?" Is the rumor that CSX would get trackage rights?

New England Produce Center in Chelsea/Everett. B721 works out of there
Sunday through Thursday. Operates to Beacon Park & return via MBTA
trackage and the Grand Junction Branch.

D

Can someone show us this NEP on google maps?

Why buy when they can interchange with Guilford like they do already?

This sounds like a re-eruption of the "ethanol unit train" rumor of a few months back.

DAW

Rumor aside, I would rejoice if it were to happen. Commuter trains get repetitive mighty quick...

Most certainly...Looks like the P&W has snagged the ethanol traffic at the
Port of Providence. Boston loses out again....

Dave

Not sure if anyone knows but New England Southern as put in an offer to take over the operations south of Manchester to the Nashua yard. Though Peter and company of New England Southern said that Pan Am did agree to it, they will not go up on there price to pay New England Southern to do so, so there for it has yet to happen. After speaking with Peter and Chris they said they have talked to Pan Am about it a few time with in that last few years but get no ware with the money issue. If you want the whole story check out the post I left on the rail fan forum in regards to NEGS and Pan Am. Though it’s not the same rumors going around I'm sure someone on here must have some kind of knowledge of New England Southern offering to take over the rail from Nashua to Manchester.

Nells, there was talk of a 80 to 90 car unit Ethanol train coming to Boston......they wanted to try to do it in Boston but couldn't because the Ethanol process needs to be done near water. The first site proposed was the old First Street Yard in South Boston, where the Boston Railway Terminal was. The problem was accessing this site because they couldn't get a train of that size down there due to it's location. The next proposed site was over at the New England Produce Center, which is why they supposedly wanted to purchase the Fitchburg. This way the unit train could come from Selkirk to Worcester to CP-45 to Ayer and down the Fitchburg Main to the Boston Terminal North and over to the NEP. Boy can they dream big, lol.

GP40MC1118 wrote:Most certainly...Looks like the P&W has snagged the ethanol traffic at the
Port of Providence. Boston loses out again....

Dave

So that's who got it. Where are the cars coming from Dave, CSXT @ Worcester? When is this supposed to begin? I haven't heard much lately.

I think it s CSXT-P&W...And probably won't start until next year at the
earliest.

And once and for all, I don't think CSX ever was interested in BUYING
the Fitchburg Route. It was trackage rights. The MBTA was never
going to sell it anyway...

d

Now that CSXT is supposedly selling off everything east of Worcester I'm sure that's gone by the way-side, lol.