hh660 wrote:I noticed on the unh web cam, that they installed the second span to allow for the second ( passing?) track at Durham. They previously graded and ballasted the roadbed for this track.
That webcam is pretty cool.
From exploring this area recently (I'm a UNH student) I also noticed that the new "bridge" looks to be double-wide. Over the past year or so I've noticed how they were working with ballast on that section, but then things sort of slowed down (or stopped). To my relatively untrained eye, there seems to be room for a passing track there. However, I'm not sure how long it could be. A couple hundred yards to the north of the new bridge is the Durham station with the platform right up against the current track. And maybe a three or four hundred yards in the other direction is the road bridge over the tracks...not sure if there's room for a second track under that span. I'll have to double check though, I could be wrong.
This is obviously enough room for a Downeaster trainset to wait, so maybe that's all they need. But most PAR freights I see would not fit here. Maybe that's a non-issue, since a double track would probably be meant to benefit the Downeaster more than anything.
I really hope they do install a passing track here, because that means more rail action and more photo opportunities to catch multiple trains at the same time!