Orange Line questions

Once in a while (twice I've been on board the CR train involved), if the Orange Line north is screwed up during the morning rush, they'll stop an inbound CR train at both Oak Grove and Malden and pick up inbound passengers. I've never seen diversion to CR outbound from North Station in the afternoon.

AFAIK there is only one, a-few-times-a-year freight customer left between Sullivan Sq. and Lawrence, on the old Medford branch. Most of the grade crossings between Wyoming and Reading are close to stations, so subway trains wouldn't have been moving very fast when crossing.

Not sure if it was mentioned in an earlier post but when the North Station pier caught fire in 82 I believe, they used Oak Grove CR platform and built a temp boarding platform at Sullivan Sq over the 3rd track for the Rockport and Ipswich trains.

A few question on my mind that been in my head for a long time.

1. There's a little tunnel between Malden Station and Wellington. Anyone know why that exist? There's some tracks above it, but it goes to nowhere.

2. Community College station 2nd platform is closed and I tell why as it pretty obvious. However, what doesn't make sense is why they still make preparations for an elevator and why it stayed open for so long. So why did that platform is only shut down relatively recently? Also why did they bother putting the framework with an elevator shaft for that platform? I know it is kinda future proofing, but I don't really see any scenario that would require that unless they still have hope that the orange line can still be extended to Reading.

ant8904 wrote:A few question on my mind that been in my head for a long time.

1. There's a little tunnel between Malden Station and Wellington. Anyone know why that exist? There's some tracks above it, but it goes to nowhere.

The Medford Branch, which is still used.

ant8904 wrote:2. Community College station 2nd platform is closed and I tell why as it pretty obvious. However, what doesn't make sense is why they still make preparations for an elevator and why it stayed open for so long. So why did that platform is only shut down relatively recently? Also why did they bother putting the framework with an elevator shaft for that platform? I know it is kinda future proofing, but I don't really see any scenario that would require that unless they still have hope that the orange line can still be extended to Reading.

The platform has been out of service many years, and during the big Dig the third track was removed from service and the platform was used for equipment storage. The elevator frame work/provision is there for possible future use. Not necessarily for the OL to be extended, but for possible service using the 3rd track.

It was not in service when I started railfanning at 14. Not sure if it was ever used anyone??

^ What year was it when you were 14 years old Stevie?

sery2831 wrote:

ant8904 wrote:A few question on my mind that been in my head for a long time.

1. There's a little tunnel between Malden Station and Wellington. Anyone know why that exist? There's some tracks above it, but it goes to nowhere.

The Medford Branch, which is still used.

ant8904 wrote:2. Community College station 2nd platform is closed and I tell why as it pretty obvious. However, what doesn't make sense is why they still make preparations for an elevator and why it stayed open for so long. So why did that platform is only shut down relatively recently? Also why did they bother putting the framework with an elevator shaft for that platform? I know it is kinda future proofing, but I don't really see any scenario that would require that unless they still have hope that the orange line can still be extended to Reading.

The platform has been out of service many years, and during the big Dig the third track was removed from service and the platform was used for equipment storage. The elevator frame work/provision is there for possible future use. Not necessarily for the OL to be extended, but for possible service using the 3rd track.

1. What Medford branch? You mean the Lowell line? Then we aren't talking about the same place. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source= ... 4&t=h&z=16 Again, it goes to nowhere.

2. I remember standing on that platform back in high school, which is only a few years back (So 3-6 years ago). That's why I said relatively recently. Still, it remained open for a good, long time before it closed within the last decade. That brings a question of why. Also, why would they have any reason of activating the 3rd track, it is just too short to ever be viable unless it is extended in some sort. So why build the elevator framework?

The Medford Branch is exactly what you see on Google Maps. It is a short rail line used by Pan Am Railways to deliver freight to a customer in Medford. As far as I know, subway tracks cannot cross railroad tracks without obtaining waivers from the FRA, having certain features on the subway trains, requiring subway motormen to be FRA certified, etc. It would just be too much of a hassle. That is why the tunnel just north of Wellington was built.

ant8904 wrote:Also, why would they have any reason of activating the 3rd track, it is just too short to ever be viable unless it is extended in some sort. So why build the elevator framework?

The 3rd track comes in handy for disabled Northbound trains between Bunker Hill and Wellington. Also could make for good express use even though the line is relatively short and not on capacity issues [yet].

ant8904 wrote:2. I remember standing on that platform back in high school, which is only a few years back (So 3-6 years ago). That's why I said relatively recently. Still, it remained open for a good, long time before it closed within the last decade.

It was certainly closed by June 2004. I was commuting on the line at the time and I don't recall the doors ever opening for that platform.

sixflagscoasters wrote:^ What year was it when you were 14 years old Stevie?

LOL lets see who is president now?? lol 1986

The Medford branch track extends across Highland Ave. in Malden. Originally it went all the way to Medford Sq. (fairly easy to follow on the ground or Google Maps), but after I-93 was finished it was cut back to a customer on the west side of Rt. 28.

I recall outbound trains opening both sets of doors at Community College, but I think that ended when the easterly concrete roof failed, IIRC in the late 1980s. The arrangement of the 3 <-> 2 junction doesn't allow the easterly track to be used for short-turn purposes, so work on an elevator for that platform is pretty textbook "management with your eyes closed".

jbvb wrote:The arrangement of the 3 <-> 2 junction doesn't allow the easterly track to be used for short-turn purposes, so work on an elevator for that platform is pretty textbook "management with your eyes closed".

If the line had a fleet big enough, they could run express trains from Malden to North Station using the current northbound track as a bi-directional express track (You'd probably want to continue to stop at Sullivan, only skipping Wellington and Community College). The current right of way south of Community College allows for track re-alignment to place switches where needed to cross back to the southbound side from the center track, and the other end allows for such operation currently.

CRail wrote:If the line had a fleet big enough, they could run express trains from Malden to North Station

Wellington is the busiest station on the North side for commuters. It would make much more sense to run an express from Wellington to North Station to service the hundreds of commuters that use the lot and garage every workday.

You might think that Wellington is the busiest station north of North Station because of its size, but Malden Center Station is actually the busiest with 10,418 typical weekday station entries. As opposed to Wellington's 7,310.

Malden is ranked 15, and Wellington 28 overall subway stations.

This info is according to the 2009 MBTA Blue Book:

http://www.mbta.com/uploadedfiles/docum ... 202009.pdf