by CN9634
While driving today I noticed the Safe Handling Caboose parked out by the facility has been repainted. It is still white with the black trim but has a Savage logo with the New "Savage Safe Handling" print.
Railroad Forums
miketrainnut wrote:Another Station along this line is being preserved. This one in Gilead, Me.Very nice. It's always good to hear about an historic station being saved. Ford Reiche, president of Safe Handling, deserves major kudos for helping to save that station.
http://www.sunjournal.com/oxford-hills/story/1068451
Cowford wrote:I just heard from a friend that a vessel recently unloaded wind turbine blades in Portsmouth for a project in northern NH. I'm assuming that the turbines were going to the same spot (?)There has been some parts hauled in to Allens (Gilead), blades hauled by train, other parts by truck. The old gravel pit there habecome a storage yard for this.
Service. Between Yarmouth Junction and Danville Junction, the SLR operates up to two freight13 refers to the footnote which reads as follows:
trains per week. These trains operate during the night.13
Existing operations, per St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad, October 2010.Although a careful read of "up to" make it obvious that they are stating a maximum as opposed to minimum level of service I take the statement to confirm (at that time) that SLR is/was still operating to B&M in Portland? I can't think of any other customers they might have in that area. I know we've talked about this from time to time.
3.2.4 Yarmouth Junction to Danville Junction (SLR)2. Danville Junction to Auburn Intermodal Passenger Center
This 14 mile single track segment was originally a part of the St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad, but has
recently been acquired by the state of Maine.
Service. Between Yarmouth Junction and Danville Junction, the SLR operates up to two freight
trains per week. These trains operate during the night.13
Track & Right-of-Way. The railroad ROW width of the segment between the Yarmouth Junction
and Danville Junction is sufficient to accommodate a second track where it may be necessary.
However, the existing embankment or other railroad infrastructure may require modifications in
order to accommodate the second track or siding. Private residences and various commercial
enterprises share a border with the SLR ROW. The track in this segment is in a poor state of
repair and is maintained only to FRA Class I standards thereby restricting trains to speeds of up
to 10-15 miles per hour.
Signal. This segment of track does not have a signal system installed.
3.2.5 Danville Junction to Auburn Intermodal Passenger Center (SLR)3. Auburn Intermodal Passenger Center to Bethel
These two miles of railroad are heavily used as SLR has many customers in the area who use it to
facilitate operations into and out of the busy nearby Intermodal Freight Transfer Facility. This segment is
projected to see an increased volume with the recent improvements that were made at Danville Junction.
Service. Between Danville Junction and Auburn Intermodal Passenger Center, the SLR has
numerous train movements throughout the day. The SLR uses the multi-track portions of railroad
between Danville Junction and Auburn Intermodal Passenger Center to make up their road trains
and also for local switching operations and interchange with PAR.
Track & Right-of-Way. From Danville Junction to Auburn Intermodal Passenger Center, the
railroad ROW width is sufficient to accommodate a second track where it may be necessary. The
track is in a good state of repair and allows for train operation at Class II speeds.
Signal. There is a CTC signal system installed between Danville Junction and Auburn Intermodal
Passenger Center.
3.2.6 Auburn Intermodal Passenger Center to Bethel (SLR)4. Bethel to Montreal
This 42 mile segment includes the most heavily used segment of the St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad
as it serves both the trains traveling to and from the Intermodal Freight Transfer Facility and is home to
the SLR engine house at Lewiston Junction and the many freight customers located between the Auburn
Intermodal Passenger Center and South Paris. The railroad in this segment is maintained to allow for
FRA Class II freight speeds.
Service. Between the Auburn Intermodal Passenger Center area and Bethel, SLR operates four
trains per day – two locals servicing customers between South Paris and Auburn, and two road
trains operating between Danville Junction and St. Rosalie Junction, QC. These trains have no
scheduled time to operate, but primarily run at night. There are no passenger trains that operate
on this segment.
Track & Right-of-Way. Between Auburn Intermodal Passenger Center and South Paris most of
the ROW is approximately 45’ wide. In this segment of track, the track is in a good state of repair
and allows for train operation at FRA Class II speeds. Private residences, various commercial
enterprises, and recreational locations share a border with the SLR right-of-way.
From South Paris to Bethel, the existing railroad embankment is narrow and bordered in many
locations by wetlands. However, there are some locations where the existing embankment
widens to accommodate the two tracks that already exist. Like the previous segment, the track is
in a good state of repair and allows for train operation at Class II speeds. Private residences and
various commercial enterprises share a border with the SLR ROW.
Signal. This entire segment of track is all “dark” territory, meaning that there is no signal system.
Bridges. Starting in the early 1990's, the SLR began replacing obsolete non-controlled cooled rail
on its main line running from Portland, Maine through western Maine, the North Country of New Hampshire, and the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont to the Vermont - Quebec border through a
combination of private investment and state and federal grants. The main line rail in the State of
Maine has already been replaced and all but three miles of the rail have been replaced in
Vermont.
The state of New Hampshire was recently awarded a Transportation Investment Generating
Economic Recovery (TIGER) II Grant for rail upgrades in the state. The upgrades proposed for
this project will replace 20.6 miles of rail with continuous welded, control-cooled rail that allows for
larger-size 286,000 pound rail cars thus completing a rail corridor project that began a decade
ago.16 As a result of this upgrade, it is assumed that all bridges between Auburn and Bethel will
be able to accommodate passenger trains operating at higher than freight speeds (FRA Class III
minimum).
3.2.7 Bethel to Montreal (SLR/SLQ and CN Railroads)Although it makes for a long post we have discussed a lot of this in the past. Now it will always be available for future reference.
As previously mentioned, the SLR is presently upgrading its existing track in Coos County, New
Hampshire and Essex and Orleans Counties in Vermont. The upgrades will complete the series of
infrastructure investments initially started in the early 1990s to increase the safety, capacity and reliability
of the SLR mainline. These upgrades will increase the weight of cars that can operate over the track from
typical the 265,000 pound railcars up to 286,000 pound railcars.
Service. Like existing freight services between Auburn and Bethel, only two road trains operate in
this segment on a daily basis.
A mix of 20 intercity VIA (the Canadian Rail operator) and AMT (Agence Métropolitaine de
Transport) commuter trains use the segment of track between St. Rosalie Junction and St.
Lambert. Up to 22 trains per day operate between St. Lambert and Gare Centrale.
Track & Right-of-Way. Between Bethel and St. Rosalie Junction the railroad embankment
appears wide enough to accommodate only the existing tracks. Like the other previous segments,
the track is in a good state of repair and allows for train operation at FRA Class II speeds. Private
residences, various commercial enterprises and recreational locations (e.g. golf courses) share a
border with the SLR ROW.
Between St. Rosalie Junction and Montreal, the Canadian National (CN) mainline has at least two
tracks with a ROW embankment of at least 40’ in width. Track is maintained for Class V speeds
(89 mph).
Signal. With the exception of Danville Junction and St. Rosalie Junction, the SLR and SLQ do
not have a CTC signal system installed. Between St. Rosalie Junction and Montreal, the railroad
has a CTC signal system.
Bridge Upgrades. Like with service from Auburn to Bethel, it is assumed that the recent track
and bridge upgrades allowing for freight operation of 286,000 pound railcars will be sufficient to
allow passenger rail service between Bethel, ME and St. Rosalie Junction, Quebec to operate at
increased speeds. It is also assumed that since the railroad between St. Rosalie and Montreal is
used by existing passenger and commuter rail services, that no upgrades are required in this
segment.