"Up North" Gawking (District 1 sightings)

I thought Dead River only held a couple cars? Empties collecting for a couple weeks?

gokeefe wrote:That has got to be one of the longest trains they've run on those tracks in many years.

It certainly doesn't damage the argument that there would be demand for loads from propane dealers further down the line if it were extended.

Where further down the line? They've been letting empties collect on mainline trackage all around the system all winter. Look at the Salem/Peabody thread for how much one customer taking 3 at a time twice a week can clog a whole branch full of several dozen empties when the company just freaking gives up at moving cars. Unless this is evidence of potential for reciprocal double-digit loaded cars going in...a one-time move of a glut of empties during this particular winter of systemwide slop-ops hell says nothing about new business prospects or any change in carload counts at existing customers. Much less new business "further down the line" on the Foamersville portion of the Mountain that MEDOT can't quit like a drug.

newpylong wrote:I thought Dead River only held a couple cars? Empties collecting for a couple weeks?

DR expanded and from the street looks like can unload 6 or 8 at a time on 2 sidings

Interesting ... I didn't realize that they were letting things sit for so long.

festis wrote:

newpylong wrote:I thought Dead River only held a couple cars? Empties collecting for a couple weeks?

DR expanded and from the street looks like can unload 6 or 8 at a time on 2 sidings

Wow I see that now in Google Earth. 6 spots behind the fence, very cool.

3:30 PM, Monday, 3.13.17, Pan Am pulled out 15 propane cars and 8 misc (boxcars and slurry) from the the Mountain Branch to the main, heading west to Rigby.
S

Interesting about the apparent paper loads. That's way more in one shot coming out of the sappi mill in Westbrook than I can remember in a long time.

I'd wager those aren't from sappi, since they don't have any active tracks into a carbarn...

Most likely they were working Deering Jct, which has a bunch of warehouses, and dropped in on the Mountain on their way back to work Dead River. Plenty of other customers in Portland who get boxes. Just cuz a train is on the Mountain doesn't mean all cars came from there.

gokeefe wrote:Interesting about the apparent paper loads. That's way more in one shot coming out of the sappi mill in Westbrook than I can remember in a long time.

The outbound side of sappi hasnt seen a car in a very long time doubtful its from them.

Good points and that makes a lot more sense as well.

not a paper load out of Westbrook. Remember they need a spacer car for the hazmat propane cars, so most likely just an empty box.

It was described as 8 "misc" cars ... That's more than just spacers ... Not sure who else in Portland would be taking a slurry load either ...

Sprague gets boxcars in yard 8 and white tanks down i the tank farm don't they?

News to me if they do (white tank cars). Good point about the boxcars. I've definitely seen them at Merrill's.

gokeefe wrote:News to me if they do (white tank cars). Good point about the boxcars. I've definitely seen them at Merrill's.

Yard 6 loads slurry cars. Sapping unloads them. It's about the only thing sapping still takes. My guess is after working yard 6, yard 8 and Deering they went to work DR. That explains your "misc" cars. That explains why they were on the headpin. And why they were the Mountain.