Final Customers - Boston Area

[craven]

Thank You for clearing that up...I know the B725 delivers the scrap cars from Southern MA.to Framingham in the AM.

So instead of running the Scrap cars East directly through the Grand Jct, via the B&A, CSX moves these West to Ayer. Then Pan AM moves these East to Everett ?/ Sounds like a inefficient costly way to move scrap around.

[roberttosh]

Heard unofficially, that the transfer of Everett to PAR was part of a deal between PAR, CSX and Mass DOT
that involves the PAR Worcester/Ayer mainline (ownership to MDOT, operation to CSX). CSX has a daily job
called B728 which takes SEPO/POSE up and down instead of a PAR crew.

D

Wonder if the State or CSX will rebuild the line?

[GP40MC1118]

Basically all ex-CSX Everett traffic goes on Q426/SEPO to Ayer and beyond. Not sure,
but the Everett traffic likely gets set off in Lowell or Lawrence for LA-2 or BO-1 to
take to the Big City.

In another development, a new job rumored to be starting soon will be BO-2 to handle Everett work.

D

[craven]

To confirm my point, instead to the straight shot on the B&A through the Grand Jct. to Everett (10 - 15) miles,
Now they route it West then North then East (50-75) miles and handle it three (3) times.

I know, THEY make the rules....sometimes not with efficiencies in mind. That's called Government Spending!

[Trinnau]

Not exactly correct. All the traffic comes to the Boston area from Selkirk, so there is no "westward" move - the origin isn't Framingham. Instead of being blocked out of Selkirk on the Framingham train (Q436 I think) it now goes on the Pan Am train (Q426), hanging a left at Worcester instead of continuing straight to Framingham.

In rough terms, Worcester to Boston is about 45 miles via the B&A and via Ayer-Lowell is about 68 miles. So you're looking at an increase of about 20-25 miles.

Unless, of course, anything off the South Shore happens to be destined for Everett. Not familiar with that, but I think the material isn't the same so it's headed to points west.

[bostontrainguy]

Any possibility of an Ayer to Everett direct turn? There also are a couple of new customers on the Fitchburg line east of Ayer right?

[Trinnau]

Not likely. Ayer is PAS, Boston-area is PAR as. Lowell or Lawrence it will be, all the Boston-area traffic is served from either of those two points.

[newpylong]

Thank You for clearing that up...I know the B725 delivers the scrap cars from Southern MA.to Framingham in the AM.

So instead of running the Scrap cars East directly through the Grand Jct, via the B&A, CSX moves these West to Ayer. Then Pan AM moves these East to Everett ?/ Sounds like a inefficient costly way to move scrap around.

Ever seen a piece of rusty steel in a rush to get somewhere?

[newpylong]

Heard unofficially, that the transfer of Everett to PAR was part of a deal between PAR, CSX and Mass DOT
that involves the PAR Worcester/Ayer mainline (ownership to MDOT, operation to CSX). CSX has a daily job
called B728 which takes SEPO/POSE up and down instead of a PAR crew.

D

Wonder if the State or CSX will rebuild the line?

The State. There are talks of a connection at Clinton again for a north south move but most think that's pie in the sky.

[bostontrainguy]

Any possibility of an Ayer to Everett direct turn? There also are a couple of new customers on the Fitchburg line east of Ayer right?

Can I re-ask this question now that I saw this on another site:

Qualifying-Extra at Concord
Pan Am ran a "Qualifying-Extra" from Ayer to Boston via the Fitchburg Railroad today. Here, the lite engine passes the former Boston & Maine depot/switch tower on their way to Boston. December 12, 2018

[Arborwayfan]

THEY make the rules.... That's Government Spending.

I would put this another way: Passenger traffic needs most of the capacity of the eastern end of the B&A and of the various lines and yards just north of North Station, so freight traffic goes around. Seems to me that even a profitable private passenger railroad that owned the Boston trackage might have made the same decision, particularly if the freight traffic was in relatively short trains and the ROW had been chopped down by highway construction in the past so that a third track was not possible.

[BandA]

Remember the fairly recent past, the B&A has no freight because of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority and Harvard University, and the need of the state to paper over / cover up the exploding cost of the Big Dig. Beacon Park was pretty full of freight, Houghton Chemical was happy, there was a steel company & fluid transload, and about the same number of passenger trains.

[bostontrainguy]

Someone recently posted a picture showing:

"The "Work-Extra" spent the weekend on the B&A Westbound behind Boston Engine Terminal in Somerville, MA. In the foreground is the severed "Willey Track" which once connected FX interlocking with Pan Am's Yard 8."

So I assume that the Yard 9/10 lead bypass is complete? Anyone been down there? Any pics of the new route? Does the east end allow full use of the wye to Everett/Reading (northeast) as well as to Lowell (westward)?

[GP40MC1118]

The new connection is not in service and won't be until the east half of the Washington Street bridge
replacement is completed. PAR either comes into Tower A or operates via the Western Route mainline.

D