Railroad Forums
F-line to Dudley via Park wrote:Scaling up the transload biz is more money in CSX's pocket at N. Grafton interchange so new-revenue initiatives take first priority over the flat revenue from transferring the Franklin-Milford customers. The deal is still very much on, as G&U has secured overhead trackage rights from the MBTA from Franklin Jct. to Walpole Jct. & CSX Walpole Yard and will get its locomotives equipped with PTC by the T for running between Forge Park and Walpole. But it's been pushed out at least till 2018 because profits take precedence on both sides of the transaction.Does the G&U plain to reconstruct the track in Milford by Vernon St to allow a continuous run beyond Milford (a wye), or is it just going to be a switch back operation, using the original alignment?
As for the Hopedale bridge and remaining lengths of track...that'll all be a fast job they can rip out in 6 weeks to 2 months tops if the W. Upton & Hopedale restoration pace vs. remaining mileage is any measure. All of the grade crossings (including Driveway Guy's private crossing) are already long done and they've cleared out the junction of all vegetation. The only work they have left off their own property lines that requires any advance scheduling of a local PD detail is the bridge jacking itself.
Ryanontherails wrote:So just to be clear, G&U will be buying the trackage rights from Walpole to Milford, but not the currently CSX-owned tracks themselves from Franklin Junction to Milford?Trackage rights only. The T has a purchase clause in its 1988 Milford Branch trackage rights agreement with Conrail for the Forge Park commuter rail extension that they can exercise at any time to buy up the full branch. Price was pre-negotiated in '88 indexed to inflation, so no haggling required. When the trackage rights outsource to G&U takes effect the state will trigger its purchase clause simultaneously to relieve CSX of the property.
b&m 1566 wrote: Does the G&U plain to reconstruct the track in Milford by Vernon St to allow a continuous run beyond Milford (a wye), or is it just going to be a switch back operation, using the original alignment?Not at this time. Would require a lot of power company negotiation and wetlands permitting, and there isn't going to be soooo much activity east of Hopedale that they can't make do with Milford & Franklin runarounds. They are getting rainy-day overhead rights on the T to Walpole Jct. @ the CSX yard if they ever need to outright wye the facing direction of one of their locos, so that need will be covered.
Edit: Speaking of switch back, it looks like CSX over shot the end of the track sometime in 2013ish. Maybe the tracks should have stayed in the road. Google image
