P&W Ethanol Trains

[peconicstation]

OK, we all like watching trains, BUT..........................

On my last (2) trips crossing LI Sound on the Cross Sound Ferry, a VERY long P & W Freight of mostly tankers came rumbling through New London
causing huge back ups since the train blocks the road leading to and from the ferry.

Coming Southbound it was on the freight track, and Northbound it was on the Boston bound Amtrak track.

Where is the train going and coming from ??

Thanks

Ken


BTW The entire Cross Sound Ferry entry/exit road needs to be re-thought, as it backs up easily on it's own, let alone when a 30 plus car freight SLOWLY
rambles by.

[boatsmate]

First the train you saw was and ethonal extra, they are comming from the NECR New london there is a theard here about it. tehy come over form Groton (P&W tracks) and back into the yard in NL then when the are ready to depart they do jsut the opposite and cross the bridge back to groton to the P&W tracks. the train then runs to norwich and Plainfield and then on to worcester and form there on to Providnece. sometimes they do run direct to Providence over the NEC

[Cosmo]

Not to nitpick, but the NECR is on the NLON side of the river. The train comes South, loaded, from NY/VT and is dropped by it's power "in the hole" at NLON. The P&W power has to cross the AMTRAK bridge and back into the yard on the NLON side of the river to pick up it's train. By this point, the power is on the North end of the train, so they back the entire consist onto the NEC "see-saw" fashion, then once clear of the NECR lead, (or "freight track," as you correctly enough called it,) they can proceed northbound across the bridge and either up the river on the Groton side via the Navy base and all the way up to Worcester and back down the P&W line to PROV or straight up the NEC to PROV.
The latter move is usually avoided as AMTRAK charges P&W "per axle/per mile" for using the Corridor.
The preferred routing is from Willimantic to Plainfield then Worcester to PROV since this allows them to avoid the Corridor completely, but I beleive that route is currently unavailable to P&W until further work is done after the last derailment in Willimantic.

[BM6569]

OK, we all like watching trains, BUT..........................

On my last (2) trips crossing LI Sound on the Cross Sound Ferry, a VERY long P & W Freight of mostly tankers came rumbling through New London
causing huge back ups since the train blocks the road leading to and from the ferry.

Coming Southbound it was on the freight track, and Northbound it was on the Boston bound Amtrak track.

Where is the train going and coming from ??

Thanks
Ken

BTW The entire Cross Sound Ferry entry/exit road needs to be re-thought, as it backs up easily on it's own, let alone when a 30 plus car freight SLOWLY
rambles by.

hahaha, I know how that feels. About 13 years ago, I once missed the ferry as I was stuck at the crossing waiting for am Amtrak MOW train to come through! It was really cool to see and I'd love to see another as long as I don't miss the ferry! I love getting there early and then railfanning the trains that come by.

Warren

[MEC407]

Article in yesterday's Worcester Telegram & Gazette regarding ethanol trains, with a nice photo of PW 3906:

http://www.telegram.com/article/2011091 ... 0/business

[ccutler]

I saw some large cuts of ethanol tank cars while riding Amtrak through Providence today in a number of the yards. Looks like this traffic is healthy. Also, a long string of coal hoppers in the yard as well.

[MBTA F40PH-2C 1050]

I saw some large cuts of ethanol tank cars while riding Amtrak through Providence today in a number of the yards. Looks like this traffic is healthy. Also, a long string of coal hoppers in the yard as well.

that would be known as the P&W Receiving Yard, store coal and lime stone cars there, as well as extra ethanol if 2 trains show up close together, also the Ringling Brother's circus train gets stored there, and is currently there as of 5/6. Lately the ethanol trains have been coming over the CSX B&A mainline to Worcester and then travel to the Motiva unloading facility in near the port of Providence. IIRC, they can unload 20 cars at a time

[Pensey GG1]

I saw some large cuts of ethanol tank cars while riding Amtrak through Providence today in a number of the yards. Looks like this traffic is healthy. Also, a long string of coal hoppers in the yard as well.

that would be known as the P&W Receiving Yard, store coal and lime stone cars there, as well as extra ethanol if 2 trains show up close together, also the Ringling Brother's circus train gets stored there, and is currently there as of 5/6. Lately the ethanol trains have been coming over the CSX B&A mainline to Worcester and then travel to the Motiva unloading facility in near the port of Providence. IIRC, they can unload 20 cars at a time

Why did they stop going on the Canadian/VT/NECR/P&W route? Did CSX get their bids in line with the roundabout route?

[161pw165]

Today's ethanol train from Worcester to Providence came off the NECR, but more often than not they come via CSX.

[Cosmo]

All depends on which plant it's coming from out west.

[MBTA F40PH-2C 1050]

the last few ethanol trains have come via CSX on the B&A...IDK the origin point

[CN9634]

First NS ethanol train came in this past week via PAS.