New England Central Railroad (NECR)

[F-line to Dudley via Park]

NECR is recipient of $8.2M in new TIGER grant money for 286K upgrades in Connecticut.

http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut ... 0799.story" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Another $8.2 million will be used to install heavier rail and new ties on part of the New England Central Railroad's tracks in eastern Connecticut. That would vastly improve the rail link from New London to the Massachusetts line, potentially boosting freight business through New London's deep-water port.

Per the itemized list of NECR-related needs in the current edition of the Connecticut State Rail Plan (p. 208 of the PDF), that is about four-fifths of the estimated cost of all track and tie work needed end-to-end to support heavier loads end-to-end in the state. And certainly enough to completely finish everything on the highest-priority portion from Willimantic interchange to state line if there's any fundraising they still have left to do to get all the way down to the docks in New London. Grant does not include any specific detail about bridge work needed for 286K (estimated at $2.8M in the State Rail Plan). However, internal funding by G&W can probably float the remaining costs since the grant settles up a huge share of the necessary funding.

[etna9726b]

On a recent drive, my car GPS showed me a surprise a split in the NECR ROW, just north of Stafford, CT near Spellman road and Orcutt's Pond.
Today I checked Bing maps, and it shows the east-side leg as abandoned, with the west-side now the current ROW, joining back together a 1/2 mile north or so.

When was the eastside ROW abandoned in favor of a westerly route around the Willimantic River and forest ?

[dcm74]

On a recent drive, my car GPS showed me a surprise a split in the NECR ROW, just north of Stafford, CT near Spellman road and Orcutt's Pond.
Today I checked Bing maps, and it shows the east-side leg as abandoned, with the west-side now the current ROW, joining back together a 1/2 mile north or so.

When was the eastside ROW abandoned in favor of a westerly route around the Willimantic River and forest ?

It was relocated in the mid 60s due to construction of a flood control project.

[fl9m2004]

Would anyone know the schedule of the line by mansfield depot
Reason I'm asking is once when I went up there saw a train heading northbound

[trainsinmaine]

Word to the wise: Do not attempt to hike that abandoned ROW north of Stafford Springs. The north end, at least, is posted, but idiot that I am, one day a few years ago I parked my car and walked in a very short distance because my curiosity got the best of me. As I emerged back onto the road, the woman who owned (and may still own) the property on which it lies just happened to be driving by. She firmly but politely chewed me out. There's an old bridge, still standing, that carries the roadbed over a pond, and apparently its floor is sufficiently rotted so as to be hazardous. Because of this, she doesn't want anybody going near it.

[strangelyamused]

Pardon me if it has already been discussed, but i couldnt find anything. Im not too familiar with the NECR, but will e spending alot more time around amherst soon. Does anyone know what purpose the siding in belchertown just south of 202 serves? Sometimes i see cars laid up there and sometimes it is empty. Seems like such a wierd spot to leave trains. Also, any info on amherst would be appreciated. Are there any customers/yards/sidings left there?

[Safetee]

Belchertown sidng south of 202 used to be used for CN cement transloading. as far as i know, nothing left for customers in amherst.

[NYC27]

First reported by Eastern Rail News in March - NECR made official it's intentions to buy the Claremont-Concord yesterday. This is part of the fallout of their recent battle with PAS. They want to lock up this traffic.

http://www.stb.dot.gov/filings/all.nsf/ ... enDocument

[TomNelligan]

I'm familiar with the activity in Lebanon, but what if any freight business is left on the original Claremont & Concord line in Claremont? That was once a really neat operation with red 44-Tonners crossing covered bridges and tiptoeing slowly along the former interurban roadside trackage to West Claremont, but over the years it was progressively cut back to the current couple miles.

[NYC27]

CCRR customers are:

Claremont - LaValley Lumber and Eagle Leaf transfer (American Rock Salt, Beaudry Enterprise - fertilizer)
Claremont Jct. - scrap yard
W Lebanon - Carroll Concrete/Lafarge - cement , Rymes- propane, American Rock Salt, biodiesel transload.

I got my drivers license shortly after the street trackage was paved over - so I never got to see that line in action. My biggest regret as a railfan.

[newpylong]

They can have it, Pan Am interchanges barely anything with them. This outfit is really being childish over losing traffic, to Pan Am no less.

[rovetherr]

This outfit is really being childish over losing traffic, to Pan Am no less.

Indeed.

First reported by Eastern Rail News in March - NECR made official it's intentions to buy the Claremont-Concord yesterday. This is part of the fallout of their recent battle with PAS. They want to lock up this traffic

The problem with the thinking of "locking up" the traffic to the CCR is that most of their customers are fairly small and fairly mobile, ie transload operations. Or easily converted to transload. The reason they are with the CCR is customer service. You lose that local guy who will go to the mat for you when cars get lost/delayed, or need an extra switch at some weird hour without a lot of hassle, etc etc, and soon enough those types of customers will go where they can get that level of service.

[F-line to Dudley via Park]

What did they end up paying to buy out CCRR? Can't imagine they're worth very much.

[newpylong]

I don't know how they can buy them out at least up here in West Lebanon unless they just mean freight rights and rights to use. The state owns all of the land, the row, the old roundhouse, the transload, you name it.

[RonM]

I'm surprised this isn't being consummated under the G&W banner. I also wonder if the Alco switchers / Claremont Jct shop are part of the deal, though it doesn't seem likely?