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  • Guilford Rail System changed its name to Pan Am Railways in 2006. Discussion relating to the current operations of the Boston & Maine, the Maine Central, and the Springfield Terminal railroads (as well as the Delaware & Hudson while it was under Guilford control until 1988). Official site can be found here: PANAMRAILWAYS.COM.
Guilford Rail System changed its name to Pan Am Railways in 2006. Discussion relating to the current operations of the Boston & Maine, the Maine Central, and the Springfield Terminal railroads (as well as the Delaware & Hudson while it was under Guilford control until 1988). Official site can be found here: PANAMRAILWAYS.COM.

Moderator: MEC407

 #1365661  by F-line to Dudley via Park
 
YamaOfParadise wrote:Could be better talked about elsewhere, but is the NHHS work on the Springfield Line just leaving the track at 263k standard?
Connecticut River Bridge work isn't included with NHHS. That Windsor Locks-Enfield span needs a complete structural rebuild--akin to the Haverhill Merrimack River Bridge--for general SGR. And with all the movable bridges on the New Haven Line waiting their turn, it's not certain when funding would be available for that. That's the only blocker for 286K to Hartford Yard and the CSOR/CNZR interchange. Everything besides the river crossing is up-to-snuff. If the feds are feeling generous with later funding shots for NHHS, Inlands, etc. that one can go on the board. I just wouldn't expect it from the House this or next Congressional term when they can barely pass a continuing resolution.


South of Hartford Yard you have the matter of the weakened Hartford Viaduct. But that's way more complex because of all the I-84 rebuild alternatives that either relocate or not-relocate the station across the street. Impossible to make any decision on structural rehab until a final 84 design gets chosen. Pretty sure that's the only thing preventing 286K all the way to New Haven, as all other structures south of the viaduct are getting spiffed up right this second. Going to be a solid 15-year wait before anything heavyweight can travel south of Hartford due to complexity of the 84 project. NEC Shoreline does have full 286K Groton-New Haven, so I guess if PAS absolutely *had* to pass something big to a Cedar Hill customer they can launder it through P&W down its Groton main. Not that I could ever conceive of a scenario where that'd be necessary.
 #1393398  by F-line to Dudley via Park
 
Weight limits map was updated again recently: http://www.panamrailways.com/includes/t ... itsbig.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

PAS's glacial progress now has everthing North Adams-west and Gardner-east uprated to 286K, as well as E. Deerfield to Northfield on the Conn River. All else in the middle still languishing.


Some new head-scratchers on this revision:
-- Conn River on NECR is back down to 263K, after formerly being 286K. NECR is actively 286K in Vermont right now this second. Is this PAS weight restriction part of their whole STB spat with NECR?

-- MEC main from Danville to NMJ has now flipped to 286K after formerly being 263K. I get that Waterville-NMJ has the grant award for weight upgrades (though probably would be more accurate to call it "pending"), but what are they thinking down in speedo-city south of Waterville??? "Aw, screw it...we'll just split every other tie down the middle and go slower." How is that mainline segment in any way up-to-snuff for it?

-- Rumford and Hinckley Branches now "pending" for 286? Why? How? Rumford is in as garbage-condition as ever, with carloads not exactly close 21st century highs as the mills meander drawn down to varying greater or lesser degrees at something a bit less than full native production capacity. The Hinckley likewise gets zero maintenance, and loads at Sappi are year-to-year steady and flat as a board. Is this likewise an "Aw, screw it...the re-railer crews will be happy with the extra overtime" paper move?
 #1393402  by newpylong
 
Bridge structures are every bit as relevant, if not more relevant in determining tonnage allowances as the track condition itself. Remember a GP38/40 weighs 250,000 lbs already. It is much easier and less expensive to upgrade track to handle 286K if you have a line with bridges that can already accommodate it.
Last edited by newpylong on Mon Jul 18, 2016 12:03 pm, edited 3 times in total.
 #1393403  by F-line to Dudley via Park
 
Yes...and I understand bridges are what's slowing down Patriot Corridor and Conn River to the point where they aren't even quoting projected finish dates anymore on this map.


But where's this mythical track work on the Back Road and Rumford??? :P
 #1393414  by BostonUrbEx
 
F-line to Dudley via Park wrote:But where's this mythical track work on the Back Road and Rumford??? :P
There legitimately has been work in progress on the Rumford Branch. They've been working on a few of the minor bridges for sure.
 #1393453  by CN9634
 
Yes it has been happening. Mills want 60ft cars for 286K.... it helps lower their costs, a key for them these days (as opposed to raising revenues)
 #1474894  by BostonUrbEx
 
The weight map has been updated and reflects a date of April 2018 on it. I can't remember what the previous version looked like, but perhaps it was updated to reflect the Merrimack River Bridge Project's increased weight limit?

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/ ... temMap.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Also, the Rumford Branch is no longer showing as being upgraded to 286k! :(
 #1491117  by BostonUrbEx
 
The weight map has again been updated to reflect the latest news: http://www.panamrailways.com/286k-bridge" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

- 286k complete on the Hinkley Branch
- 286k complete on the Freight Main Line, making for 286k the entire way from Rotterdam Jct/Mohawk to Bangor/Northern Maine Jct

New map: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/ ... -Model.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
 #1491202  by CPF363
 
The Pan Am Southern picture is double track, was this photo taken east of Tyter or did they fix a another bridge in that area in addition to the one on the single track bridge replacement (Bridge #83.10) as the announcement stated the mainline track was thrown over to the unused second span of the bridge to enable the new bridge installation then the track was returned back to the original position on the new span.
 #1491211  by roberttosh
 
Would think the Rumford Branch would be the next 286K priority with all the expansion plans announced at Rumford and Jay.
 #1491235  by BostonUrbEx
 
It would absolutely make sense and was definitely in the works just a couple years ago, but I don't know where that project is at right now. It almost seems as though the work has stopped. I can't see Pan Am putting the investment into any other locations right now. One thing that catches my eye is the Freight Main east of Bangor, but I don't know if NBSR has 286k or not. If NBSR does, that might make sense if Pan Am can first line up a shipper that'll actually utilize the routing. MassDOT should, in my opinion, be working on a 286k routing into Boston (and maybe out to Salem/Peabody, too), but I don't know of any work on that front.