Hoosac Tunnel Discussion & News

[Engineer Spike]

With the Fitchburg upgrades, I'm surprised they didn't make West Main the new #1, #1 the new #2, and the present #2, and Camp for a runner and set out tracks. East of CPF AY, the old brook R.O.W. is available.

[newpylong]

The plan is to do something similar.

[B&Mguy]

Last weekend, my fiancée and I hiked Mount Greylock, and we were at the summit around noontime. We very distinctly heard the horn of a train that was near North Adams, and the way the sounds played out over the next several minutes, it sounded like it was heading east. We then headed into North Adams by way of Williamstown, and when we were almost in the downtown, we saw a freight train heading west at about 2:45. We then had a late post hike lunch at the Freight Yard Pub next to the tracks in North Adams (side note, fantastic burgers and great beer selection!) and after lunch, there was another train sitting just over the bridge at the site of the old depot. That train then started heading west around 3:45. Finally on our drive back east just east of the former Charlemont depot site we saw another westbound freight train and this was right around 4:30.

I always thought that traffic on this section of the main line was fairly low in recent years, especially on Sundays of holiday weekends. That Sunday four trains came through the area between noontime and 5. Is this traffic level typical for this line these days? Has there been a reason for the higher traffic levels, or did this just happen to be a busy day?

I was also at the Hoosac Tunnel a few weeks ago, and it was only maybe twenty minutes before a train came through right around 3. I hadn't been expecting to see anything so it was a nice surprise!

[newpylong]

Fright has decreased and intermodal has increased so overall traffic levels have been flat for quite a while.

[johnpbarlow]

Hoosac Tunnel should see minimum of 8 daily trains 7 days/week: 22K/23K intermodal, 28N/287 racks (mostly), RJED/EDRJ manifest, and 14R/11R manifest. A local also runs around N Adams and between N Bennington, VT and E Deerfield most days (I think). And then there are loaded/empty grain/coal/ethanol trains that run several times a month.

[BeastlyFX]

I’m curious to know what sort of trains run through North Adams and such? Does this line support ATCS? I’m thinking about setting up a station.

[Safetee]

Supposedly the Hoosac Tunnel has had some sort of problem that is causing traffic to be diverted over the Vermont Railway

[newpylong]

They are detouring around using the VRS.

This is at the West End, through the section we called the Car Wash due to dripping water. I am told the crown is damaged I would expect it to be a significant fix.

[NHV 669]

Supposedly the first one will head over the GMRC tonight, reaching BF around the time NECR 323 would normally arrive; then back down the B&R from Rutland to HJ. Will be interesting to see how they get those two trains plus the locals shuffled around, and coordinate power.

Edit: looks like the EDBF/11R combo is behind 323, which has just departed Brattleboro as of 1930. They passed E Northfield at 1842.

[newpylong]

The runaround in Rutland should be fun there is no double iron remotely long enough that I've seen.

[NHV 669]

NECR 323 is clear of the BF diamond as of 2000, here we go.

[Dick H]

The VTR built a siding along the GMRC after the top of the hill leaving Rutland to stage the slurry cars arriving from Florence during the week, which are moved as a unit train to Bellows Falls on Saturdays. I do not know the car capacity of that track, but that might be a possibility for the PAR runaround moves.

[Backshophoss]

Wonder if NS will send some of their tunnel engineering staff to figure on the proper fix for the fallen section of tunnel?

[newpylong]

Today ia a big day as the tunnel experts arrive on scene. They are concerned that the whole side could collapse due to the bricks all failing in that area.

[johnpbarlow]

FWIW (not much!), NS Corp web site references the partial tunnel collapse in a service alert:

Feb 12, 2020

Norfolk Southern’s partner, Pan Am Railways, has reported a partial wall collapse in the Hoosac Tunnel which affects all trains operating between Mechanicsville [sic], New York, and Ayer, Massachusetts. Pan Am Railway’s engineering department is evaluating the situation and Norfolk Southern will provide updates as they are available. Customers with traffic in the affected area should expect delays of at least 48 hours.

http://www.nscorp.com/content/nscorp/en ... ption.html

But the news link on Pan Am's corporate web site has the following: http://www.panamrailways.com/news

Meanwhile, industry publication Railway Track & Structures labels Pan Am a "short line partner" in its headline adaptation of the NS service alert:

Norfolk Southern short line partner suffers partial tunnel wall collapse

https://www.rtands.com/freight/norfolk- ... -collapse/