Pan Am Railways (PAR) Maintenance of Way (MoW) Activity

[CN9634]

This is not Pan Am or Amtrak— this is MaineDOT FASTLANE Grant $$ to expand the “intermodal” facility. There was a 5-pack of wells sitting in the pen for almost a year that was just pulled to make room for a project cargo move of airplanes to (or from I can’t remember) Europe. The airplanes, in pieces and wrapped, are currently stored in the pen.

See the FASTLANE grant project here, sorry to say but this is a another great use of Government $$ (sarcasm of course) https://www.maine.gov/mdot/grants/tiger ... rative.pdf

[Dick H]

PAR Completing Royal Junction Work Next Week
https://amtrakdowneaster.com/service-alerts

[CPF363]

How will the interlocking at Royal Jct. be configured when all is said and done? Looks like there is a new cross over just east of Greely Road that would allow moves from the new track on to the Freight Main Line (Back Road). Is there an effort to extend the new track to the east of the switch to the Freight Main Line or even further up the Lower Road?

[BM6569]

When was this project originally supposed to be finished?

[gokeefe]

Earlier this summer was one deadline. Given all the challenges I think they've done well.

[690]

Bulletin order 4-12B was put out putting the new #2 in service between CPF185 and CPF189. Another interesting change is the old #2 between CPF192 and CPF194 has been redesignated as a controlled siding, and the former #1 is now single track.

[newpylong]

The change to CS is interesting - I don't remember any hand throws off that?

[690]

Nope, there aren't any (and never were as far as I know). Not sure the rationale behind that move, but I'm sure it was done for some specific niche reason.

How will the interlocking at Royal Jct. be configured when all is said and done? Looks like there is a new cross over just east of Greely Road that would allow moves from the new track on to the Freight Main Line (Back Road). Is there an effort to extend the new track to the east of the switch to the Freight Main Line or even further up the Lower Road?

There's an equilateral switch at CPL1, and an equilateral switch at CPF189 (both are limited speed turnouts for the diverging route (the left hand route)), then there's a crossover between CPF185, and Greeley Road, from Tk 1 to Tk 2. Now you can do the following routes:

Single - Tk 1
Single - Tk 2
Controlled siding - Tk 1
Controlled siding - Tk 2
Brunswick Branch - Tk 1
Brunswick Branch - Tk 2

Presumably for Amtrak they will try to route them from Brunswick Branch - Tk 1 for westbounds, and Single - Tk 2 for eastbounds, to keep them moving along, and not have them slow for the interlocking.

[jamoldover]

With the change to CS between CPF192-CPF194, did the speeds change? Also, what's the allowed speed on the new #2 (Royal Jct siding)?

[Trinnau]

There's an equilateral switch at CPL1, and an equilateral switch at CPF189 (both are limited speed turnouts for the diverging route (the left hand route))

An equilateral turnout has the same speed on either route. This used to be a higher-speed (70 to 60) straight-rail move toward the Brunswick Branch. With left-handed limited speed routes on the new siding then it drops speeds to 45mph at one end or the other no matter which routing you take. Sure NNEPRA wants the siding for capacity but to force a drop to 45mph doesn't make sense. Of course the freight trains don't care. But I'd take another look and see if they're not just regular limited speed turnouts or if they are equilateral with higher speeds than you think.

[markhb]

There's a rail-mounted front-end loader doing leaf removal and post-winter cleanup between PTD 6 and 8 (old CPF 192-194 in Portland) this afternoon. Pretty entertaining to watch.

[markhb]

Wasn't the plan to remove that overhead bridge to allow doublestacks? Is that still going to happen?

I realize you asked this years ago, but I just noticed it. So far as I know, yes, the overpass on the upper part of Cassidy Point Road in Portland is still slated for removal. HOWEVER, it has been so for over a decade, and the only related item I could find in the MaineDOT work plans was preliminary engineering work that was budgeted in 2022. And now, I wonder how urgent it is for CSX, given that 1) they want to build a new Intermodal ramp at Rigby, and 2) removing that bridge really only gets them double-stack capability going northward to STL, CP and the Irving lines. Southbound, there are several more obstacles between Rigby and Ayer, including the passage under the I-495 interchange near Haverhill, Mass., which looks like it would be hugely expensive to raise.

[F74265A]

Just curious- where did you see or hear that csx plans to go forward with an intermodal ramp at rigby?

[markhb]

It has been mentioned many times in the Portland Waterfront thread in New England Railfan (in conjunction with disuse of the undersized and awkward facility at the container port). That's my only source, though.

[F74265A]

I have thought that waterville might be the location of an IM yard north of worcester
Portland seems too close to the worcester ramp