pbhill wrote:The tracks have been buried under a few feet of snow all winter. No trains running at all. Only snowmobiles. What's up with this?The only active customer, Cousineau Warehouse, is no longer receiving pulp shipments by rail becasue Madison Paper switched suppliers, and the new supplier chooses to deliver the pulp itself directly to the plant in Madison, using NEPW Logistics (ANR&P Newsletter).
Railroad Forums
Abandoned PAR line to reopen (North Anson/Embden)
- 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
cpf354 wrote:sad...pbhill wrote:The tracks have been buried under a few feet of snow all winter. No trains running at all. Only snowmobiles. What's up with this?The only active customer, Cousineau Warehouse, is no longer receiving pulp shipments by rail becasue Madison Paper switched suppliers, and the new supplier chooses to deliver the pulp itself directly to the plant in Madison, using NEPW Logistics (ANR&P Newsletter).
Just wondering if anyone had any updated information on the service to North Anson? 4 miles of track rehabbed only for a few months of use... frustrating!
It takes real skill to choke on air, fall up the stairs and trip over nothing. I have those skills.
Forgot all about the poor old North Anson track. I haven't read or heard anything to say anything has changed in the past year. They plowed out the branch as far as Madison after the last snow storm, I know that. That's the trouble with rail freight; it's so fickle.
I live about twenty minutes from North Anson but haven't been there in a few weeks. The last time I drove through, the rails were covered with snow. There was some activity last fall and perhaps during the early winter, but not since.
Local folk have told me that PanAm's original plan to reopen the line to Embden has been scrapped, primarily because it would involve either rebuilding a portion of the Cross Town Road to accommodate a grade crossing or putting in an overpass. The road was paved after the rails were removed in 1979, with the result that the ROW is about eight feet lower than the road. Hence PanAm has decided to continue trucking gravel from its Embden pit.
Local folk have told me that PanAm's original plan to reopen the line to Embden has been scrapped, primarily because it would involve either rebuilding a portion of the Cross Town Road to accommodate a grade crossing or putting in an overpass. The road was paved after the rails were removed in 1979, with the result that the ROW is about eight feet lower than the road. Hence PanAm has decided to continue trucking gravel from its Embden pit.
bwparker1 wrote:http://www.trains.com/content/dynamic/a ... 7amyab.asp?Broken link. Can you provide a brief summary?
It made the Trains.com newswire, so maybe this will actually happen!!
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trainsinmaine wrote:Local folk have told me that PanAm's original plan to reopen the line to Embden has been scrapped, primarily because it would involve either rebuilding a portion of the Cross Town Road to accommodate a grade crossing or putting in an overpass. The road was paved after the rails were removed in 1979, with the result that the ROW is about eight feet lower than the road. Hence PanAm has decided to continue trucking gravel from its Embden pit.I'll bet they wanted to reopen the line to the Embden pit because of this:
TRACK IMPROVEMENTS $22.1 million(emphasis added)
The first work element of the Project is the replacement of decades-old jointed rail
with new continuously welded rail (CWR). NNEPRA conducted public bid processes
for track materials and the CWR contract was awarded to L.B. Foster of Allentown, PA,
whose CWR mill is in Columbia City, Indiana. The first shipment of rail will be unloaded
beginning in Brunswick on August 2, 2010 and Pan Am will begin installation on August
16, 2010. The new rail will be placed on new tie plates, provided by Unitrac based in
Knoxville, Tennessee, and fastened using new spikes and new anchors provided by
Harmer Steel Products based in Portland, Oregon.
Approximately one third of the ties (more than 33,000) between Portland and
Brunswick will be replaced as part of the project and 41,900 tons of ballast will be
spread throughout the corridor to secure the new track. As a result of public bid
processes, ties will be provided by Perma Treat of Durham, Connecticut, and ballast
will be provided by Pan Am from their quarry in Embden, Maine and by Pike Industries
of Westbrook, Maine.
This is from the DOWNEASTER EXPANSION PROJECT OVERVIEW (download from http://www.amtrakdowneaster.com/expansion-project).
Any news on whether Pan Am is pursuing this line, or are they going to bring in 30 track-miles' worth of ballast by truck after all? It would be a shame if they couldn't bring it in by rail.
Formerly of Pittsfield and Waterville (Maine), New York City, Montréal, and San Francisco.
On a side note, guess who owns Perma treat in CT?
No I do not know if they are doing work up there and I haven't been up that way in quite some time either.
No I do not know if they are doing work up there and I haven't been up that way in quite some time either.
I was driving south by the quarry two days ago and a dumptruck pulled out of there ahead of me. The top was covered with a tarp, so I couldn't tell what it was hauling --- I presume it had to be either ballast or dirt. I'm no longer in the area on a regular basis, so I don't know what's happening re the North Anson Branch.
Rebuilding that section of line would be really quite simple. It's only about a seven-mile stretch, if that; has only one curve of any consequence; it's almost a straight line to Embden. The existing roadbed, having been used by ATVs and snowmobiles for years, is graded, wide open and in good shape. The only two rinktums in the whole project would be what to do with the Cross Town Road crossing and the old crossing on Route 16 just east of the Carrabassett bridge. The former would require some fairly major work. The latter would simply mean raising the present highway three feet or so where the RR used to cross.
Rebuilding that section of line would be really quite simple. It's only about a seven-mile stretch, if that; has only one curve of any consequence; it's almost a straight line to Embden. The existing roadbed, having been used by ATVs and snowmobiles for years, is graded, wide open and in good shape. The only two rinktums in the whole project would be what to do with the Cross Town Road crossing and the old crossing on Route 16 just east of the Carrabassett bridge. The former would require some fairly major work. The latter would simply mean raising the present highway three feet or so where the RR used to cross.
Article about the Embden quarry in the latest issue of the Pan Am Clipper:
Pan Am Clipper wrote:With imminent rail service to and from the quarry, Pan Am Railways can look forward to further growthRead more at: http://www.panamrailways.com/xpress/2011q1.pdf
and expansion into markets such as highway asphalt, stone dust and other appliances in the years to
come. It is the dawn of a new Stone Age.
MEC407
Moderator:
Pan Am Railways — Boston & Maine/Maine Central — Delaware & Hudson
Central Maine & Quebec/Montreal, Maine & Atlantic/Bangor & Aroostook
Providence & Worcester — New England — GE Locomotives
Moderator:
Pan Am Railways — Boston & Maine/Maine Central — Delaware & Hudson
Central Maine & Quebec/Montreal, Maine & Atlantic/Bangor & Aroostook
Providence & Worcester — New England — GE Locomotives
Where in Embdan is this quarry located and do they still service the customer in North Anson?
It takes real skill to choke on air, fall up the stairs and trip over nothing. I have those skills.
I dunno MEC, reading from that Pam-Am clipper link, it doesn't seem rail service is all THAT imminent:
"The Maine Central Railroad had retired the seven miles of road bed between North Anson and Embden in 1975, so, until the tracks are reinstated within the next few years..."
"The Maine Central Railroad had retired the seven miles of road bed between North Anson and Embden in 1975, so, until the tracks are reinstated within the next few years..."
trainsinmaine,
>>The only two rinktums in the whole project ...
rinktums?
PBM
>>The only two rinktums in the whole project ...
rinktums?
PBM
I'm going to wager a guess, rinktums-a problem, issue, wrench in the works, or something that makes you say "bummer" though I've never heard the word before myself.
I believe the Cross Town Road crossing is the one buried under about 10 feet of gravel, rock and pavement. This would definitely be a "bummer" moment.
I believe the Cross Town Road crossing is the one buried under about 10 feet of gravel, rock and pavement. This would definitely be a "bummer" moment.
KSmitty wrote:I'm going to wager a guess, rinktums-a problem, issue, wrench in the works, or something that makes you say "bummer" though I've never heard the word before myself.depends on who you are and who is responsible for making the tracks passable again.
I believe the Cross Town Road crossing is the one buried under about 10 feet of gravel, rock and pavement. This would definitely be a "bummer" moment.
That being said 10' of fill is about the best case scenario ( as simple as bridge construction gets) for installing a road over pass assuming the town will allow the road to be closed for a few weeks.