Franklin Line Discussion

[charding]

...two more photos...

UNION-ST-Perce-Photo-A-sm-s4.jpg (1.06 MiB) Viewed 4721 times

UNION-ST-_C-print-sm-s-2.jpg (1.07 MiB) Viewed 4721 times

[Trinnau]

The high-frequency service envisioned by the Rail Vision project doesn't work well with any kind of single-track. The press release from November indicates phase 3 will create a "fully double-tracked line" so maybe they will do something with the bridge? Or they're just leaving out the "small detail" of it.

[The EGE]

We're likely to see changes around Walpole junction with the DT work, and it looks likely that Walpole station will be rebuilt as well. (With Natick Center and Winchester Center both under construction, it's the highest-ridership station that's not accessible.*) Given that the MBTA has indicated willingness to do gauntlet tracks (Winchester Center is getting one), it may be possible to have two passenger tracks through the tunnel, plus a gauntlet for high freight.

*2018 count was 744 daily riders. Other >400/day stops that aren't accessible are Franklin (633), West Medford (628), Wellesley Square (626), and Wakefield (483).

[charding]

...first I have heard about rebuilding the Walpole Union Station...just was put on the National Registry of Historic Buildings as is...don’t want to mess that up...now a solution for the Foxboro trains is to put a loading point where the old Walpole Freight Station was between Elm St and Gilmore’s...but leave the resent Union Station alone...

[Backshophoss]

Does anybody have a track chart/plot plan to Walpole station/Jct/Crossings ?
could help figuring this station/location out.

[Trinnau]

Given that the MBTA has indicated willingness to do gauntlet tracks (Winchester Center is getting one), it may be possible to have two passenger tracks through the tunnel, plus a gauntlet for high freight.

I'm hearing there will no longer be a gauntlet track at Winchester Center, and that type of gauntlet would have been different and would still allow normal two-track passenger service with the gauntlet only for wide loads. Walpole, if not expanded, would probably be more similar to Waltham as a true single-track, though potentially a much shorter distance.

[johnpbarlow]

Here's June 2019 Google Earth aerial imagery of the track layout around the Walpole depot.

[ebtmikado]

Does anybody have a track chart/plot plan to Walpole station/Jct/Crossings ?
could help figuring this station/location out.

Google maps.

[Bill Reidy]

The New Haven Railroad 1915 valuation map can be found at https://collections.ctdigitalarchive.or ... :860062721

[Tom coughlin]

...actually, at one time the Franklin Line did extend to Blackstone...but a bridge out west of Franklin and cost to repair stopped the service...but a good idea...

Commuter service between Franklin and Blackstone ended in 1966 for funding reasons at a time when the New Haven was dropping all non-subsidized Boston trains. Blackstone was outside the MBTA district and no alternative funding mechanism was available. The line west of Franklin remained active for freight until Penn Central killed it in 1969.

...and for years, Franklin was outside of the MBTA district and had to contract for service to their station on their own. This was so annotated in the timetables at the time.

Tom Coughlin
Stow, MA

[jamoldover]

As part of the double tracking effort, is the MBTA re-mileposting the line? The 2016 track chart I have shows mileposts starting at 9 in Readville (located at the signal bridge for READ interlocking on the Shore Line), and continuing up through 30 in Forge Park, but a data query of the FRA's grade crossing database last week shows all of the bridges renumbered to start with MP 0 in Readville (located in the middle of HILL interlocking on the Dorchester Branch). None of the at-grade crossings have been renumbered - just the bridges, even if they're outside the area of the double-tracking project.

While changing the mileposts to start from a different location isn't unheard of, it is somewhat unusual (although it does appear that the MBTA has done the same thing on the Dorchester Branch to renumber everything from Boston South Station (0.0) > Readville (9.0) instead of using mileposts matching the Shore Line that were established when the line was rebuilt back in the 1980's as part of the Southwest Corridor project).

Thanks.

Joshua

[johnpbarlow]

Took a brief tour of the double tracking project between Franklin and Norwood on Sunday 9/13/20 and it appears to me that not much progress or work is going on but I could be wrong. It looked like there was some sort of work going on near Franklin but no track has been laid at Norfolk nor are any materials (eg, ties) stockpiled. The rte 115 crossing signals haven't been relocated to allow for a 2nd track. The RoW for the 2nd track does look to be cleared and graded. Revere Bus was providing service as trains were cancelled. Has work on this project slowed down? It was supposed to be completed by December 2020 - 3 months from now.

[The EGE]

Foxboro service is being discontinued with the November 2 service changes, with plans to resume in 2021. It was getting hammed by COVID and reliability issues, so no surprise there.

[charding]

....bet it never resumes...

[johnpbarlow]

Bumping thread with photos of double track project at Norfolk as of 8/25/21. Net: looks like the project is in hibernation with no sign of active work going on Wednesday. Looking west a stretch of unconnected 2nd track is lying along the ROW west of the Main St overpass with a control point signal gantries erected. Looking east there is nothing new to report as crossing gates have yet to be moved to accommodate the 2nd track. And even though the turnout and switch machine are installed, the signal heads are turned away so I'm wondering if that long installed piece of 2nd track is in regular use. Lastly the track in use at the Norfolk station has brand new welded rail sitting on plastic ties making it look like 1 foot to 12” scale Atlas flex track! Here's a photo of a stack of these plastic ties - is the MBTA experimenting with these or are these the new normal?