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Discussion relating to commuter rail, light rail, and subway operations of the MBTA.

Moderators: sery2831, CRail

 #1505799  by Falmouth Secondary to Otis
 
Latest Update on Cohasset Narrows RR Bridge reconstruction. Third span now in place with tie installation in progress should be ready for Train passage by Wednesday, as that has been the schedule lately.
Attachments:
3rd span in place
3rd span in place
DSCF2578.JPG (1.55 MiB) Viewed 2458 times
3rd span in place
3rd span in place
DSCF2581.JPG (1.59 MiB) Viewed 2458 times
 #1505814  by malbojah
 
Falmouth Secondary to Otis wrote:Latest Update on Cohasset Narrows RR Bridge reconstruction. Third span now in place with tie installation in progress should be ready for Train passage by Wednesday, as that has been the schedule lately.
I hope Yarmouth Transfer Station can make it to Wednesday. I know nothing went through on Friday as the 3rd span was missing @ 330am
81RYyO.jpg
81RYyO.jpg (151.4 KiB) Viewed 2435 times
 #1505818  by Falmouth Secondary to Otis
 
As long as Mass Coastal has provided Yarmouth & Otis transfer stations with enough empty cars they should make it. Also there is a possibility they may be able to run a train sooner than Wednesday, depending on weather conditions & work progress.
 #1505999  by Falmouth Secondary to Otis
 
Mass Coastal just passed through Pocasset / Cataumet @ 1:30 PM on its way out to Otis, so Cohasset Narrows Bridge is passable today. I would think that Yarmouth must have had a delivery / pick up as well.
 #1506420  by Falmouth Secondary to Otis
 
Drove by Cohasset Narrows Bridge this morning and due too the High winds the past few days the 4th span hasn't been installed yet. The crane is off the bridge waiting for the weather / wind conditions to improve.
 #1506883  by Falmouth Secondary to Otis
 
Stopped by Cohasset Narrows Bridge today and looks like contractor is getting ready to resume steel work as new beams are staged at the marina parking lot. 2 spans to complete and should be ready for the Cape Flyer season next month.
Attachments:
2 spans to go
2 spans to go
DSCF2589.JPG (1.6 MiB) Viewed 1850 times
New Steel ready to install
New Steel ready to install
DSCF2590.JPG (1.63 MiB) Viewed 1850 times
 #1506891  by Safetee
 
I see that the beams didn't travel by rail. Of course, there is no doubt that the Mass Coastal is overburdened with too much freight on the Cape lines.
 #1506972  by Falmouth Secondary to Otis
 
JF White Contracting is the awarded bidder for the project and MassDOT is overseeing it, not Mass Coastal RR. You would have to ask either one why they chose to have the steel beams delivered to the site by truck, instead of by the RR. Probably was the best option for transportation cost and delivery flexibility, depending on where they were actually made. Could have easily been delivered by rail and staged along ROW, but JF White or MassDOT decided otherwise for some reason.
Last edited by CRail on Fri Apr 26, 2019 10:41 pm, edited 1 time in total. Reason: Unnecessary nesting quotes removed. Do not use the "quote" button as a reply button.
 #1506977  by Safetee
 
The point is that supposedly there is hardly any freight left on the Cape lines. I am quite sure that if JF White and or the state had requested that the few cars of steel needed for the project be moved by rail, very few people would have gotten pregnant in the process.
 #1506990  by Falmouth Secondary to Otis
 
The Cape lines freight traffic is SEMASS trash from Yarmouth 6 days a week / C&D debris from Otis 2 - 3 times per week / Occasional tank car to the Canal power plant / sometimes Eversource large transformer deliveries / rare Military shipments to Otis. Rest of traffic is Seasonal Cape Cod Central scenic / dinner trains & Cape Flyer. To me it really doesn't matter how the steel was delivered as long as the Bridge is constructed correctly and done on time to ensure safe RR passage into the future.
 #1506993  by Safetee
 
The point of having a Bay Colony or a Mass Coastal in place on the cape is to promote moving freight by rail. That is an official mass dot objective. Granted the ultimate objective may be to have all the Cape lines eventually become MBTA operated for commuter passenger service with a freight carrier in place. But the thinking behind having rail freight carriers in place today and tomorrow is to take freight off the highways and put it on the rails.
 #1507006  by Falmouth Secondary to Otis
 
Taking freight off the Canal bridges and highways and putting it on rails is certainly a priority needed to address traffic congestion issue's, seeing that just about everything that gets delivered to the Cape comes by truck. The problem is that Cape Rail upgrades need to be continued as outlined in the State Rail plan and more for that to happen. For example the Falmouth Secondary & Otis industrial track while usable, are in tough shape with planned upgrades in the years ahead. There are customers who have expressed interest in establishing a regional salt supply & Lumber delivery along with other freight unloading out on Otis, but nothing has resulted in that to date. In addition there are no present existing facilities beyond current users to accept freight deliveries, which would have to be addressed as well. Cape freight rail development needs to be promoted, but haven't seen any signs of it happening.
Last edited by CRail on Fri Apr 26, 2019 10:41 pm, edited 1 time in total. Reason: Unnecessary quote removed.
 #1507030  by GP40MC1118
 
While it would be great to see more freight other than the trash/C&D traffic, I think its just not going to happen. In the case of lumber, most of the
smaller lumber operations are gone, replaced by larger regional distribution centers the likes of Home Depot (Bloomfield, Ct, RT128), Lowes (western
Mass on the PVRR) and National Lumber (Mansfield). In our area, I can only think of Dartmouth Building Supply and Coheno (Canton) or whoever is in
the old Trask siding outside of Middleboro on the Cotely/Middleboro main. DBS is hardly consistent on receiving cars and lately its usually gypsum board.

Salt? If the Saltine Warrior proposal in Fall River gets steam, then its boat to truck.

Don't get me wrong, I support freight service, but S.E.Mass would be dead if not for C&D shipments and scrap. The region has no stomach for any
industry that would attract rail service - take the recent dust-up in New Bedford over Parallel Products expansion with rail in the industrial park. And
surprise, surprise, they are C&D shippers! Or the dust up over Excel in Freetown (scrap, again). Speaking of Freetown, a wonderful site with current
rail sidings next to Excel is largely going over to a marijuana growing facility! (This where the former Weyerheuser site was).

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 #1507046  by Falmouth Secondary to Otis
 
Saltine warrior has proposed establishing a regional salt supply on or adjacent to the Otis transfer station property and Falmouth Lumber has asked the UCRTS managers for use of the unused siding to the large paved area for unloading of lumber over the last 2 years. But no action has been taken on any of that to date that I know of. Would be at least a start of increased use if it ever happens. Certainly the condition of the Falmouth secondary & Otis industrial track needs to be upgraded which is slowly being addressed by the State rail plan.

Once I get a rail connection, I could move salt by rail to Cape Cod,” Pearson said. “There is no place on the Cape to pile salt and the Cape needs salt.”

http://www.heraldnews.com/news/20171221 ... salty-city" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
 #1507107  by GP40MC1118
 
Curious nothing about reopening the mainline from Ferry Street to Gold Medal (and Saltine Warrior) has
happened since the IRAP award. Well, nothing except weed wacking. At this rate, the weeds and trees
will be making a serious comeback.

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