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  • Readville Bridge Construction

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

Moderators: sery2831, CRail

 #1398812  by F-line to Dudley via Park
 
Not on the weekend it won't. CSX does run extras to Readville on Saturdays to mop up stuff it didn't finish on Friday, but it's not mission-critical or anything that can't wait until Monday morning when the bridge is back in service. Worst-case scenario if it's not totally ready to carry train traffic Mon., they can back onto the NEC crossovers and access the yard that way.
 #1401988  by MarkB
 
There's been a big crane sitting by the new bridge, waiting to roll up a new ramp to the upper track lever and lift up the bridge. But I've been wondering how that crane would get the bridge over the tracks and into place. Wednesday night I took a walk into Readville from Dedham, and when I was half-way over the Sprague st bridge, I suddenly realized there was a really big crane towering over the bridge. This crane could pick up the other one and throw it to the top of Great Blue Hill. I've definitely going to have to take a day off to rubberneck this job.
 #1404391  by Narrowgauger
 
LR-1750.jpg
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This is the type of crane at Readville. It is quite a sight to see. I hope we can find out when the replacments will happen!
Ted
 #1404502  by ohalloranchris
 
Last I heard was sometime in November. I'm sure they want to get it done for the dead of winter. I would think we will receive plenty of warning in the form of disrupted service on the NEC (catenary etc.), unless they plan to do the heavy lifting overnight.
 #1404549  by MarkB
 
That looks like it, but this one actually has more counter-weights on the back. I counted 24 concrete blocks up top, and about 8 below. They're still adding pieces out of three storage trailers, and they're a long platform-thing that I suspect the bridge will hang from. The ramp they built to the upper level tracks doesn't look wide enough for those tracks, so I'm still puzzled how they'll pull it off.
 #1405143  by dottyperry
 
Rumor has it the bridge replacement will be Veteran's Day weekend. On site, there is a large crane and a small crane which was used to build the large crane. Another large crane is being brought in, pieces and boxes are between the replacement bridge and Sprague St. bridge. Most of the construction for the support for the new bridge has been completed, and the new bridge deck has been assembled. I live a mile from the project and have been taking pics and keeping an eye on the progress. Will try in the next week or so to get a definite date for the swap.
 #1407309  by ohalloranchris
 
I would assume this is so they can move the cranes into position or something along those lines. I don't think they would be swapping out the bridge without some sort of disruption to the NEC as well, but I could be wrong:

<<Shuttle buses will replace Franklin Line train service between Dedham Corporate Center and Readville Stations on Saturday, November 5th, and Sunday, November 6th, due to Shore Line Bridge Replacement in Hyde Park.

Due to Shore Line Bridge Replacement, buses will replace trains between Dedham Corporate Center and Readville Stations in both directions on the following dates:

- Saturday November 5th, 2016
- Sunday November 6th, 2016

Customers should allow additional travel time anticipating delays of approximately twenty (20) minutes.
The following trains will be affected:

Saturday - All
Sunday - All

The following stations will be affected:
Dedham Corporate Center
Endicott
Readville>>
 #1407362  by ohalloranchris
 
I rode through the area this morning on a train from Franklin, and it appeared that the massive crane has been moved up closer to the bridge location, and is now positioned between the Franklin Branch track and the track that crosses over the bridge being replaced. Also, the MBTA updated the shuttle bus alert to include trains late evening Friday, so perhaps this weekend is the big bridge replacement? No mention of NEC disruption, perhaps they can handle the heavy lifting overnight. It will be fun to watch if anyone has details on the planned timing of events.
 #1407404  by MarkB
 
I walked by the site yesterday, and saw the big crane in position. This photo looks past the smaller crane on the lower level to the larger one above and away. It's hard to tell from this photo. but the track on the larger crane is taller than a man.
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bridge 1.jpg
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 #1407476  by highgreen215
 
I wonder if Amtrak would run diesel over the Dorchester Branch to avoid the bridge replacement operation - swap diesel for electric further down the line.
 #1407481  by F-line to Dudley via Park
 
On a weekend in early November when nothing special is going on in Boston? Not likely. They'd run double-ended and shuttle-bus it from 128 station or bail out in Providence rather than have to a T engineer board at 128 to escort them over the Fairmount Line where there's no AMTK crews to be had out of D.C. or NYP who are qualified on that track (if anyone is at all it's probably just a couple Southampton Yard homebodies). If it were a weekday, Veteran's Day weekend a week from now, or the weekend before Thanksgiving it might be a different story...but this is a sufficiently dead spot on the calendar with softer-than-usual demand.


There's no service bulletins posted on the Amtrak website, so deck will have to have been cleared from the tracks by daybreak or else they would've announced something by now. Acela hasn't been cancelled either, so that means the wires will be turned on and Regionals also won't need to engine-switch to diesel at New Haven.
 #1407488  by nomis
 
Expect something fun on Friday's 178, and that should be all the interesting movements for the weekend.