New Mass Rail Car Builder! (or not) - Vertex Rail Mfg

[CannaScrews]

AND with the proper zoning!

[KEN PATRICK]

google searches of worcester and wilmington, nc yielded no likely candidates. anyone have better luck? ken patrick

[BandA]

Worcester has plenty of industrial space that is either underutilized or unused, so I'm sure there is something available at relatively reasonable cost. Worcester has a reputation of having high property tax, with commercial (industrial?) classified property tax rate close to 150% of residential. Worcester has certainly lost most of its white collar jobs to areas with higher populations, better highway access or newer buildings. Manufacturing has steeply declined, as in all other cities in MA but possibly there is more holding on in Worcester than elsewhere. Obviously Worcester is conveniently about 1/2 hour from Mr Bigda's home. Ironically, North Brookfield has much lower cost locations for manufacturing, hence the appeal of restarting that railroad.

[Tower35]

As someone associated with several railroad interests, I'm sitting here shaking my head about the obsessive need by individuals to have to know everything. Everyone has to differentiate the many facets of the model railroad hobby, railfanning, and the industry itself. For instance: Model manufacturers hold close industry secrets to prevent the competition from producing and introducing a model they invested in. Try calling the CSX dispatcher to learn about train movements so you can have your camera ready. You won't get anywhere and mostly for security reasons. Now several have to know all of the exact details of Mr. Bigda's venture and play detective trying to crack the case. There are strong reasons for ANY industry to privately proceed with their ventures. Everyone has received information through press releases and "Sir Ray's" inquiry here. Be satisfied that Mr. Bigda at least responded the best he was allowed. There are probably more deals in the works that we don't even know yet, or need to know at this time.

Be patient. When it's ready to be announced, more info will follow.

[CN9634]

If a new railcar manufacturing is emerging in these areas in the next two months, I wouldn't look at maps to find a suitable place where it would be -- thats more like a needle in a hay stack.

What I would do on the other hand is monitor online job boards such as http://www.indeed.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and look for skilled laborers such as welders. I haven't found anything posted yet and I find it hard to believe that if they are going to start by Mid-2014, that these jobs wouldn't be posted yet.

[Komarovsky]

google searches of worcester and wilmington, nc yielded no likely candidates. anyone have better luck? ken patrick

If they wanted to construct an entirely new building then the South Worcester Industrial Park might fit the bill. Cleared land, adjacent to the P&W and the foundry that was located there previously had a spur from the line to the factory. They'd also probably get a nice tax abatement if they wanted one. As for existing manufacturing space.....that would be harder to find.

[Cosmo]

Cosmo:

I agree entirely with your views. I was referring specifically to the contact/email/what-to-say/who-are-you-guys speculations, pie-in-the-sky and general hand-wringing.

Having a discussion on opening a manufacturing facility would be interesting. There are a lot of issues to bring to bear - the site selection is perhaps the least important (in the timing perspective), other that you would want or prefer to have it at/near an active railroad. You can truck in the manufactured cars & assemble them on a siding somewhere, but that's kinda kludgy.

As you are aware, most of the work will have been done by analyzing the market to determine the need. Obviously, with the Union Pacific going to upgrade it's fleet (or is it BNSF), that part is well known. The other parts are what type of a facility you need to produce so many cars a year. Who are the suppliers of the materials, what is the demand for the product, financing, personnel, yabba-yabba-dabba-do.

I would think that most people on this board would find it fairly boring. Much more fun to make blanket statements based on conjecture, innuendo and falsehoods than to do analytical work.

But, there is no reason Connecticut can't be in the running for a manufacturing plant of that type. There is a nice wide area in downtown Waterbury at a former brass mill which I'm sure the city would be happy to have such a plant there - and it is right next to a railroad - gee. I'm just using an example I'm familiar with and NOT proposing anything since I have no idea of what I'm talking about.

It's a matter of the Governator or CBIA or DECD saying - Hey, check this out if you are interested! The railroads always want new business and people want jobs.

Ok, cool man.

[bostontrainguy]

Via Trains:

http://trn.trains.com/en/Railroad%20New ... arket.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[CannaScrews]

Some of us don't subscribe to Twains.

Can you give us a synopsis? Not asking to publish copyrighted material, of course.

[bostontrainguy]

Some notes:

BOSTON, Mass. – One start-up company . . .

Dan Bigda says his organization is taking orders for 31,800-gallon . . . tank cars and intends to start production on the cars by June this year.

“We’re out fitting the facilities as we speak,” Bigda says.

As of late February, Bigda says Vertex is outfitting shops in Worcester, Mass., and Wilmington, N.C., with spray booths, “blasting” booths, and other facilities required to make the tank cars. He says he has orders booked through 2015.

[Teamdriver]

If a new railcar manufacturing is emerging in these areas in the next two months, I wouldn't look at maps to find a suitable place where it would be -- thats more like a needle in a hay stack.

What I would do on the other hand is monitor online job boards such as http://www.indeed.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and look for skilled laborers such as welders. I haven't found anything posted yet and I find it hard to believe that if they are going to start by Mid-2014, that these jobs wouldn't be posted yet.

Readville , plenty of industrial railside property , and an area with a past welding culture , heavy duty style.

[daylight4449]

If a new railcar manufacturing is emerging in these areas in the next two months, I wouldn't look at maps to find a suitable place where it would be -- thats more like a needle in a hay stack.

What I would do on the other hand is monitor online job boards such as http://www.indeed.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and look for skilled laborers such as welders. I haven't found anything posted yet and I find it hard to believe that if they are going to start by Mid-2014, that these jobs wouldn't be posted yet.

Readville , plenty of industrial railside property , and an area with a past welding culture , heavy duty style.

We're talking about Worcester, MA and Wilmington, NC; NOT Readville. Maybe one of the factories along 146 in Worcester would fit? And there are a few riverside factories in Wilmington that might work...

[Cosmo]

If a new railcar manufacturing is emerging in these areas in the next two months, I wouldn't look at maps to find a suitable place where it would be -- thats more like a needle in a hay stack.

What I would do on the other hand is monitor online job boards such as http://www.indeed.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and look for skilled laborers such as welders. I haven't found anything posted yet and I find it hard to believe that if they are going to start by Mid-2014, that these jobs wouldn't be posted yet.

Readville , plenty of industrial railside property , and an area with a past welding culture , heavy duty style.

We're talking about Worcester, MA and Wilmington, NC; NOT Readville. Maybe one of the factories along 146 in Worcester would fit? And there are a few riverside factories in Wilmington that might work...

EASY Johnny! But right on. You beat me to it on that one.
Yeah, as much as I'd like to see it, the only mentions of anyplace other than NC and Worcester are here, on this thread.

[Teamdriver]

If a new railcar manufacturing is emerging in these areas in the next two months, I wouldn't look at maps to find a suitable place where it would be -- thats more like a needle in a hay stack.

What I would do on the other hand is monitor online job boards such as http://www.indeed.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and look for skilled laborers such as welders. I haven't found anything posted yet and I find it hard to believe that if they are going to start by Mid-2014, that these jobs wouldn't be posted yet.

Readville , plenty of industrial railside property , and an area with a past welding culture , heavy duty style.

We're talking about Worcester, MA and Wilmington, NC; NOT Readville. Maybe one of the factories along 146 in Worcester would fit? And there are a few riverside factories in Wilmington that might work...

Dudes , calm down ! I was referring to the '' and look for skilled laborers such as welders '' part of the post. Coincidentally , the Readville area came to mind, seeing that it was a former rail yard , and that there is plenty of under utilized industrial real estate nearby. the welding tradesman angle that I was commenting on , if you are familiar with the area , had a culture of this type of work in the area , Westinghouse , Allis-Chalmers , BF Sturtevant ,and more. If it's Worcester you want , get Frank Finn's old company , FIBA of Millbury to help you get it done. Calm down, this isnt the Wall Street Journal here........

[CVRA7]

I have heard from someone familiar with the area that St Gobain (ex Norton Abrasives) had some surplus space and was considering leasing it out. I do not know specifically if the space would fulfill the needs of a freight car manufacturer, but much of the complex is (or once was) rail accessible.
Separately I heard that the freight car plant would be in a "former steel facility" in Worcester.