What's going on? (Maybrook Line)

[chrisnewhaven]

Ok, so all that's left on the Maybrook is Tilcon, the construction derbies plant, and the Hawleyville Transload, with the eastern half oos. When taken over from Conrail there were still customers over in Newtown and Danbury, and there was a daily Selkirk-Cedar Hill freight. What happened? Is is the economy, bad service from HRRC, unfavorable regulation? More importantly, is there a way HRRC can reverse this trend?
C.J.V.

[F-line to Dudley via Park]

Biggest problem is HRRC itself's incompetence at keeping the branch in service. P&W is having a big spat with them over being unable to access its customers from Derby on the OOS portion. Complaint was dropped when HRRC assured it could get money to repair the line, but that collapsed when it lost a gov't grant to do the work. If something doesn't change, this will blow up all nuclear again with P&W.

As for rest of the business, it is a very unfavorable economy for locals in that part of the state and has been for a long time. The decay was inevitable, and very unlikely to reverse itself. That said, the natural level of business is artificially hurt by HRRC itself as shown by the P&W dispute. It is a viable enough line to stay in service, act as an interchange, and get a big Class III railroad on DEFCON IV alert about the access problems to its business assets. It just may need brokered intervention, state ownership, or (P&W's preference) P&W gaining the upper hand as controlling party to stabilize service to its actual present-day potential.

[chrisnewhaven]

Apparently there is a customer east of Hawleyville, the January Railpace has a photo of NX-10 with 3604 and 2 Southern Boxcars at George's Hill Road (appears to be 1/2 to 1 mile east of the Transload on google maps).
C.J.V.

[danburybranch]

Probably cars for Wickes Lumber in Botsford. Blue Lynx in Newtown was also a customer, but I'm not sure what their status is ever since their roof collapsed last winter.

[Ridgefielder]

Ok, so all that's left on the Maybrook is Tilcon, the construction derbies plant, and the Hawleyville Transload, with the eastern half oos. When taken over from Conrail there were still customers over in Newtown and Danbury, and there was a daily Selkirk-Cedar Hill freight. What happened? Is is the economy, bad service from HRRC, unfavorable regulation? More importantly, is there a way HRRC can reverse this trend?
C.J.V.

I think you'd have to go way back, probably all the way to NYNH&H days, before you found any customers on the Maybrook west of the state line, though. Wasn't Selkirk-Cedar Hill a through run for Conrail?

[csor2010]

Yes, they ran SENH/NHSE via the Hudson-Beacon-Maybrook lines for a few years before switching back to the B&A and the Springfield Line (this is the present-day Q424-CSO4-CSO1 traffic).

[chrisnewhaven]

Up to the late 80's early 90's there was a lumber company in Brewster, and IBM and a lumberyard in Hopewell Jct had sidings although how frequently they received cars is anyone's guess. There were probably afew more, although I believe most went away when Conrail sold the line to HRRC (example I can think of at the moment was the grain company(s) in Wassaic, which was serviced out of Danbury by Conrail).
C.J.V.

[nysw3636]

Wassaic customer was Maxon Mills? Also, west of Stateline there was Texaco in Glenham...

[DutchRailnut]

Texaco was a very infrequent customer and in early 1989 they recieved last car.
as for Wassaic last customer was Triwal, not Maxon mills

[Jeff Smith]

Dutch, when was the "rescue" run for that last car on Wassaic extension? You've mentioned it before.

Does HRRC still have overhead rights in NYS? I would think that's something they have to pay for, which means they've likely abdicated it.

I'd like to point out that the Springfield line may get awfully busy with the NHHS upgrades and possible Amtrak growth. Although they'll add capacity, they'll still be constrained in Hartford by the #buswayboondoggle.

MNRR may have done CT a greatg service by buying the line; it's a viable alternative for freight destined for eastern CT and shore.

[DutchRailnut]

At time of purchase of Danbury cluster from Conrail there were several cars still out on Harlem with cars in their sidings, King lumber and propane place in Mt Kisco and Triwal in Wassaic.
Since HRRC did not have any engines with Cabsignal/ATC and had no qualified crews they could only , arange for rescue train from MNCR.
in two nights they went first south from Brewster to retreive cars and next day they went north to get the cars. run was made with a MNCR 800 series B23-7.
As for Harlem line, HRRC does not have engines or crews to service any freight, second point is there is no longer any freight customers.
as for Maybrook(beacon line) it has zero freight customers and only one run was made with transformers to Hopewell Jct.
they also ran 2 or 3 freight moves, with MNCR crews, and HRRC engines after HRRC had a big derailment and track damage.
CSX had to many cars for HRRC building up in Selkirk to postpone interchance.
As for Interchange at Beacon, no go, its not a interchange point and would violate MNCR/CSX agreements, for the emergency moves a exception was made.

[rr503]

So there is no chance that HRRC will be able to get a customer west of the state line?
Are they that bad?

[DutchRailnut]

there just are no customers left , and now track is no longer passable in New York.

[rr503]

there just are no customers left , and now track is no longer passable in New York.

Sad.
MNR raised the bridges w/out reconnecting the track, correct?

[Backshophoss]

MN owns the NY state side of the Maybrook line from the NY/Conn state line to the Hudson Line Connection
at what was CP 58 at Beacon,MN cut the rails at the bridges to allow them to get raised to clear 13' 6" high truck trailers.
Maybrook is not in service,needs massive amount of track repair and tree removal between the rails.
From the Conn state line east to downtown Danbury has basicly gone to seed,as has the section from
Hawleyville to Derby Jct(MN's Waterbury Branch) under HRRC control.
Track condition Danbury to Hawleyville is VERY POOR at best