Abandoned PAR line to reopen (North Anson/Embden)

[MEC407]

Article from today's Morning Sentinel:

MADISON -- Guilford Rail System said Friday that work will begin next year on a substantial enhancement to a 4-mile section of track between Madison Paper Industries and Cousineau Lumber Co. in North Anson. The section was abandoned following the flood of 1987, when ice floes damaged a trestle over the Kennebec River.

Read the rest of the story at:
http://morningsentinel.mainetoday.com/n ... 0781.shtml

[trainsinmaine]

There's a lot of work to be done on this section of track --- new ballasting, considerable replacement of rail and ties. There is also at least one section where the ballast has almost completely been eroded away because of freshets.

As mentioned in the article, the section from North Anson to Embden is also going to be rehabilitated, to facilitate a crushed rock operation that Guilford has planned (it already owns the hill from which the material is to be taken).

All of this will not only bring about the rebirth of a long-dormant stretch of rails, but also some much-needed jobs to an economically deprived, but slowly growing, area. I live not far away. I'm delighted. Things are looking up in Somerset County.

[bwparker1]

I'll believe it when it earth/stone is being moved, but if this truly does happen, it would be a great sign of cooperation between Guilford and the state. I'd much rather see state transit dollars going to Guilford if they in turn can actually capture and keep new business on the rails. Best of luck to the project!

Brooks

[trainsinmaine]

There will be one major hurdle in regard to the reopening of the line between North Anson and Embden. The track used to cross a dirt road, which had a slight downgrade on both sides of the crossing. The road has since been paved. When this was done, there was quite a bit of fill brought in so that the two downgrades have been eliminated and the road made level --- a good seven or eight feet above the level of the ROW. Either an overpass is going to have to be built, or the road is going to have to be completely reconstructed so as to accommodate a grade crossing. Whose responsibility will this be?

[Pacobell73]

That would probably fall upon DOT. Guilford's only responsibility is to secure the rail line's operations.

[bwparker1]

http://www.trains.com/content/dynamic/a ... 7amyab.asp?

It made the Trains.com newswire, so maybe this will actually happen!!

[GP9]

Does anyone know how this rebuilding project is going? The Pan Am Clipper has apicture of one crossing being worked on.

[FatNoah]

Speaking of the Pan Am Clipper, did anyone else notice this tidbit about the Northpoint Development in Cambridge/Somerville?

And now that the site is ‘development’ ready, the railroad will be engaged in bringing in materials such as sand, soils, stone, steel and other potential product via rail.

Has anyone seen any Guilford freight servicing this construction site?

[eotd]

fatnoah--

if you look really really carefully from the prison point bridge, there are sometimes some open hoppers along the edge of where the yard was, on the edge of the Boston Engine Terminal. the last time i was in the area, that's all i saw. there certainly isn't much track left to work with...

[octr202]

I haven't noticed anything different in the area, but haven't looked closely. The hoppers under the Prison Point bridge are the stone cars from NHN going to Boston Sand & Gravel, which very well could end up in the cemet used at North Point, but don't represent real new traffic for GRS into Somerville.

[trainsinmaine]

Regarding the reopening of the MEC's Somerset branch from Madison to North Anson: the track has been rehabbed and reballasted, the road crossings have been reopened and new crossbucks installed, and the whole thing is ready to go --- but weeds have been growing amidst the rails this summer because of a court injunction having to do with runoff from Guilford's ballast mining operation in Embden (to which the track are eventually supposed to go). There hasn't been any news about it for a couple of months. As this is a separate issue from the operation of trains to and from the Cousineau mill in North Anson, I don't know why it should affect that service, but it has. Summary: the rails are just lying there waiting for use.

[bwparker1]

In showing my mother in law what youtube is and what it does, I stumbled across this video of a run to what must be the Lumber outfit that service was going to be resumed for, beyond North Anson, Maine

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsMj5YM5aGQ

This is a better result than the rehab of the Lewiston Lower Branch!

Brooks

[thomas81z]

whats the update on this????

[bwparker1]

Guilford has run a train North of Madison, Maine to the Cousineau mill in North Anson for the first time in ove 20 years. Read the above thread for more information.

[pbhill]

The tracks have been buried under a few feet of snow all winter. No trains running at all. Only snowmobiles. What's up with this?