Beacon Park Tracker

circus train is in bp since mon nite most on tv-2 rest on the grand junction

F-line to Dudley via Park wrote:Not sure if my eyes were deceiving me because I didn't get a good look, but was driving the Pike eastbound ramp from the Allston tolls last week and the ex-Romar siding appeared to be all torn up. Chopped-up asphalt at the end and disturbed ballast. Couldn't get a look to see if the rails were still there or had been taken out. Are they starting the process of pulling up yard rail for scrap?

Drove by there again today, and I can answer my own question:


Yes...the entirety of the Romar siding was torn up sometime near end of summer. ROW snaking around the Pike ramp is empty ballast with rail and ties removed, and pavement was jackhammered up around the tracks in the Romar lot.

Rode past the empty yard yesterday on the T: baggage car remains in the yard and I didn't see any obvious track work associated with adding a 2nd mainline between CP3 and CP3. Lots of rusty track remains.

johnpbarlow wrote:Rode past the empty yard yesterday on the T: baggage car remains in the yard and I didn't see any obvious track work associated with adding a 2nd mainline between CP3 and CP3. Lots of rusty track remains.

CP3 work is probably delayed to Spring since new Yawkey station overshot its opening date by 2 months and missed the start of ground freeze. They're preoccupied first with getting both mainline tracks back in full uninterrupted service through the station (which should be open for business in next couple weeks).

It appears that the Beacon Park baggage car has been moved... If only slightly.

It was right next to the brown yard building, but is maybe half a car length away from it now. The set of stairs that allowed access into the end of the car weren't moved and now lead to empty space. There is also something written on the end of the car with fluorescent spraypaint; I don't recall seeing that before. It was too far away for me to read it (from a moving train too) but doesn't look like more random graffiti.

jwhite07 wrote:It appears that the Beacon Park baggage car has been moved... If only slightly.

It was right next to the brown yard building, but is maybe half a car length away from it now. The set of stairs that allowed access into the end of the car weren't moved and now lead to empty space. There is also something written on the end of the car with fluorescent spraypaint; I don't recall seeing that before. It was too far away for me to read it (from a moving train too) but doesn't look like more random graffiti.

Probably a "scrap this car" note....

jwhite07 wrote:It appears that the Beacon Park baggage car has been moved... If only slightly.

It was right next to the brown yard building, but is maybe half a car length away from it now. The set of stairs that allowed access into the end of the car weren't moved and now lead to empty space. There is also something written on the end of the car with fluorescent spraypaint; I don't recall seeing that before. It was too far away for me to read it (from a moving train too) but doesn't look like more random graffiti.

It looks to me like it says "Transflo East" which is also what is spay painted on a few other buildings as well.

On September 25th Beacon Park will see yet one more train, the AAPRCO pine tree limited will be coming off the Grand Junction, then splitting into 2 trains at BPY, one section will go into South Station and the other will continue westbound on the B&A to Chicago

Somebody better tip off the People's Republic of Cambridge about this move, as it will
effectively cutoff most of the city as such slow speeds. It'll be very slow rounding that
curve from Swift Interlocking on to the Grand Jct.

You can only fit 20 cars between Cambridge and Binney Streets (and that's based on freight
service). The other longest stretch was Mass Ave to Fort Washington pedestrian crossing,
but that's now messed up by the addition of the Pacific St pedestrian crossing. Also,two
crossings on the branch are out of service: Mass Ave and Broadway!

D

I believe the old heavyweight baggage car that used to reside in Beacon Park is now parked on the freight track under the Lowell Line bridge near BET - anyone know what's up with it?

Headed to a museum. Car got some work done to it this summer to prepare it for a hospital move to BET.

Word is its going to the Berkshire Scenic, which means out of Somerville via PAR.

D

When are they suppose to start pulling up the tracks?

The baggage car now carries BRMX 9034 reporting marks/numbers.

D

Road power made a rare visit to Boston this morning to drop off the circus train; CSX 3020w-839-7667e were sitting at CP-4 at 07:23 waiting head back west on MBTA 507's tail.