Beacon Park Tracker

At beacon Park CSX yard there is a grey painted passenger car. I was just wondering the history of this car. Is it ex-New Haven, NYC, or another line? Is it just used for crew or is it not used at all?

Storage I believe, not even sure which department uses it.

The baggage car at Beacon Park was originally Pennsylvania Railroad, called a class B-60 I think.
Tom Coughlin
Stow, MA

Tom coughlin wrote:The baggage car at Beacon Park was originally Pennsylvania Railroad, called a class B-60 I think.
Tom Coughlin
Stow, MA

Did it come during the PC era or later?

atsf sp wrote:

Tom coughlin wrote:The baggage car at Beacon Park was originally Pennsylvania Railroad, called a class B-60 I think.
Tom Coughlin
Stow, MA

Did it come during the PC era or later?

I thought that was the one that was at Springfield

Ian MacMillan wrote:I thought that was the one that was at Springfield

The Penn Central B-60 at Springfield, MA was cut up on site in 2005, I think.

Well we track the gradual retirement of trainsets, why not a major rail yard.

A few days ago they began taking down the perimeter fence along Cambridge Street. Today they were cutting down all the wires off the poles leading inside near Lincoln Street.

When is the yard due to go out of service again?

Since Beacon Park is CSX and has passenger and freight service through it. I feel the New England Forum is a better place for this discussion.

Full domestic doublestacks into Worcester should be starting on 9/1/12. The van yard will probably close around that time. I don't know how far along the Westboro yard is, but whenever that is completed most of the general freight will be moving west. The only freight traffic by the end of the year will be the Chelsea local. If anyone wants to see freight action around Boston on the B&A, here's a rough schedule of when things run:

Early AM: Q018, Q020 in, Q019(Tu-Sa)/Q113 (Su-Mo) out

0800-1000: Q164 in (single-stacked domestics)

1100-1300: Q/L012 in (single-stacks, some refrigerated/UPS vans, can be light power on some days)

~1500: Q022 in (light power)

1400-1600: B723(?) in from Framingham (Su-Th)

1500-1700: B721 out to Chelsea/Everett

1700-1800: L017 out (weekends only, usually light power), B723 out (Su-Th)

1900-2000: Q119 (Q109 on weekends) out; single stacks and some vans

~2200: Q017 out (weekdays)

2200-next morning: B721 back from Chelsea/Everett

Do they plan to shift any residual business from the main yard into the engine house yard/loop track yard after 9/1? Since they still haven't got their act together on a replacement maint facility, I would imagine that area next to Storrow Dr. is going to remain open and staffed a little bit longer than the main yard. Since it does have direct truck access and a decent amount of space are they planning to isolate any trace inside-128 transload business there on a temp basis until every finishing touch is done-done-done on Worcester and Westborough?

Sure gonna be strange never seeing a freight along the Pike any more other than a measly local..... Oh well, they probably said the same thing over on the B&M side when they left Boston.

Will the MBTA add a second main through the yard as soon as CSX is out? I imagine it'd be a fairly cheap and quick fix - under a mile of new track - for a whole lot of help on keeping the Worcester Line on time.

B723 and B721 may be consolidated back into one job (it used to be one job, called B721 that worked Framingham to Chelsea) when Beacon Park ceases operations.

There are at least 2 customers in Boston, Romar Transportation (receives box cars and centerbeam flats in their spur, containers unloaded at Beacon Park), and Houghton Chemical (receives tank cars; their sidings are located at Beacon Park next to the engine house)

The EGE wrote:Will the MBTA add a second main through the yard as soon as CSX is out? I imagine it'd be a fairly cheap and quick fix - under a mile of new track - for a whole lot of help on keeping the Worcester Line on time.

That's the plan. As well as tying the Grand Junction directly into the mainline so accessing it doesn't require a trip through the yard itself. CSX is responsible for dismantling the main yard and pulling up the track, the state's responsible for the engine house and loop track yard (which of course doesn't yet have an established closing date). TBD as to when this work will take place...not like anyone's in a big rush to pull up the scrap metal.

I'm moving to the third floor of my building who's living room looks out directly over Beacon Park... on September 1st.

FML, at least I'll get to watch them dismantling it.