Bucksport Branch activity & news

Reposted from the Bucksport Derailment Thread for further discussion:

newpylong wrote:Given how much praise the mills have given the railroad over improved service lately, I would think this is the last straw and the railroad will be given an ultimatum for more extensive repairs. Repairs that they don't have the time nor manpower to do right now...

I agree they are in serious trouble in Bucksport right now.

What are the options for contractors, e.g. Maine Track Maintenance? Any chance they might go that route?

Nope. Unions would have a fit.

newpylong wrote:Nope. Unions would have a fit.

LOL...BMWE trouble all over again...completely forgot about that...

newpylong wrote:Nope. Unions would have a fit.

Just curious, not questioning your statement, but how do other railroads get away with using contractors, R.J. Cormon comes to mind, for projects without p/o'ing their MofW unions?

Not sure, I would assume concessions have been made over the year as MOW work forces have been reduced. Many railroads have little or no internal MOW anymore...

After the Memorial Day explosion at a Verso Mill in Minn. Verso plans to shutter the mill and move production capacity to Jay and Bucksport. The move will mean more paper production but not new jobs in Maine. Even the article talking about new production here in the state seemed unsure of the future of the mills, as it reports Verso saw a $39 million loss in net income in the first quarter.

Article ---> http://bangordailynews.com/2012/08/03/b ... -facility/ <--- from the Bangor Daily News

From fenceviewer:

fenceviewer wrote:Newly released information, meanwhile, shows an earlier derailment on the same line cost nearly a quarter of a million dollars.
...
The cause of the derailment, according to the report, is that the cross level of the track was irregular.
...
The report shows the derailment cost Pan Am $234,766 — $217,566 in equipment costs, and $17,200 in track and other structural damages.

Read more at: http://fenceviewer.com/site/index.php?o ... Itemid=938

From the Bangor Daily News:

Bangor Daily News wrote:A Pan Am Railways train derailed sometime Tuesday just south of the Verso Paper mill.

Four cars in a 13-car freight train went off the tracks at a point where two lines meet behind Bucksport House of Pizza on Route 15. Three of the cars slipped off the rails and skidded in the mud for several yards, while another tipped over about 45 degrees. Damage on Wednesday morning appeared minimal.

Pan Am workers arrived Wednesday morning with heavy equipment in an effort to get the cars back on the rails. The workers directed all questions to Pan Am spokeswoman Cynthia Scarano, who was unreachable through early afternoon.

Read more at: http://bangordailynews.com/2013/03/13/n ... bucksport/

Sigh lol

Did they roll over a frost heave at the switch?

Man those MEC guys just can't keep the cars off the ground...

When was the last time a tie gang worked on the branch??

A real tie gang? 1986 maybe? lol

That's the thing, they had a pretty good sized tie project in the Fall of 2011. I'm thinking about 20 gondolas filled to the rim approximately. Not bad, but they never followed up on it when the season resumed in 2012. Some spotty new ballast, but far from actually completed. Kind of where the main stands right now.

A good indicator is when the speed restrictions start to be lifted. Other than that it's band-aid work to keep the track in service.