CSX Activity in New England

I would say Selkirk as it is a full shop area. Beacon Park cannot do 92 day inspections. Before I left there was already alot of power that ran east from Selkirk & returns without any servicing, except for cab signal tests. Here's a few that come to mind: Q422 power remains on the P&W property and returns west on Q423. Q426 power goes to Lowell on the B&M and returns the next day on Q427. Q436 lays over in framingham and returns westward to Selkirk on Q437. Q264 used to lay over and was refuelled by a fuel truck in Framingham befor heading west on Q283. This was only done because the power usually ran through from Cleveland and 283 usually ran straight through to Buffalo or all the way to Cleveland.

Does this mean the Pan Am railway will be closer to Boston? Will CSX still serve costumers right near Boston. I remember seeing a chmeical company right there near Beacon park in 2008. Alot of grey MSW flats also....

Not sure what would happen to Houghton Chemical, probably either go to truck or be serviced by whatever shortline takes over operations east of Worcester. As for the grey flats, the trash has been long gone from Beacon Park. instead of it being shipped by rail to a landfill in South Carolina most of it, if not all, is being shipped to a new landfill somewhere in New Hampshire.

Hi Buddy,
The current word is that the Flexi-Flow will go to Westboro along with the Dellys from Worcester. Houghton and Romar will be switched by B721. Framingham will still be the main terminal for all the locals. Westboro will be switched still be the Framingham locals. Worcester will be only a Van operation with the yard crews handling it after the rebuild of the yard. Still no word on a Engine house but CSX will still want the tax advantage of diesel fuel here in Mass over New York State. The tank in Selkirk are only 1/4 full at any time due to the tax.
PTC will be a major factor in what line will remain and what line are sold off. Class 3 have a 5 year extension.
Regards
Railman

railman616 wrote:PTC will be a major factor in what line will remain and what line are sold off. Class 3 have a 5 year extension.

I can see the green & white engines now on the locals. E.B.S.R......except it won't be East Brookfield & Spencer Railroad, but rather the "East to Boston South to Readville". Lol. One thing's for sure, if the P&W takes any of it, and offers you guys jobs, take it.

The P&W units already have PTC units inside the cabs with ACSES , and according to the law , they dont need it as it is only for lines with passenger traffic on it.

For the upcoming requirements for PTC, as I understand it, there's one of three criteria that a line must meet to require installation: passenger trains, 5 Million Gross Tons (MGT) or more per year freight density, or Toxic Inhalation Hazard (TIH) traffic. Funny thing, for the branch/secondary lines that CSX owns or will own in E. Massachusetts (not simply freight rights on someone else's railroad), there's only the Fall football specials, all lines fall under the 5 MGT requirement with the Framingham Secondary between CP-21 and Walpole probably coming the closest with 4.5 or so MGT, and, very little, if any, TIH traffic. You'd think they'd ditch the Football specials and look at handling any TIH traffic via an alternative if they're able before losing any bargaining power to a potential buyer of their secondary trackage/freight rights.

I caught a 20 car train crossing rt 140 in taunton around 6am tuesday. It was heading towards middleboro. Could this be b725?

That would be B726, which interchanges with B725 in Attleboro. Wow, only 20 cars...business is low.

CSX Conductor wrote:That would be B726, which interchanges with B725 in Attleboro. Wow, only 20 cars...business is low.

20 cars is not bad for B726 going to Middleboro. It's that time of the year when the C&D waste is down. Champion City and Trojan are averaging 4 a day. BUT, Bay State and BFI are again receiving cars.

B732 headed north across the diamond at walpole today around 330 with 2 cars. I also caught csx heading north thru medfield at about 8pm last night, could this also be B732?

When b732 was based at readville it was seemingly on a regular schedule, now it seems like this train goes everywhere at all different times.

I try to grab a few photos of this train when i can but lately its been tough figuring out B732s schedule.

Under the new GRAND plan of the Cranberry division we no longer have the old RE-2 B731 working from Readville to Framingham and back to move the inbound readvilles and the outbound Selkirks. So the NEW and improved plan(and F--- up plan) has B732 work out of Framingham and bring down to the Readvilles to Walpole then work Foxboro terminal. On the return to framingham pickup the oubound Selkiks dropped off by B735. B732 doesn't go south of Mansfield so the train you saw was probably B733 returning from the Chocolate after dropping it Selkirks at Attleboro.

If he was in Medfield at night it would probably be 732 heading home. B733 usually runs the shore-line between transfer & mansfield. I can't believe how screwed up the new tm made things.

This is what happens when you have a TM that couldn't run a train around a Christmas tree. The last crew on RE-2 didn't help by raising the RED flag to Jacksonville and having the goon squad show up to ride the job. The TM and the goon squad still thinks they own the railroad and still aren't playing nice with the T and AMTRAK. Changing the locks at Readville and towing vechicles didn't help either. Why try and provide the customers with good service when it's easier to can just write up the crews for not farting by the CSX rules and look like a hero to your bosses. Now Walpole is the center of the universe again after being on the hit list. Maybe he will open up the trailer so at least we have the facilities to use again. Merry Christmas buddy.

In commissioning the Allston study, EOTC affirmed the importance of “ensuring that a solid freight network [continue] to serve the port [of Boston], the City of Boston, and the New England region. To that end, EOT will be conducting a study to explore ways to assure a strong port-to-rail connection, at Allston Landing” (EOT long-term plan, quoted in Atlantic Northeast Rails & Ports, 05#03A, 18 March 2005, p.10).

The Commonwealth failed to allow completion of this comprehensive study and release of its draft. Its scope and preliminary findings would seem to bear directly on questions the ENF before you avoids asking. I urge you to require the full EIR the project actually demands for compliance with Federal law.