CSX Activity in New England

Ryanontherails wrote:

Tracer wrote:I kindly disagree with a "win-win" if the line is abandoned. What "abandoned" Washington street tunnel are you talking about?

If you go on Bing Maps, pull up the bird's eye (not aerial) view of the intersection of Washington and Chestnut, and orient it so that the clock tower and Chestnut Street go towards the top of your screen (so looking east), the tunnel can be seen quite clearly.

Just curious, why don't you feel like that would be a win-win (not that my scenario would ever happen)?

I have confirmed that CertainTeed is indeed scheduled for three times a week, although sometimes they are only served twice a week. So that one's probably not going anywhere anytime soon, as much as I'd like to see a rail trail!

On Google Earth it looks like a bike path already goes through that tunnel?

CertainTeed was only looking wobbly a few years ago when they had a protracted labor dispute at the plant that threw the rail delivery schedule into highly intermittent chaos while the plant was operating at crippled capacity. Once that got resolved they snapped right back to a steady multi-day schedule and moved back into the "safe" column where they've stayed ever since.

I think we overestimate how vulnerable the E. Walpole Ind. actually is because:

[1] ...perception was colored by that very high-profile labor dispute, but hasn't been re-colored by several years of "business as usual" because biz-as-usual doesn't make the papers.

[2] ...perception was colored by the labor dispute combined with the decline in New England heavy industry, making it seem like CertainTeed had one foot out the door because so many other similar plants have closed throughout New England over the last 25 years. When in fact there's been no indications that corporate is thinking about downsizing at all from Norwood.

[3] ...RR.net's most-regular spotter of this branch disappeared a couple years ago. We got lots of spotter reports back in the day, and updates on the inactivity during the labor dispute when CSX was completely on run-as-directed and sometimes wouldn't show up for a couple weeks. That person hasn't been around to report on the years of multi-day biz as usual since.


Obviously any one-customer spur is inherently vulnerable because its existence is only upheld by one single customer, and stuff can happen to single customers. So it would be nice if they could pick up something new at the old Hollingsworth & Vose siding. Or even just the occasional couple loads of stone at Lorusso for variety's sake. But no spur that's getting 3 locals per week all for one customer could ever be considered on death's door in the absence of any rumors about that customer's imminent demise. People have been doing backflips on the PAR Forum about Rousselot Gelatin expanding to 3 days a week on the South Peabody Branch, securing that track's longer-term future after previous--and perennially downsizing--owners Eastman Kodak made that look like a dead spur walking. CertainTeed does the same amount of biz...only as a steady incumbent instead of a surprise bounce-back. CSX makes a decent profit off them, it's a short trip on a grade-separated spur that doesn't take nearly enough wear and tear to need more than a few pennies of annual maintenance, and it's right on the part of their shrunken Eastern MA system that's still a mission-critical hold as last access point to Boston-proper and the ports. It's a shootin' free throws payday to keep serving CertainTeed...so as long as CertainTeed produces the carloads they'll keep on serving the branch no matter what Hunter Harrison does to transform Jacksonville's corporate makeup.

Crazy day in Foxborough today!

I saw the train coming up the tracks around lunchtime. It stopped for over an hour at the I-95 bridge. Just before 2pm it made its way north with four locomotives and dozens of cars. Apparently it was too big a load for the locomotives as its wheels kept spinning and that sparked a fire near Cocasset Street (or so I was told). After an hour or so two locomotives came up from Mansfield and pushed it north. It was blocking the Elm Street intersection the whole time!

I don't know if anyone else has more info, but it was interesting!

So as I'm sure you've seen already, CSX is selling the B&A main! Obviously this will be to MassDOT. But they also include "all related branches". Does that just include the branches off the B&A from Worcester to the state line? Or all branches east of Worcester as well (which would be the Fitchburg Subdivision and the tracks heading towards Holliston)?

Everything east of Selkirk, all of it. They have wanted out for years, they are just finally going to actually make a sale.

Ryanontherails wrote:So as I'm sure you've seen already, CSX is selling the B&A main! Obviously this will be to MassDOT. But they also include "all related branches". Does that just include the branches off the B&A from Worcester to the state line? Or all branches east of Worcester as well (which would be the Fitchburg Subdivision and the tracks heading towards Holliston)?

Technically, the wording used in the Trains Magazine on-line article is:

CSX Transportation is reviewing 8,000 miles of rail lines as potential candidates for sale or lease, Trains News Wire has learned.

Further the article says:

The review effort is continuing under new CEO Jim Foote. The first four subdivisions were put out to bid last week, including a pair of routes in Illinois and Florida.

CSX is expected to put a handful of subdivisions on the block every few weeks, according to people familiar with the matter.

So it's possible that, upon further review, CSX will elect not to sell the B&A mainline with its 14 or so daily intermodal and manifest trains. Or as you suggest, maybe CSX will elect to sell a portion of the B&A main track to MassDOT while retaining exclusive freight rights.

Everything east of Selkirk will be sold, most likely with a paper barrier to give exclusive interchange rights to Selkirk yard. CSX employees will no longer be working the territory in any capacity.

It is probably excellent news, because the buyer will be interested in developing the franchise and servicing local industries. That is better than CSX distant management that does not care for operational complexities of local,service and commuter lines, or taxes.

I'm wrong on the paper barrier. All N.E. traffic will go a different route west of Springfield. This will help the downgrade of Selkirk Yard when combined with the loss of the line north out of Syracuse and the line down the east side of the Hudson.

Oh? They are ditching the line to Oak Point Yard?

Actually yes, not named directly in the Trains article, but that is on the cutting block. That is the point I'm trying to make, this is not your usual pawn it off on the states or commuter kind of deal. It's sell it all and let the chips fall where they may.

Now hearing G&W will begin negotiations for Worcester yard this spring.

Ironman wrote:Now hearing G&W will begin negotiations for Worcester yard this spring.

For access to the CSX yard, for control of the CSX yard, for their own yard in Worcester?

That would make West Springfield Yard the last CSX "stop" for freight to Boston,Retaining the line haul to/from Selkirk,out sourcing the local freight
services to the various shortlines,and extending the trailer/container drayage to/from Boston Metro area

On to new things:

CSX is hauling several (or more) unit coal trains headed for Merrimack Power Station (Bow NH). CSX going as far as Ayer. Anybody know where the first of these trains is at this point?