CSX closes Framingham southside rail yard

I don't know if this has been posted elseware but the Middlesex News had the following item today.

http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/news/ ... -rail-yard

FRAMINGHAM —CSX Corp has shut one of its rail yards in town, ceasing operations at its southernmost train port, which had acted as a hub of car freight for years. In early February, Mazdas and Fords stopped getting delivered to the site, where they previously were loaded onto trucks and hauled to auto dealers throughout New England. The yard is near the Adesa plant, close to the Sherborn and Ashland town lines.

No doubt the locals are "celebrating in the streets"....When I lived in Framingham 30 years ago, they had the same "railroads are evil" attitude towards the Penn Central, then Conrail, and so on. I used to recall the local PD giving the grade crossing tender at Rt 135 a hard time every time a train held up traffic. They forget that the railroads built Framingham, from farmland and woods.

Yeah, read the comments at the bottom...more idiots who bought homes next to the tracks and then complain about the trains. Then after the trains are gone they complain about all the truck traffic that mysteriously appears on the roads.
When will having a brain become a prerequisite for home ownership in this country?

Is this closing permanent?

frrc wrote:No doubt the locals are "celebrating in the streets"....When I lived in Framingham 30 years ago, they had the same "railroads are evil" attitude towards the Penn Central, then Conrail, and so on. I used to recall the local PD giving the grade crossing tender at Rt 135 a hard time every time a train held up traffic. They forget that the railroads built Framingham, from farmland and woods.

They really had grade crossing tenders that recently?

The downtown Framingham crossing was hand-cranked until the mid-1980s. The Old Colony used to have diamond crossings of the B&A just east of CP-21and a separate OC track into North Yard making for three tracks at the crossing. Given the moves in and out of North Yard, it was easier to pay for three shifts of gate tenders than automate. When CR put in CWR at that location, the diamonds were removed and crossovers and a turnout from track 1 to North Yard were installed, reducing the tracks at the street crossing to two. A few months later, automated flashers and gates were installed. The new sport in downtown Framingham became "Beating the Gates," and Framingham PD was kept busy with accident reports, not so much from vehicles v. trains as vehicles v. broken gates. The first-trick tender was Arthur "Mac" McConnell. Supposedly the day after the gates went into effect, he was reassigned to scour the area for metal scrap -- the CWR project -- and put in his papers following that.

I like how people leave comments at the bottom of an article. One guy stated he'll be able to sleep better at night, knowing how he won't be woken by the train and then someone else stated how MA wants all rail freight east of Worcester to cease operation. I know they want to close Beacon Park but it’s the first I've heard about no freight service in eastern Massachusetts.

Those people out there in Framingham are idiots. Did you guys know that GM wanted to build a new research center and factory for hy-brid type cars on the site of the old plant? That would have meant jobs for white and blue collar workers. NIMBY's put an end to that.

Now the whole site is closed. More jobs that were already in place lost, and who knows how many potential jobs lost when the hy-brid market really takes off. More jobs that leave our country. It makes me sick.

I guess we can all work at wall-mart.

I'm still confused about why it closed, is it just because no one is really buying new cars now because of the tough economic times?

CSX's auto site is East Brookfield. They don't want to pay crews to switch Framingham just for the Fords. It really has nothing to do with the economy. The Fords are, and will be shipped by rail, but it looks like they'll be going to Air again, but totally over PAS.

My point was GM wanted to invest in Framingham at least 5 years ago. That could have made up for the lost Ford traffic, and kept the CP Yard open.

The town (or city or whatever it is) fought that, and GM gave up. Now the CP yard is closed and real jobs are gone.

Ironman wrote:CSX's auto site is East Brookfield. They don't want to pay crews to switch Framingham just for the Fords. It really has nothing to do with the economy. The Fords are, and will be shipped by rail, but it looks like they'll be going to Air again, but totally over PAS.

My point was GM wanted to invest in Framingham at least 5 years ago. That could have made up for the lost Ford traffic, and kept the CP Yard open.

The town (or city or whatever it is) fought that, and GM gave up. Now the CP yard is closed and real jobs are gone.

Thanks Ironman, so if CSX's Auto site is really East Brookfield how did it happen that they sent auto's to Framingham in the first place?

The Auto Yard existed to serve the Framingham GM plant, receiving supplies and components and shipping cars assembled there to distant customers. The yard also functioned as a receiving transshipment point for GM models not manufactured at Framingham. When the Framingham Assembly Division shut down (just after GM dumped a few million and at least one construction worker's life into a new paint facility), the Auto Yard became strictly a receiving point until that ended. The mighty East Brookfield & Spencer ended up catching the auto business cuzza greatly reduced non-organized labor costs and easier, although not shorter, access to the Mass. Pike for delivery trucks than Framingham offers.

slashmaster wrote:

Ironman wrote:CSX's auto site is East Brookfield. They don't want to pay crews to switch Framingham just for the Fords. It really has nothing to do with the economy. The Fords are, and will be shipped by rail, but it looks like they'll be going to Air again, but totally over PAS.

My point was GM wanted to invest in Framingham at least 5 years ago. That could have made up for the lost Ford traffic, and kept the CP Yard open.

The town (or city or whatever it is) fought that, and GM gave up. Now the CP yard is closed and real jobs are gone.

Thanks Ironman, so if CSX's Auto site is really East Brookfield how did it happen that they sent auto's to Framingham in the first place?

The Fords started going to Framingham when the auto site in Ayer on PAR closed. I think CSX actually owned that site too. Before that they ran over the B&A to Worcester and then up to Barber where the B&M took them to Ayer.

I see, thanks guys. I didn't know all this. When they stopped having the assembly plant, is that what helped make it "a crackhead community" as they put it in the comments for that link? If so I guess it will be even more of one now.

the CP yard Sounds like a perfect site for the engine servicing facility thats needed to be built before Beacon park is terminated...its very possible as is the old westboro auto site.

the state is still talking about raising the bridges into boston for stacks....so its anyones guess