CSX Acquisition of Pan Am Railways

Newpylong makes a very good point about track speed. When you're running a 10-25 MPH railroad with ancient locomotives, you need more places for pit stops and repairs. When you're running a 40 MPH railroad with contemporary locomotives, you can have fewer shops and space them farther apart.

There are next to no branches to spin off to short lines east of Ayer as I see it. The Nashua and concord remnants of the northern mainline and residual spurs are the only likely candidates I see. Portsmouth stays bc high value lpg; rumford generates the most traffic; nobody will want lower road south end or north end. Bucksport has no customers. I think all the other branches are gone already

They could file to abandon the Bucksport Branch, however, and the state would pretty much automatically buy it. Then if some fish processing plant proposes to build in Bucksport and says they'll ship/receive 10 cars a month by rail, the state will spend $40 million to rebuild the branch. I'm only partially kidding.

I wonder what happens to the Boston area lines?

roberttosh wrote: ↑Tue Nov 17, 2020 10:25 am I wonder what happens to the Boston area lines?

I would guess they will run them as they do now. Maybe someone at marketing will take interest in the produce center and try to actually serve it. Easier from Ayer I would think especially now that Yard 8 loop track is (temporarily?) gone.

Now they just need to find some old open autocarriers that will clear into Moran

PAR just got cleared to take F plates into the Produce Center so it is back on the table, especially with the cancellation of the RailEx trains. UP has essentially withdrawn all of the older C-plate reefers as of this year.

It will be interesting to see how CSX blocks cars for PAR points. I believe everything now goes straight to Portland so maybe they institute a Lawrence block for Eastern MA & NH?

They may be able to reduce operations sharply at East Deerfield yard, since they have a grand hump yard just 100 miles away to build trains for the Pan Am lines. They could probably run one 200 car manifest that shrinks with drops in E Deerfield, Ayer, and Providence.

Instead of rehabbing the Rotterdam branch I wonder if they would consider running PAS traffic via the B&A to Springfield and then North to Deerfield? Either way involves a change of ends and the miles are similar so may make sense to consolidate.

Speaking of changing ends, it's too bad that the Springfield diamonds were not somehow designed to accommodate connector tracks on the Northwest and Southwest quadrants. May have required a funky bridge with switches on it but have seen it done before and would have saved crews a lot of time over the years in not having to back out of the yard to go North or South.

I wonder if Panam's OCS will make a left hand turn in Ayer.

Since Mr. Mellon isn't going to get his Ambassordorship, I guess he is just pulling everyone's leg to get more money for the sale. To me, with a non-railroad background, it just looks like he is just jerky everyone around to build the price. I may be wrong, but I used to work for the banking part of the Mellon empire and it was all about the money.

bostontrainguy wrote: ↑Tue Nov 17, 2020 11:28 am

roberttosh wrote: ↑Tue Nov 17, 2020 10:25 am I wonder what happens to the Boston area lines?

I would guess they will run them as they do now. Maybe someone at marketing will take interest in the produce center and try to actually serve it. Easier from Ayer I would think especially now that Yard 8 loop track is (temporarily?) gone.

Now they just need to find some old open autocarriers that will clear into Moran

They already plan to serve it more, now that they can get Plate F in there they aren't restricted to the old Reefers. A lot of room for growth too.

I don't think anything will happen the Boston lines. Besides the Peabody/Salem Industrial nothing is left anyway. I don't count the OOS Mystic Wharf. Whatever is left is profitable and they don't pay the T a dime to run over their track. If anything you may see more traffic with a new operator.

roberttosh wrote: ↑Tue Nov 17, 2020 12:45 pm Instead of rehabbing the Rotterdam branch I wonder if they would consider running PAS traffic via the B&A to Springfield and then North to Deerfield? Either way involves a change of ends and the miles are similar so may make sense to consolidate.

The whole point of PAS is to run PAS traffic on PAS and get the long haul rate so this is not likely to happen. I don't see many instances where anything changes as far as routing to be honest. If CSX is 50% owner then they will continue to deliver cars to PAS customers and interchange partners at RJ. Same if someone else gets 50%. The most changes you may see is if NS buys out all of PAS. That's a wildcard.

However the one change I see if CSX is 50% owner or NS 100% is the reduction of switching at Deerfield. NS, CP and CSX can pre-block more than they are currently. However, unlike modern hump yards, Deerfield is not expensive to operate as there are no retarders or power switches. They may keep the layout or remove it and go to all flat switching. Right now you can't flat switch much at all with the hump there.

I would think Deerfield would be shut down. Dropping cars in ED for switching reduces car velocity and adds extra costs. Pre-blocking for Gardner/Ayer, Lawrence, Dover etc can be done further west. Any refueling, sand and light maintenance would also be performed at current CSX/NS locations based on a 40 mph road.