CSX Acquisition of Pan Am Railways

CN9634 wrote: ↑Wed Dec 08, 2021 4:02 pm Blue Nose was a marketing initiative by Pan Am to move traffic out of Atlantic Canada to CSX.

Admittedly off topic but "gotta love it" how Timmy "gets his thing" drawing from famous transport icons!!!

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/30/83/2b ... 2744a0.jpg

https://simpleflying.com/wp-content/upl ... 0x703.jpeg

Well, I guess that's how he has justified his otherwise "broken down excuse" of a railroad.

I’m told that CSX has pretty keen eyes on Portland and Portsmouth for development of bulk commodities with marine connections.

Portland seems a bit better suited for bulk import/export by rail, The Sprague terminal handles a fair amount of Kaolin imports, and the Merrill Terminal used to bring in pulp / paper / wood products by rail for export. The Merrill Terminal is really in need of modernization and expansion if it's ever going to develop to handle new bulk commodities. I remember a few years ago there was a plan to shuttle wood pellets by rail to the Merrill Terminal from a few different points in Maine for export to Europe, but the facilities at Merrill just weren't suited for that.

To my knowledge, most of the bulk handled in Portsmouth is Gypsum that comes from Spain and Nova Scotia for processing at a plant just down the road.

Cosakita18 wrote: ↑Thu Dec 09, 2021 2:21 pm To my knowledge, most of the bulk handled in Portsmouth is Gypsum that comes from Spain and Nova Scotia for processing at a plant just down the road.

Salt, Scrap Metal, gypsum, Sprague, Irving. There's some prospects there.

We'd looked to bulk haul salt out of Portsmouth years ago, but what killed it was a zoning issue on our customers end and they were not able to build the facility.

I don’t see how Portland’s two small bulk terminals could handle large unit trains. They are both on short stub tracks and yard 8 or whatever it was called along the waterfront is gone with development. There’s very little rail infrastructure and no place left to build back what was there

The Sprague terminal is a a perfectly adequate facility for handling Kaolin and other slurries in both directions. The yard there (yard 6) can accommodate fairly significant cuts of cars. I would argue that there is definitely potential there.

The Merrill Terminal absolutely has big limitations, but I can't see how Portsmouth would be more advantageous given its existing facilities.

Not to mention both cities have opposed any expansions of the waterfront for years. And thats something that CSX can't change.

None of Boston, Portland or Portsmouth appear at all interested in an industrialized waterfront. Between ny/nj and Saint John there will be only niche ports in the future

Niche ports can still make money, especially when close to or on your main line.

Are we overlooking Searsport?

Is that becoming a "niche" as well?

I wouldn't completely rule out Chessie accessing such. No question whatever, maritime companies prefer ports with two roads. Could that double Searsport's traffic? That would be a win-win for everyone:

1) Good paying UNION jobs in Maine.
2) No X-border Customs concerns.
3) Better line haul for Chessie than, say, Portland.
4) Cut out the Irving road and that the originating road always gets a disproportionate "chunk" of the interline. Division.

Nuff said?

Unless someone makes a BiG investment, searsport will remain a small niche port— salt, petroleum, wind turbines. I see on marinetraffic roughly a ship or two per week between tankers and bulkers. Searsport has more potential than portland but still has limited space. I think it could be built out to handle grain or potash. Searsport will never be Baltimore, Norfolk, Charleston, my/nj etc. No space. And there is the logistical problem that I’ve mentioned many times— csx/pan am has zero access to searsport. The dock area rail infrastructure in searsport looks to be in sorry shape on google maps

Boston could be, and once was, a major full service port. But that ship sailed decades ago and will sail more if Everett is turned into condos

F74265A wrote: ↑Thu Dec 09, 2021 8:38 pm None of Boston, Portland or Portsmouth appear at all interested in an industrialized waterfront. Between ny/nj and Saint John there will be only niche ports in the future

As a Portlander, I think that although there is some tough zoning in place to protect the "working waterfront," that has become synonymous in many minds with "fishing and lobstering", and the groundfishing industry itself is nearly gone. Marine traffic of the sort that would use rail service is in a "we're lucky to have what we have" state. One other location in the harbor I can think of, though, is Turner's Island; if the owners of that facility (which has its own shortline connecting their wharf directly to Rigby) were in a position to expand somewhat that could be more useful as well.

Searsport is hamstrung by environmental activists. The "Three Port Strategy" hinged on a new cargo terminal being built on Sears Island but that was blocked and I believe the whole island is now in resource protection.

Just passing along what I heard is all.... I think there is still good viability of the smaller break bulk terminals in Maine especially with what's left of the paper industry but also their carve out of liquid bulk traffic could also be a good boost. Even Eastport without any rail connection is able to make it work, so I think the new connections will be helpful. Turners Island should not be forgotten I don't know much about Portsmouth but it seems they've done well with courting Sea-3. Not sure how CSX is going to gain competitive access to Searsport when its firmly on CP trackage, and again why would they with Portland/Portsmouth in their belt (as well as BalTerm and others).

Sears Island has a long history.... before Halifax became a megaport, they wanted to build one right there at Sears Island on the B&A with connection to CP. We all know how history went. 10 years ago even Baldacci and others wanted this but fate would similarly pick Canadian ports (remember the SJ port expansion effort began 10 years ago). The latest is a wind mill hub, which with CPKC could work out pretty well as a niche. https://bangordailynews.com/2021/12/10/ ... oam40zk0w/

Lastly, I heard a rumor that I don't want to let any cats out of bags for... but if its true we'll know this month and it would be a major change in the transaction as we know it. Would be a refiling done of the application and could mitigate any 'competitive concerns'.

F74265A wrote: ↑Fri Dec 10, 2021 9:52 am Boston could be, and once was, a major full-service port. But that ship sailed decades ago and will sail more if Everett is turned into condos

Obviously, Boston was when this song was on "top of the charts" back when I was a kid.

But since to the people of Boston the only train is a passenger train, the region must look elsewhere if they desire to be any kind of "player" in this new age of maritime traffic. Chessie, who had no obligation whatever to "bail out Timmy", must hold that there is traffic to be developed; and I would think that traffic means maritime.

I doubt if garbage and spring water is enough for Chessie to part with Fancy Feast for Kibbles and Bits just to say this broken-down road is hers.

Mellon didn't have CSX " bail him out". Far from ST. The railroad was traded to 500 Water Street Jacksonville in Nov 2020 for a deal they couldn't refuse. Mellon is far from stupid. He's a very smart man.