Everett Tracker

AFAIK, there's no generic thread, with chatter split up among various CSX and PAR threads.


I'll start off by saying that a car was spotted at Preferred Freezer Services some time between Thursday PM and Friday PM. I've been keeping an eye out the past month and hadn't seen anything spotted there, but based on some Google Maps views, you'd think it's pretty regular.


Does anyone know if Rover St is public access? Or if the concrete silos still see service?

I think this thread is a good idea and I'm surprised it's not more active.

As of Monday AM, the car at Preferred Freezer Services (hereby decreed PFS) is no longer there. The small storage/staging yard before the scrap yard, next to the silos (hereby decreed Silo Yard) has no cars stored on it.

Any Eimskip containers in the PFS lot? They are usually good for a handful.

I've not noticed any, and kept an eye out Monday PM. Do they ever load the containers onto rail here? I didn't know any containers came to Everett, even if just a handful.

As of Tuesday AM, there is a reefer at PFS again. There are about three cars in the Silo Yard -- one of which looks like... a boxcar? Maybe I'm wrong. The rest are typical gondolas.

BostonUrbEx wrote: Do they ever load the containers onto rail here?

No. Eimskip used to unload containers onto chassis here before they moved to Portland. This was there Boston "hub". Eimskip ships are equipped with their own onboard crane for loading/unloading. No dockside infrastructure needed. Only a berth and pavement to set them down. Up until the move to Portland 20-30 containers every two weeks were loaded/unloaded for distribution throughout New England. Containers continued to be trucked here after the shift to Portland although perhaps things have shifted to either another PFS facility or gone all together.

BostonUrbEx wrote:As of Tuesday AM, there is a reefer at PFS again.

Is this a CSX only customer? I know Schnitzer is served by both PAR and CSX, but considering you must pass PFS and the concrete co to get to Schnitzer, are they captive CSX or PAR customers?

Interesting to hear about Eimskip -- can't say I've seen (or rather, noticed) any activity over there. But I've only recently been paying attention as the past month I've been taking a bus via the Tobin Bridge. And even then, it's a bit hard to see exactly what's going on.

As to PFS: they have a siding, so the track to Silo Yard and Schnitzer does not get fowled by reefers. I believe CSX currently has all reefer traffic to themselves, for both the produce market and PFS, except for when the Grand Junction bridge was out of service and it was handed to PAR temporarily. I wouldn't be surprised if PAR gets all the traffic soon, though, with Beacon Yard shuttered. But you're correct - PAR and CSX share Schnitzer traffic almost randomly.


All cars which were at PFS and Silo Yard as of 8/13 AM had not moved until sometime between 8/14 PM and 8/15 AM. I presume closer to the latter, but boy, CSX must service Everett Terminal pretty damn early if so! I go by at 7:00AM or so usually. Anyone know what time period they arrive/switch in the morning and when they switch/leave in the evening?

Does anyone know if Rover St is public access?

Rover St is shown as a public way on the Commonwealth's GIS map, OLIVER, but there's a sign at Schnitzer that says otherwise. Up to that point it has a sidewalk. The rest is Distrigas property. Commercial St seems to be open, but I'm not sure how far. There is/was an odd electric sign on Commercial saying Rover St is closed before you get to the Distrigas building. I've never been there, this is from Google and Bing.

BostonUrbEx wrote:I wouldn't be surprised if PAR gets all the traffic soon, though, with Beacon Yard shuttered.

I wouldn't bet on it. Turning over control of the long-haul, profitable perishable business because of running the serving local out of Framingham vs. Beacon Park sure seems like the tail wagging the dog. Maybe if they did it on a contract basis tieing PAR down to a "subcontracting" position, but it still seems like such small potatoes in the scheme of things for CSX with probably relative small gain and some potential risk. Pan Am also serves the area with a local from a similar distance away, so, hey, why not speculate about their traffic being turned over to CSX?

QB 52.32 wrote:

BostonUrbEx wrote:I wouldn't be surprised if PAR gets all the traffic soon, though, with Beacon Yard shuttered.

I wouldn't bet on it. Turning over control of the long-haul, profitable perishable business because of running the serving local out of Framingham vs. Beacon Park sure seems like the tail wagging the dog. Maybe if they did it on a contract basis tieing PAR down to a "subcontracting" position, but it still seems like such small potatoes in the scheme of things for CSX with probably relative small gain and some potential risk. Pan Am also serves the area with a local from a similar distance away, so, hey, why not speculate about their traffic being turned over to CSX?

Depends on whether the T gets involved. If they start subtly intimating that it would be real nice if there were no more freight east of Framingham or crossing through BET off the Grand Junction deals can be made to subcontract out to PAR for a Worcester delivery and keep the goods captive to CSX. Because it is, after all, small potatoes. Green Line Extension construction would probably be the time to watch, because building the Union Sq. branch is going to make a temporary mess out of the Fitchburg/Grand Junction diamond. And the GLX maintenance facility construction coming a few years later is going to make a royal mess of the Valley Track while the build is ongoing.

Plus I very much doubt Houghton Chemical is going to stay in its current location much longer. Harvard and the Boston Redevelopment Authority want that parcel behind the Doubletree put to more upscale commercial use than it is now, so it's only a matter of time before they get a relocation offer they can't refuse out to the 'burbs somewhere with equivalent rail access. That weekly delivery is the only thing CSX has to serve on this local that PAR can't.

F-line to Dudley via Park wrote:Depends on whether the T gets involved. If they start subtly intimating that it would be real nice if there were no more freight east of Framingham or crossing through BET off the Grand Junction deals can be made to subcontract out to PAR for a Worcester delivery and keep the goods captive to CSX. Because it is, after all, small potatoes.

You've missed the point. It's small potatoes in terms of operational size or value for CSX, but, not necessarily when it comes to CSX's commercial interests, both for this case and possibly in the larger picture, too. Their commercial franchise and rights to run freight into Everett has value. I have a sneaking suspicion that it would take a lot more than an "intimation" for CSX to give up those rights (formally or informally) for what may not be a good and risk-less deal for them. CSX is a proven tough negotiator: just look at what they got for the most-recent line sales in Massachusetts, so what will the MBTA or the Commonwealth have to offer as a quid pro quo? Why wouldn't CSX simply require the MBTA to deal with their protected rights in any case? And, really, will 1 roundtrip local running east of Framingham now or ever become that big of a deal for the MBTA? CSX can run at night and with Cambridge opposition and Tim Murray sidelined what's the chance of it becoming critical that CSX be off the Grand Jct. 24/7?

Green Line Extension construction would probably be the time to watch, because building the Union Sq. branch is going to make a temporary mess out of the Fitchburg/Grand Junction diamond. And the GLX maintenance facility construction coming a few years later is going to make a royal mess of the Valley Track while the build is ongoing.

These are not events that would, in and of themselves, force a strategic move by CSX. They would be dealt with in the very same way the closing of the bridge over the Charles was handled: by boilerplate reciprocal agreement between carriers. How do you know PAR wouldn't want a juicier agreement in any number of terms less-favorable to CSX outside a detour situation?

Plus I very much doubt Houghton Chemical is going to stay in its current location much longer. Harvard and the Boston Redevelopment Authority want that parcel behind the Doubletree put to more upscale commercial use than it is now, so it's only a matter of time before they get a relocation offer they can't refuse out to the 'burbs somewhere with equivalent rail access. That weekly delivery is the only thing CSX has to serve on this local that PAR can't.

I don't get the sense that not having Houghton is a game-changer for CSX's service to Everett. Quite possibly even a benefit in the operation of that local. And, don't mistake CSX's exit from Beacon Park as some sort of scorched-earth policy to exit or put at-risk their franchise east of Framingham.

So, when you work down through this, unless there's a big ace-in-the-hole for CSX which would motivate them, I wouldn't bet that they'll cede their Everett traffic to PAR.

Yesterday, 9/9, two reefers showed up at PFS in the morning.

This was the only activity I've seen since my last post on 8/15, except for a reefer and another car which appeared at PFS last week or the week before. The reefer was only there for maybe a day, the other was just two days. The car which I could not identify had a tarp covering most of it (weird...).

Also, was in the area on 9/8 and took a look around. Coming down Rover from the West, as you're approaching the little jughandle in the roadway, it is made clear they don't want anyone coming through. There's a pretty intimidating pedestrian entry point for Schnitzer and the road looks securely gated up ahead. From the east, Commercial St is 100% open, but as soon as you go onto Rover you'd be faced with securely shut gates and a security wall that raises out of the ground to stop vehicles attempting forced entry. I was able to go all the way to the switches at the start of Silo Yard without tresspassing as far as I could tell.

Also, does anyone know if there was a derailment at Behen & Market streets? There's a small crossing for cars to get to some parking spaces, but it looks like some flanges tore through the crossing.

Some time last week, perhaps around 9/10 or 9/11, there were three cars at PFS for a couple days. Pretty strange since there's only two warehouse doors along their siding. Eventually one car disappeared, and then all cars were removed sometime between Friday 9/13 PM and Monday 9/16 AM.

The CSX local services Chelsea/Everett Sunday thru Thursday late evening, symbol is B721 I think. On-duty early afternoon at Framingham and get to Everett just before the outbound rush hour from Bosoton. They do all their work then come out and return to Framingham after the rush. Sometimes they run even later than that.

Pan Am's LA4 services Everett a few days a week right now, they are also on-duty early afternoon but since they are in Somerville they can usually get in and out of Everett prior to CSX coming through.

I believe CSX has exclusive rights at all the produce and at PFS. Pan Am and CSX have both serviced the cement company and Schnitzer.

What you saw with 3 cars at PFS is a common railroad practice of "hanging" cars for a customer that physically fit on the track but the customer can't access due to their unloading constraints. It puts it in an easier position to switch on the next trip, rather than messing around with the car in the serving yard for a few extra days.