Final Customers - Boston Area

Produce has nearly dropped off to nothing of late and like the previous poster said,
its all scrap in and out. Understand some gondolas or hoppers made a one-way trip
and cut up.

CQ is a PAR customer, so CSX is not a factor. Don't know it this fits into EHH's
Precision Railroading scheme either. Surprised B721 has lasted this long! I suspect
once the MBTA Green Line Project goes full tilt and the Swift Interlocking redo knocks
the Grand Jct out for months or a year, that'll be it.

D

They're waiting for Houghton Chemical's customer contract to expire next July before making any decisions on shoving Everett off onto PAR haulage + interchange. Can't make any moves to outsource or abolish B721 entirely until Houghton's finished.

Why not just service Houghton with an as-needed extra?

D

GP40MC1118 wrote:Why not just service Houghton with an as-needed extra?

D

If pinching the almighty penny is the goal, then they'd probably be looking for an opportunity to 1) cut staff in Framingham, 2) reduce the local power on rotation from Selkirk, 3) let crew qualifications east of Framingham Jct. lapse...or some combination of the above. Which would mean waiting for Houghton's contract to sunset before cutting the haulage deal with PAR. And it may not be done in a vacuum, either. They could sync that with finalizing the delayed handoff of the Milford Branch to G&U, and/or dump Attleboro-Middleboro-Braintree on MC now that MassDOT is spending the I.O.U. money from the big line sale to increase the loading capacity at that interchange. They could roll up all those potential/likely territorial outsources in one bundle so they can make the in-house local staff cutbacks big. Framingham may end up handling the same or more carloads as before, but if other carriers are doing the sorting work for them via those outsources they can run that yard complex on pretty threadbare resources.

Even in the long-prognosticated event pieces or the entirety of CSX's eastern MA local/branchline network are sold, the function and required resources of Framingham yard would not meaningfully change for CSX or any other operator(s). Only in the unlikely or highly unlikely events, respectively, of Selkirk assuming Framingham's function or the traffic moving to an entirely different network would the yard's role be diminished.

I took ride over to Mary O'Malley Park Sunday before I had to go to work. I found PanAm's ex-CSX B40-8 parked with the remote control unit. I also noticed the remote control unit has the Ciment Quebec logo on its nose. A couple of patch jobs in the late summer sun. I put some photos up on my blog here: https://twentystates.blogspot.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Not seen B721 at the usual times for 10 days or more, which is unusual. Is it still running Sunday - Thursday service?

Boston Paperboard was switched by BO-1 this morning, Friday, February 2nd, 2018. By receiving two loaded Plate F boxcars, it has renewed itself as the last actively remaining rail customer in Charlestown, and last Pan Am customer in Boston.

What about Boston Sand and Gravel?

Eh, whatever, I guess that counts.

Whoa! When was the last time Boston Paper Board was served before today?

Is Walker dead at this point?

rb wrote:Whoa! When was the last time Boston Paper Board was served before today?

They usually end up with a few cars every year.

bostontrainguy wrote:Is Walker dead at this point?

Moving to Readville to become a CSX customer. Not sure if they already moved this past Fall or are in-progress for completing the move by this Spring, but they're supposed to be all set up this calendar year as a new tenant in the partially occupied ex- Stop & Shop warehouse to receive cars on that siding.


EDIT: Yup. MS Walker's website contact info is updated to show the Meadow Rd., Hyde Park location. They're officially gone from Somerville.

MS Walker has been gone for several months now. Only activity was them removing equipment and
large tanks on flatbeds and trailer trucks. PAR now uses the spur to store a few cars and BO-1's engine.

Boston Paperboard hasn't gotten cars since 2015, so these two cars were a surprise. What was more amusing
was that the cars apparently got to Lawrence in November, but not deliverable due to the the track from
Innerbelt Road to Mystic being rebuilt! The MBTA had to restore an engine length worth of track just
beyond Innerbelt to allow an engine and 1 car to clear the BP switch.

D