Horizon Milling (NEMCO) & The Grain Trains

Dunno how long they'll be posing together, but on 03-25-2011 at 1050 an apparently dead NEMCO 1000 and an idling 71 were side-by-side west of the towers at the Milling, east of the Willows. Also there was a piece of RailWorks track equipment, no idea if for maintenance or getting ready for the previously discussed reworking for unit trains.

On 03-28-2011 at 1100 both the 71 and NEMCO 1000 continued posing at the Milling. Not paying much attention to them were workers and equipment rearranging the ground on the south side of the elevator track.

As of 04-04-2011 at 0930 or so, 71 and NEMCO 1000 were still keeping each other company. 71 looked like it had aged since I last saw it, but that was before the rain came to wash away the whitish coating of ground grain it picked up going through the elevators.

On 04-27-2011 at 1210, with nothing moving and no one in the cabs, 71 was still there, sitting solo, and NEMCO 1000 was on a cut of hoppers.

There were some rumors, quickly squashed, that a switcher coming east to be used for contract cable laying work by MBCR was going to replace the NEMCO 1000, which was to be scrapped.
I recall only once happening by and seeing it move cars. I don't recall when or why the ST 71 was assigned there.
Interesting that a favorite railfan pull off spot down by the Wagon Wheel crossing has been shut off by a row of large boulders. It was probably used for other purposes as well and the neighbors on the other side of the tracks must of been getting tired of coming home at night seeing total strangers parked near their doorsteps, or maybe truckers idling all night in the winter. Strange place to build houses down there.

Look for unit grains trains being delivered to PAS via CSX at Rotterdam to start at some point soon. Rumor is run-through BNSF power, but who knows. They are doing trackwork in the Milling to accomodate additional capacity.

That's welcome and interesting news about the grain trains, and two weeks ago at Ayer an eastbound road freight that appeared to have come from East Deerfield (main line at Ayer) set off a cut of what appeared to be loaded grain.

I didn't know what category to put this under so I thought I would try this one....A few years back P/A put the switch back in for a granite company in I believe, Chelmsford...Does any know if they are still getting cars for loads of granite that was coming out of there and didn't they have their own engine?.....Thanks!

Believe you're talking about Fletcher Granite. From what I was told, they used to bring their granite into Larsen reload at Iron Horse Park and figured they could save some money by receiving cars directly at their facility and eliminating the transloading and trucking costs. They spent a fortune on the siding and when they went to Guilford for rail rates, they were quoted a "new" rate that was coincidentally enough similar to the old rate plus the unloading and trucking costs. Needless to say they were not happy and am not even sure they ever even used the track? They ended up going bankrupt a few years back and believe they are now shut down. Kind of a sad story.

Yup, they are in Westford.

Didn't they have their own locomotive?

I think they had something, maybe a centercab? It may even still be up there!

Fletcher shut down and then sold last year to a firm that is liqudating it and settling it's debts, according to local news accounts. If any cash is left over it will go to the 80 or so employees who were thrown out of work.

jaymac wrote:On 04-27-2011 at 1210, with nothing moving and no one in the cabs, 71 was still there, sitting solo, and NEMCO 1000 was on a cut of hoppers.

Went by the mill saturday and today. Nemco 1000 was nowhere in sight. Saturday nothing was moving so I thought it might just be tucked away somewhere. But today, ST 71 was working, and while I watched it left a cut of hoppers in the mill on the track nearest the road and ran by them on the other track, so the 1000 wasn't hiding in there. It also wasn't anywhere I could see on the loop, but of course there is a fair amount of the loop you can't really see.

Anyone know where it's gone, and if it will return?

Ken.

Ken Rice wrote: Went by the mill saturday and today. Nemco 1000 was nowhere in sight.
Ken.

Went by the mill yesterday and Nemco 1000 was sitting there on the near track with several doors open, along with a few hoppers and ST 71 while AY-? came in light to retrieve a string of empties. ST 71 was running, nemco 1000 wasn't.

Ken.