Intermodal to Maine

They did pretty well with the PS tests. If Pan Am can get their act together they stand to get a big contract.

dnelson wrote: ...Say what you want about ST/GRS/PAR running the railroad better now than the bad old days that shaped the company's legacy....... The day I'll stop using reoccurring historic facts as a basis for predictions is the day the railroad invests its own money into bringing the entire mainline from CPF185 to Northern Maine Jct. up to a continuously maintained 25MPH, by sending MOW crews out to make repairs right away when needed, replacing the familiar cycle of letting the speed restrictions stack get fatter every day, with the occasional upgrades often being very short-lived.

Exactly. As well as hiring crews and acquiring power to handle not only the current traffic, but also potential growth. That said, I really hope the proposed Poland Spring service turns into a resounding success!

To continue throwing in outside-observer pairs of pennies, the current version of GuilfordWorld may just be where it wants to be. It has the ROW, and if and/or when -- as frequently in the past -- some outside entity -- the T, NNEPRA, or NS -- throws money at fixing things to improve service, then maybe GuilfordWorld will agree, but hopefully more quickly and gracefully than with NNEPRA for the initial Downeaster.
The partnership is small, doesn't answer to stockholders or a board of directors, and may or may not always be in unanimity. Such arrangements tend not to have an extended lifespan. Partners age, get tired of obligations, and may not have heirs interested in continuing the operation. What such partners sometimes do -- somewhat like emperors who may have bought clothes of magic cloth -- is look for a graceful exit with minimal costs both to wallets and reputations.
Only now is this post even getting to including the words "Poland Springs" and that to stake a minimal claim of being on topic, but whatever does happen in District 1 of GuilfordWorld would seem to be determined by the power of someone else's purse. The work that has gone on north of Portland recently -- except for the Downeaster extension -- could just be a tease for someone with a greater desire and looser purse strings.

I can't help but think that a lot of the issues Guilford has right now are because they had to dedicate so much of their MoW forces to the Conn River Line rebuild and they apparently didn't want to go to the expense and trouble of making temporary hires. Just a thought.

It doesnt matter if Pan Am had more people, when your mainline tie crew is pulling spikes BY HAND, you're running a half assed tie job. Peezy. Poor track is poor track because the track department is underfunded. There may be a lack of people, but there is also a lack of machines and materials.

Completely off topic, can we all agree to drop the "Guilford"/"Name of the week" stuff? I've seen it in at least 4 different posts today. The name is Pan Am Railways and has been for almost 10 years now. I can appreciate using the Guilford name when discussing the past, but current operations? Nothing purchased, painted or printed since 2006 has used the name, besides the dwindling number of cars and locomotives in gray the name is dead.

I wholeheartedly agree, except that since the official name of the railroad is Springfield Terminal, half the power and signs around North Billerica stay Guilford, and Pan Am Southern also being in the picture, it ain't easy.

edit: plus Maine Central and Boston and Maine are technically still railroads.

I have in my possession a 2015 calendar, a 2015 system map, and a current business card of a member of upper management. All three of them say Pan Am Railways. Like hundreds of other companies, they have multiple subsidiaries — Springfield Terminal Railway Co., Boston and Maine Corp., Maine Central Railroad Co., Portland Terminal Co., Aroostook & Bangor Resources, PermaTreat, et al.

I think it's probably easiest to refer to the company as Pan Am unless one is specifically discussing something related to one of the subsidiaries.

I completely agree it's easiest to just say Pan Am Railways, and that's what I do the majority of the time. The reason I said "ST/GRS/PAR" in an earlier post is because I was referring to the entire history of the unified system of railroads owned by Timothy Mellon, and I don't think it make sense to refer to something like Guilford's "East Wind" piggyback trains from the 90s as being a Pan Am train...

It's true that there has been more and more movement away from using the ST name in things like maps, business cards, and other things marketed to the public. But Pan Am Railways is a holding company with a marketable and familiar brand name, not an actual railroad. When a Pan Am worker gets his/her paycheck, it still says Springfield Terminal. And when trains call dispatch, they refer to themselves as ST as well, for example "ST PORU 511 to District 1 North Billerica, over." Also, since Pan Am Railways is a separate company from Pan Am Southern, Springfield Terminal Railway is the only actively used name associated with train operations throughout all of the system formerly known as Guilford (as far as I know!)

dnelson wrote:I wholeheartedly agree, except that since the official name of the railroad is Springfield Terminal, half the power and signs around North Billerica stay Guilford, and Pan Am Southern also being in the picture, it ain't easy.

edit: plus Maine Central and Boston and Maine are technically still railroads.

I will address the primary point. "Officially" as per the Secretary for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts the name is "Pan Am Railways" and has been since January 16, 2008. There are other associated entities obviously, but that is the official "name" of the Delaware corporation that operates the railroad(s) as wholly owned subsidiaries and it is also the official "Doing Business As" reference to the corporate entity.

At least to my knowledge not a single mile of track has ever been transferred to the Springfield Terminal Railway Company. So other than assets which it may not even own anymore it "merely" has an operating lease on all of the other railroads, an arrangement which I believe continues to this very day.

Pan Am Railways is the brand name, just like Guilford Rail System was. B&M, MEC and PTM own property and equipment, as does ST, but ST also has the designation of operating the system, If we're going to get technical. And that wasnt my point.

I realize the name still exists, even in official uses. So to does Burlington Northern, whose reporting marks and name remain on the rails. Yet nobody is saying "BN or whatever the name is this week" even though the "BNSF" name is only officially a year older than Pan Am's rebrand.

Don't mean to gripe, just seems that those of us who claim to be aware of the railroad, from outside, inside, outside now, formerly inside, etc. should start by getting the name right. I admit, in conversation I occasionaly "Guilfordslip" but here, I proof my posts and any Guilford reference gets replaced, unless I'm specifically refering to a gray locomotive, or a matter of history before 2006.

gokeefe wrote:

dnelson wrote:I wholeheartedly agree, except that since the official name of the railroad is Springfield Terminal, half the power and signs around North Billerica stay Guilford, and Pan Am Southern also being in the picture, it ain't easy.

edit: plus Maine Central and Boston and Maine are technically still railroads.

I will address the primary point. "Officially" as per the Secretary for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts the name is "Pan Am Railways" and has been since January 16, 2008. There are other associated entities obviously, but that is the official "name" of the Delaware corporation that operates the railroad(s) as wholly owned subsidiaries and it is also the official "Doing Business As" reference to the corporate entity.

At least to my knowledge not a single mile of track has ever been transferred to the Springfield Terminal Railway Company. So other than assets which it may not even own anymore it "merely" has an operating lease on all of the other railroads, an arrangement which I believe continues to this very day.

It's definitely confusing, but to the best of my understanding, Springfield Terminal is the railroad that is leasing the operating rights from the technically still existent Boston & Maine and Maine Central. Therefore, if you're an employee of the railroad, you work for the Springfield Terminal Railway Company operating trains for MEC and BM under lease.

While the Pan Am name is marketed heavily to the public, you'll see Springfield Terminal is alive and well in the courtroom with real names must be used. Pretty sure all these examples below are from after the name change to Pan Am.

http://www.gowhistleblower.com/Rail-Whi ... way-Co.PDF" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/USCOURTS-m ... 0166-0.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.goodwinprocter.com/Publicati ... vice=print" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.felaquestions.com/federal-ci ... pany-.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.lowellsun.com/front/ci_3949600" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This doesn't mean we can't just all try to call it Pan Am for the sake of simplicity.

Call it Pan Am, has been since 2006. Most people know ST is the common carrier and the subsidiaries still exist in property and paper.

It's been years since I used my scanner to railfan, but I recall the Form D was announced as "Form D number G_ _ _ , dated _ _ _...." I ASSUMED the "G" was for Guilford. Was that assumption correct, and also has the format changed in those many years since? Just curious.

--Alan S.

KSmitty wrote:Pan Am Railways is the brand name, just like Guilford Rail System was. B&M, MEC and PTM own property and equipment, as does ST, but ST also has the designation of operating the system, If we're going to get technical. And that wasnt my point.

I realize the name still exists, even in official uses. So to does Burlington Northern, whose reporting marks and name remain on the rails. Yet nobody is saying "BN or whatever the name is this week" even though the "BNSF" name is only officially a year older than Pan Am's rebrand.

Don't mean to gripe, just seems that those of us who claim to be aware of the railroad, from outside, inside, outside now, formerly inside, etc. should start by getting the name right. I admit, in conversation I occasionaly "Guilfordslip" but here, I proof my posts and any Guilford reference gets replaced, unless I'm specifically refering to a gray locomotive, or a matter of history before 2006.

Actually.... We say BN all the time referring to BNSF where I work.... a remnant of the days before the merger. Also Conrail is still a used named when I work in the NYC area.... The only name I hear that ruffles my feathers is when people refer to Norfolk Southern as just 'Norfolk'. I also hear 'The NS" a lot... not sure where the 'the' came from... There is still a division between B&M and MEC within the company too

Anyways. Maine. Intermodal. Trains.

bubbytrains wrote:It's been years since I used my scanner to railfan, but I recall the Form D was announced as "Form D number G_ _ _ , dated _ _ _...." I ASSUMED the "G" was for Guilford. Was that assumption correct, and also has the format changed in those many years since? Just curious.

--Alan S.

Its still Form D number G###, but I don't know the origins...