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  • Lowell Junction

  • Guilford Rail System changed its name to Pan Am Railways in 2006. Discussion relating to the current operations of the Boston & Maine, the Maine Central, and the Springfield Terminal railroads (as well as the Delaware & Hudson while it was under Guilford control until 1988). Official site can be found here: PANAMRAILWAYS.COM.
Guilford Rail System changed its name to Pan Am Railways in 2006. Discussion relating to the current operations of the Boston & Maine, the Maine Central, and the Springfield Terminal railroads (as well as the Delaware & Hudson while it was under Guilford control until 1988). Official site can be found here: PANAMRAILWAYS.COM.

Moderator: MEC407

 #1005127  by TPR37777
 
Well I happened to find myself at Lowell Junction in Andover, MA today and I noticed that they had completely cleared both tracks of the south leg of the wye of all vegetation and had stacked new ties adjacent to the south wye track (in addition to the bundles of ties and rail already dropped along the mainline). From all appearances it seems as if they are going to rebuild this south leg, however I can not understand why. I realize that during the Littleton flood they could have used it, however that was a once in a century event and furthermore doesn't Pan Am retain ownership of the track from Lowell Junction to Bleachery? Why would the MBTA have any desire to spend money on this, other than its occasional use to store MOW equipment as in years past?
 #1005148  by F-line to Dudley via Park
 
Was requested of PAR by the T as part of the double-tracking/interlocking project. They then get an IOU from the T on reconfiguring Bleachery Jct. I think it's for max schedule flexibility. When Bleachery's reconsolidated away from any passenger interference at Lowell station it'll open up several more passenger schedule slots and shape a little more traffic through Lowell Jct. PAR gets offset for the T grabbing more Lowell schedule slots by gaining a couple more offsetting slots to route southbound through the new 2-track and Wildcat. Won't cause any fundamental routing changes because freight interference simply isn't a big enough factor south of Lowell now, but if passenger schedules are going to expand a lot over the next several years it keeps everyone's timekeepers happy to have the extra flex.
 #1005197  by newpylong
 
There are no plans to rebuild the South leg at this time, it's just a staging area.
 #1005377  by BostonUrbEx
 
Isn't that the "Great Wall" of Ties? It's MBTA-owned ties, I think, and was formerly in Ayer?
 #1005969  by gunsanplanes
 
Took these pictures back at the beginning of october. They fit here. copy and paste from the MBTA forum.

To confirm that connecting track still being tied in, the switch off the main:
http://www.ar15.com/media/viewFile.html?i=33599

And the opposite switch over on the Lowell juction track, a bit far off but you can make it out:
http://www.ar15.com/media/viewFile.html?i=33606

The rail that was dropped off awhile ago. I counted 20 lengths, and the second stack of ties:
http://www.ar15.com/media/viewFile.html?i=33600

http://www.ar15.com/media/viewFile.html?i=33607

The clearing of the other side of the road. The 2nd pic shoes how large some of the trees had grown:

http://www.ar15.com/media/viewFile.html?i=33604


It didn't take too long for the first train to use that newly cleared section of track. I didn't have my camera yesterday, but this unit is still sitting there today.

http://www.ar15.com/media/viewFile.html?i=33967



http://www.ar15.com/media/viewFile.html?i=33968

http://www.ar15.com/media/viewFile.html?i=33603
 #1006169  by TPR37777
 
Thank you to Mr. F-line and Mr. gunsandplanes for the pleasure of your informative replies, and a special thank you for the pictures.
 #1006222  by gunsanplanes
 
TPR37777 wrote:Thank you to Mr. F-line and Mr. gunsandplanes for the pleasure of your informative replies, and a special thank you for the pictures.

My pleasure.
I'm not a meaningful contributer, but I am a rail enthusiast and enjoy killing time at my 12 hr night shift by perusing this fine site...I've certainly learned a lot.
I work at Pfizer ,right down the road from this spot, so I cross by here every day. It's currently dark for both coming in and leaving, but once that changes I'll try to keep the camera at the ready for whatever activity I can catch.
 #1006554  by TPR37777
 
There is a lot to love and a lot to hate about the night shift. Have you ever caught DOBO after it crawled across the Shawsheen River bridge (slow order) as it accelerated south once it cleared? Nothing like the sound of those engines at full throttle. I must say, I often dream of the days when Lowell Junction was in its heyday, what a place it must have been. I believe it was so busy there was even a diner there once.
 #1006654  by gunsanplanes
 
TPR37777 wrote:There is a lot to love and a lot to hate about the night shift. Have you ever caught DOBO after it crawled across the Shawsheen River bridge (slow order) as it accelerated south once it cleared? Nothing like the sound of those engines at full throttle. I must say, I often dream of the days when Lowell Junction was in its heyday, what a place it must have been. I believe it was so busy there was even a diner there once.
I actually work in the power house for Pfizer, so I mostly just hear the boilers and gas turbine generators.
On rare occasions I slip out to indulge in that filthy habit of smoking, and I have caught the train. I can't quite see it, even though the track isn't that far off, but I can hear it coming from down in Tewksbury. There isn't any quiet zone down there, I hear the horn from far off in the dead of night.

Use to see a train waiting to get out on the main a lot of days driving in, rarely do I see that anymore....but I did see the business train cruise by once.
 #1006900  by jaymac
 
gunsanplanes-
To go all Forrest Gump, meaningful is as meaningful does, and you've done meaningfully. You're located in an area that tends not to get much eyes-on, but as you've seen from various other threads such as Salem Alert, Portsmouth Activity, and Gardner Gawking, site-specific reporting helps us all fill in the PAR/MBTA blanks. If you haven't done so already, you might want to get involved with the B&MRRHS, an excellent resource for Lowell Junction and all other things B&M.
 #1006901  by TPR37777
 
When I first started working in Andover back in 1995 or so there used to be a steel caboose spotted on the siding behind Gillette, which I assume was used to switch out the plant which received several tank cars at a time. Does anyone know if they still get tank cars there? There was once a small yard just south of the plant with several tracks which are now overgrown and almost invisible. I caught a crew pushing cars into the carbon dioxide facility on Shawsheen Street once (used to be Liquid Carbonic I think), quite a steep siding they have there. Other than Market Basket I don't think that there are any other customers left in the entire area, in spite of the abundance of industrial facilities all throughout Ballardvale. I know that the paint company rebuilt their siding just west of Route 93, but I am unaware of it ever being used.
 #1007335  by jr145
 
Gillette is overgrown, and Market Basket doesn't get anything either.