Millers Falls interchange yard

gprimr1 wrote:While I addressed your un-necessary condemnation of tea party members in another thread, I will add this here.

There is no such thing as "unnecessary condemnation" of tea party members. ;p

MCER401 wrote:It's rare to see the interchange empty. There are usually 5-10 cars when I drive by. Scrap, lumber, low sided gons and covered hoppers seem to dominate the traffic going through Miller's.

When I drove by this afternoon there were 5 scrap gons and 1 covered hopper. The NECR northbound 606 is working the interchange right now.

Reception is good today and you can hear the crew on my scanner feed:
https://sites.google.com/site/route2exp ... -rail-info

MCER401 wrote:It's rare to see the interchange empty. There are usually 5-10 cars when I drive by. Scrap, lumber, low sided gons and covered hoppers seem to dominate the traffic going through Miller's.

How often do those 5 to 10 cars turn over?

obienick wrote:

MCER401 wrote:It's rare to see the interchange empty. There are usually 5-10 cars when I drive by. Scrap, lumber, low sided gons and covered hoppers seem to dominate the traffic going through Miller's.

How often do those 5 to 10 cars turn over?

I don't know, but 5 to 10 cars turned over there about 40 years ago and took out the Station!

mick wrote:

obienick wrote:

MCER401 wrote:It's rare to see the interchange empty. There are usually 5-10 cars when I drive by. Scrap, lumber, low sided gons and covered hoppers seem to dominate the traffic going through Miller's.

How often do those 5 to 10 cars turn over?

I don't know, but 5 to 10 cars turned over there about 40 years ago and took out the Station!

*rimshot*

The Millers Falls interchange has been problematic for the NECR. Just having that one connecting track makes picking up and setting out cars a bit more time consuming than neccesary. In addition NECR prohibits six axle power from the track so the set out and pick up requires a number of cars on the head pin as spacers. FInally, the NECR has had serious problems with an unknown person or persons that are "pulling the pin" on northbound trains after they stop to pick up cars. In the event that the engineer is able to stretch the train to prevent the "pin pulling" they have resorted to cutting air lines. It is occuring somewhere back by the bar room near MP 99. Local police have been less than helpful and the railroad is contemplating further steps to notify other law enforcement agencies of this potential act of 'terrorism". If you are in the area, please use caution, if you are questioned by law enforcement be aware they are pursuing an active investigation.

I imagine the pickups or set offs are known well in advance, can they not have one of their officers at the location the few times a week an interchange is made?

When MOAY first started, a B&M officer would either walk every single train or ride in the power alongside to inspect for vandalism.

Unfortunately, the move is very unpredictable right now. There are a lot of variables tha influences if and when the cars are included in the northbound train from Palmer. You do bring up a good point. NECR does not have any Police unit and the local Police are not interested in assisting the railroad hence the need to call in another agency that could claim jurisdiction.

How can the local police simply choose not to provide service? NECR pays taxes in that town, do they not? There's got to be more to it than that...

MEC407 wrote:How can the local police simply choose not to provide service? NECR pays taxes in that town, do they not? There's got to be more to it than that...

Probably a matter of priorities. According to the Town of Montague website (Turners Falls being a village in Montague) the full time police force consists of 15 people. This probably means 3 or 4 to a shift to cover the entire town. Since there is no "scheduled" arrival and the police also have other calls they can't always drop everything to run down to the interchange.

I was stopped and questioned by the Montague PD just west of 63, around 3 weeks ago. Nice guy though, let me go grab my shot while he ran my info.

I wonder if it's the same guy NECR had trouble with breaking into their yards and climbing their signal masts.

One of the gems I remember from being in MA being told about that.

Although I have not heard of anyone pulling pins or cutting air lines, this is such a dangerous thing to do and not a very bright thing to do.
On the other hand, I understand the frustrations and wants for this stint to shut down and desist.
I am one of those residents that lives on the Erving side of Millers Falls or a stones throw from the switching yard. I am not a tree hugger, or a total enviornmentalist, I am a long time resident. Between having to listen to the banging and pounding and the train running at all hours of the night. Last night while trying to enjoy my super after a long days work, and having my kitchen window open, we had the pleasure of the smell of diesel fuel waffe through the air and into our kitchen.
A week ago at 11pm in the middle of the week, we got to listen to the loud bang which sounded like a multi automobile accident and it shook our house as we live up on a hill. And one right after another, bang ..bang..bang.
It is one thing to have these cars hook up during the day, but we do not need to have it wake us up or keeping us up at night. No I personally dont think so. I hope they do move the north bound trains to the other tracks through Greenfield and shut down this stint in Millers so we can have our quiet, non smelly town back.

Yeah, damn trains, always running at night.....it should be banned. I'm going to write to John Olver. Trains should only run when I'm awake or not home to smell them.

So you suggest we park all the trains at night, and try to move twice the freight during hours that are convenient for you? Seriously, you might have wanted to think about where you chose to live a little harder, because choosing to live near active railroad tracks may not have been your best decision in light of your displeasure at hearing a train work at night.

Your post shows a serious lack of understanding concerning how a railroad operates. Every railroad employee knows from day 1 that the railroad is a 24/7/365 job. The trains CANNOT stop. A stopped train can create a butterfly effect that spreads far further than you imagine. A particular line may seem quiet, maybe 1 train a day, but somewhere, someone is counting on that 1 train. Maybe a paper mill waiting on pulp, maybe a ship waiting to unload, maybe another train now waiting on card from this one.

You, contrary to your wishes, are not entitled to be free from train noise if you decide to live near train tracks. I cannot fathom why you would even think that. For what it is worth, I bought my house right at the end of the runway at Barnes, back when the flew A10s(nice, quiet, slow planes.) They no longer have A10s, they have F15s, which have afterburners, and pilots not afraid to use them. The noise levels has risen dramatically, and do I have a right to complain? No. Because I LIVE NEAR AN AIRPORT. I chose to buy my house, knowing that the long asphalt strip was a runway, and that I would have to live the noise. Those are the breaks my friend, you need to live with the choices you make in life.

This completes my slightly less than sober, preaching from a soapbox session for the night. I hope you all enjoyed it, and I look forward to making more long, sanctimonious rants here in the future.