Pan Am Worcester Main Line

Recently posted video on YouTube shows a very fast freight heading west towards Clinton. Anyone want to guess the speed here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ek_PPDzXjmE

Seems faster than 40.

Also note the "Work Zone Ahead" sign has been removed and he's not slowing down so has the bridge clearance project been completed?

There is a block of 9 empty 73 ft long centerbeams mid-train for a total of 657 ft. It took these cars 12 seconds to pass the crossing meaning train was traveling at ~55 ft/sec. Dividing by 88 ft/sec (ie 60mph) to normalize to mph yields a factor of 0.62. Multiply 60mph by the factor and it would seem train is going about 37mph.

A 73 foot center beam is about 80’ over the couplers, or about 10% longer, which means the train was going about 10% faster than you calculated, which is… right about 40 mph.

Folks are too used to 10-25 to know what a dead nuts 40 looks like, and it's moving right along.

CSX has indicated they eventually want to get that line to 49 MPH (max non signalled) but I don't see the ROI of maintenance to Class 4 for a few trains.

Ken Rice - good catch on centerbeam length actually being 80 ft including couplers!

I’m guessing these empty centerbeams came out of Hill Yard after unloading sheet rock?

It occurred to me this morning that if CSX really is intending to reinstate the connection between the Worcester Main Line and the Ag Branch for the purposes of taking freight off of the B&A, then that certainly is consistent with the deal that CSX made with Pan Am a few years ago whereby Pan Am took over serving the facility in Everett (which meant CSX no longer had any need to go east of Framingham on the B&A) in exchange for ownership of the Worcester Main (which would be a prerequisite for the change apparently in the works these days). You might even say that the deal from a few years ago was a necessary pre-requisite to what is being contemplated today.

(Apologies if this point has already been made elsewhere.)

Apparently, CSX and the Commonwealth have a long-term vision and are taking steps to implement it, one piece at a time.

newpylong wrote: ↑Sun Sep 22, 2024 9:04 am Folks are too used to 10-25 to know what a dead nuts 40 looks like, and it's moving right along.

CSX has indicated they eventually want to get that line to 49 MPH (max non signalled) but I don't see the ROI of maintenance to Class 4 for a few trains.

Upping to 49 could be part of the plan to accomplish selkirk-rigby with 1 crew. They will need to save time everywhere they can for that to work

mrj1981 wrote: ↑Sun Sep 22, 2024 10:32 am It occurred to me this morning that if CSX really is intending to reinstate the connection between the Worcester Main Line and the Ag Branch for the purposes of taking freight off of the B&A, then that certainly is consistent with the deal that CSX made with Pan Am a few years ago whereby Pan Am took over serving the facility in Everett (which meant CSX no longer had any need to go east of Framingham on the B&A) in exchange for ownership of the Worcester Main (which would be a prerequisite for the change apparently in the works these days). You might even say that the deal from a few years ago was a necessary pre-requisite to what is being contemplated today.

(Apologies if this point has already been made elsewhere.)

Apparently, CSX and the Commonwealth have a long-term vision and are taking steps to implement it, one piece at a time.

Consistent but unrelated as CSX gave up their "north side" customers many years before Mellon decided to sell.

That's an interesting question, actually - could CSX have been playing a long game with an eye on acquiring Pan Am even back then? You could make an argument that the agreement helped to put them on Timmy's good side...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IROtdDldxJk

I still cannot tell what the plan is for the Ag Branch bridge at Sterling St.

At about 3:00 in that video the gray machine is a drill rig for installing mini-piles. The pipe casings that are driven into the ground to the desired depth are laying in front of the rig. Once driven to the proper depth grout is placed in the casing and a threaded reinforcing rod is inserted. One completed pile with the rod sticking out can be seen. This may be a "test" pile for confirmation of load bearing capacity.
Definitely points to foundation improvements being made.

Perhaps undercutting would undermine the existing foundation of that support column

A string of Loram grinders and tank cars along with associated personnel sitting on both sides of the New Bond st crossing at 4pm today. I believe it is east bound. The last two days have seen extensive drainage work around the Rt 12 OGB in Sterling including new culverts to insure that the low undercut tracks won't flood. I'm wondering if track work on the Worcester branch is essentially done, and therefore time to run the grinder over it? If it is done it might be an indication that the Ag branch bridge will be raised or replaced rather than any undercutting there.

They went up the branch from Worcester at 15:12, and were at Pittsfield within the last week, so presumably they will continue east.

the grinder on the clinton siding

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCaEnMzN940

per comments, it was grinding on the wml today