Pan Am Worcester Main Line

426 and 427 on the Worcester main are noticeably lengthier as compared to a few weeks ago

Geo train, with some freight cars added, was still tied down at Burncoat siding as of last night.

It's weird to see the train going through the res at the higher rate of speed. The M427 leaving MPX 25 at around 2pm this aft was over 6000' long with about 8 hazmats aboard. Some trains are definitely getting longer.

Tonnage always goes up in the spring. More grain, more cement, more building materials, more hot asphalt. Less propane, etc.,

Interestingly, blocks of coal for Bow have run north over the Worcester main on 426 recently, including a number of cars today. That will add to tonnage. Don’t know if hiding these cars in the middle of a manifest is to reduce crews or lower the profile of the controversial traffic

It's to reduce the use of locomotives and crews, per PSR, it's an operating method. 10 or 15 years ago an extra train like this would have run as its own train and the crew would have been deadheaded back home to Selkirk on arrival.

As I've tried to explain many times, there is no longer any standby extra power in Selkirk it's all relay power now to keep the number of operating locomotives down to the bare bones. That's why if anything goes wrong, whole subdivisions shut down. The train to Worcester is waiting on power from a train that got held up on the River or Mohawk. Wen the power finally shows up at Selkirk, they will just run it no matter what time it is. So now that late train is in the way and must be held, or other trains must be held. So now at least one crew outlaws. But you don't have any crews for the recrew either.

So now you are single track in a congested area and more trains outlaw. Meltdown, all self-inflicted of course, but they will just blame the crews.

The crew issues are self-inflicted as well, so this is how they have to operate now thanks to PSR. It's got nothing to do with hiding. This is now SOP due to the cuts made since 2017 under PSR.

They even do this with high value shipments such as autos and transformers.

thanks. Was curious since the news reported in late December 2022 that what I believe was a unit train to Bow got blocked by climate activists at Westford.

This may all be true but does not have to do with the issue of coal here presently.

taracer wrote: ↑Tue Mar 21, 2023 4:10 pm It's got nothing to do with hiding. This is now SOP due to the cuts made since 2017 under PSR.

I was told directly by those involved in the move that they are again trying to fly under the radar due to the protesters. It does not have anything to do with PSR, etc.

F74265A wrote: ↑Tue Mar 21, 2023 4:57 pm thanks. Was curious since the news reported in late December 2022 that what I believe was a unit train to Bow got blocked by climate activists at Westford.

These are the first two moves since that train. 18 cars yesterday, 20 today. Supposedly they were going to be getting a bunch over the winter, I guess that didn't happen.

I am scannerless, but has anyone heard the new X7.8 detector yet? Does it still call itself "B&M Detector" or something else now?

427 past Sterling Junction around 1530 today, at track speed, CSX 471 and 2 others, 82 freight with quite a few cement cars and a flat car loaded with train wheels.
Lately the schedule seems to be 426 thru Wach Reservoir area mid to late morning and 427 thru mid to late afternoon. Oh - yes the 7.8 detector still uses the same recording.

Thanks for the confirmation, johnhenry. Some things change, some things stay the same.

birch hill subaru guy video today from Temple street where his scanner says "CSX detector milepost 7.8."

LGT has been sitting in Selkirk for days, due to no power.

That could be on purpose. My contact with the RR (who would know) said the customer isn't ready for the cars yet.