PAR Business Train (ST 100, 101, 102 & 103; PAR 1 & 2)

bmcdr wrote:Shortly after that photo you had from Google was taken, it was cut up for scrap.

I was in Iron Park on Oct. 13 of this year (2009), and 902 was still there then.

E-bound OCS with 517 and 518 plus ST's 101 and 100 by CPF-AY at 1128. Didn't hear any D-3 radio traffic about it, so it was a surprise. Ayer traffic was heavy, and it got by the Willows before I could get there, so I don't know the route/destination or even origin.

Today (19Nov) the business train flew by (and I mean it, it was going faster that any train I've seen going through Ballardvale Junction station) going towards Lawrence around 12:30-1PM

Max. authorized through B-vale is probably 60, but given some of the other restrictions between Ayer and there, as well as potential MBCR conflicts on the Western and NH, even 1-1/2 hours is pretty good time for those 25 miles.

Any sightings further east??

OCS was through Dover at about 1:30PM, moving "smartly" . Amtrak #684 was held at Wells for the OCS
and was 25 minutes late into Dover.

Dick

Verily, rank hath its privileges.
Wonder if the story will ever emerge.

Sightings on other boards said that there were only two or three people on the OCS. The paying passengers on the DE had to wait for that? Well, I guess it's nice to know that some things never change.

At least the T alerts cited "Amtrak Interference" for delays to inbound and outbound MBCR trains shortly thereafter - so it wasn't just the Amtrak passengers that took a hit!

"Pan Am interference" would've been more accurate, but I suppose that would've confused the heck out of people. "Pan Am interference? I don't see any planes on the tracks..."

"Amtrak Interference" is not a very charitable way of wording it. Sounds like they just wanted to give T passengers a scapegoat to complain about (oh how some people love to complain)!

I saw the business train heading west out of Durham one time, completely by chance. It was stopped (I think) at the Durham station at the exact time a Downeaster was supposed to be there. Then it moseyed on out of town at a leisurely 25 mph or so...about 40 mph below track speed. A few minutes later, the poor Downeaster followed at the same depressing speed! Never did figure that one out. If I were a railroad exec I would want to go fast on the fastest stretch of my system! Unless I took a certain pleasure out of screwing a bunch of paying Amtrak passengers out of their expected schedule. But I'll be generous and assume that they either didn't know a Downeaster was riding their tail (uh huh) or that there was some restricting condition they were being held to.

Is Pan Am looking into acquiring F units for their business train? For a train that sees little service, I find it quiet odd that they would acquire F units.
Also where is the business train stored when it’s not in use?

Pan Am is looking to buy F units?! Talk about a surprise.
As for where it's stored, I would assume it would be at Waterville, if not, than Billerica.

This was a rumor that got started in the Conway Scenic thread in the New England forum. So far, I've seen nothing concrete to back it up... but who the heck knows. Realistically speaking, one has to keep in mind that Pan Am has been selling off equipment that they don't use on a regular basis... and that includes passenger cars. Why would they sell passenger cars and then turn around and buy passenger locomotives? Makes no sense at all. But could they do something that shocks us and goes against everything they've done in the past? It's not entirely out of the realm of possibility.

The only marginally plausible reason I can think of for Pan Am to buy F units would be to salvage the engines, generators, traction motors, trucks, etc., all of which could be used to rebuild some of the GP7s or GP9s. I just can't imagine them buying a pair of locomotives only to keep them in storage for 362 days a year. Maybe they're thinking of running a tourist train.

The passenger cars (the two that they still own) are stored at Waterville.

Please see the following thread for more info: Business Train Sighting, and History of the Business Train

With PAR following in the Guilford footsteps of "you never know",
I suppose that PAR could be looking for F units to part out for
repairs to GP7s and GP9s. However, they recently "parked" all
their GP9s, even two which had been working the yard at East
Deerfield, just prior to their shipment to Waterville, One reason
PAR kept some GP9s was due to the rough track on several branch
lines in Maine, but they are now using GP40s to service those lines
and (never say never) I just don't seem them wanting to put a number'
of GP9s back in service. Once the 10 KSC six axle units are on line,
that should free up some more GP40s for branchline and switching work.

Of course, they sold a GP35 to the Conway Scenic, rather than a GP9,
which might have been a better choice maintenance wise for the CSRR.
One of those ex B&M GP9s could have been painted in the B&M McGinnis
scheme or a "blue dip". While the B&M used mostly GP7s or SW9's for the
local freight To North Conway, I think that there were a few "bluebird" runs
to North Conway, before that portion of the line was shut down.

Dick

If only today's date were 04-01 instead of 04-07, then it might be proposed the F-units were the first step in PAR commuter service as hinted at, if memory doesn't fail, by Mr. Fink in his 04-02-09 letter to an editor, but alas, the time for April foolery is past.