• Portsmouth Branch Activity

  • 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

  by roberttosh
 
Am curious as to how cars coming from the west get to Portsmouth. Are they dropped off at Rockingham Jct by EB road freights or are they brought to Rigby then sent back west with the DO-1 local? Is there an engine based at Portsmouth or is the area serviced by a train out of Dover or Rigby? Any info would be appreciated. Thanks!
  by Dick H
 
I believe all cars for Dover and Rockingham now go to Portland and
are brought back to Dover by DO-1. They may get taken from
Rigby to Dover by a through job sometimes. DO-1 seems to be
originating at either Dover or Rigby, depending on where their
assigned locomotive is. DO-1 also handles local work at Biddeford
and Saco also, these days. There is no locomotive left at
Portsmouth, except if the crew outlaws there.

DO-1 with Loco #349 dropped five loads at Dover, presumably for
the NHN, at noontime and then headed to Rockingham (light
engine) between #693 and #694 today (7/9).
  by b&m 1566
 
Is there a passing track a Rockingham Junction for the engine to run around the consist?
  by Tim Mullins
 
Yes there is ...It runs from Rockingham,CPF-256 west to Newfields,CPF-258...There is also a short piece of track closest to the trees at Rockingham that is called the WOODS TRACK used for setting off cars for Portsmouth.
  by Trinnau
 
There is actually a controlled siding, a short runaround track, and then the track in the woods. So really two ways to run-around.
  by Tim Mullins
 
Forgot about that one!!....It aint easy being me!....Nobody wants the job! :(
  by BostonUrbEx
 
What is the state of the track from the mainline to the Portsmouth yard?

I think an additional two Downeasters each way running to Portsmouth could be pretty successful. I would estimate the travel time to Boston being equivalent to Dover-to-Boston; about 1.5 hours. By car is about 1.25 hours... without traffic, that is! A monthly pass would likely be 299 as with Dover and Durham and everything north. You'd save $80/month on tolls. So $219. The drive is about 60 miles, or 120 per day, and at 20 MPG you're going through 6 gallons per day, or roughly $22.20 at today's prices. That's $444 per month on gas. $219 - $444 = -225. You save 225 per month, or 2700 per year.

The only question is how many people make the commute. I'm going to guess a fairly decent amount. The station could be on either side of the Maplewood Ave crossing:

http://www.google.com/maps?ll=43.078265 ... 1&t=h&z=18

A layover could be tacked onto the yard.




I haven't seen this posted before, so sorry if this is a beaten horse.
  by Dick H
 
I believe the track speed from Portsmouth to Rockingham Jct.
is 10 MPH. There may even be a further restriction on the
trestle just east of Rockingham. I know at one time that
there was a "no braking" order for the trestle, except in case
of emergency. A "millions of $$" rebuild would be needed.

Also, any service originating at Portsmouth would have to be
fully funded by the State of NH, who has never funded a single
dollar toward the Downeaster operation. While this service
might have some merit, the chances for the establishment
of such service are close to zero.
  by newpylong
 
Who is going to pay for that service that will only benefit a minority of the state? Surely not the State of NH...
  by riffian
 
Appears to be a roundhouse and turntable still existing - At least when the mapquest photo was taken.
  by BostonUrbEx
 
How many $ millions are we talking?

Could Amtrak, Pan Am, and the city of Portsmouth possibly cover it themselves? Is there any chance that would ever happen?
  by MEC407
 
Pan Am will want to be paid, not pay, so cross them off the list. Amtrak, as the contracted operator of the service, also wants to be paid, not pay. So that pretty much leaves you with Portsmouth having to come up with the money.
  by jbvb
 
The RoW from Rockingham Jct. to Portsmouth never had more than about 3-5 movements a day in each direction, so the grade crossings are all pretty much as the Concord & Portsmouth built them circa 1852. So multiply the $$ by 5 or so if you want passenger trains to go faster than 25 MPH. It's a short run, but it's going to take 15 min., likely including a stop & proceed at Rt. 33.
  by oldrr
 
At this time trains signal for the route 33 crossing but do not stop. I've been lucky enough to be in the area several times when they were running the branch and I waited for them in a parking lot near the route 33 crossing. I thought they would stop and flag but they hit the horn and crossed.

The crossing has gates and lights.
  by oldrr
 
The only reason Dover, UNH, Exeter and Plaistow have rail service is that they are on the right of way, they're in the right place at the right time.

Portsmouth is no longer on the way to anyplace. Any passenger service would be a dead end.

As others have said NH doesn't want to put any money into rail.

Maine is unlikely to want to fund commuter service from Kittery to Rockingham and then on to Boston.

MA isn't likely to want to pay to fix the Newburyport bridge to just service Salisbury and possibly Amesbury, even if they did, NH would not be likely to want to pay to extend service to Portsmouth.
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