• Dear Santa/2016

  • Pan Am Southern (webssite: https://panamsouthern.com ) is jointly-owned by CSX and Norfolk Southern, but operated by Genesee & Wyoming subsidiary Pittsburg & Shawmut dba Berkshire and Eastern,
Pan Am Southern (webssite: https://panamsouthern.com ) is jointly-owned by CSX and Norfolk Southern, but operated by Genesee & Wyoming subsidiary Pittsburg & Shawmut dba Berkshire and Eastern,

Moderator: MEC407

  by jaymac
 
Dear Santa-
There were many things you brought us in the recent past: the NewBlue 3400s, more 286K bridges, all the bright and shiny signal structures (most of which have actually gone into service), and the all the attention that is now going to that part of Pan Am closest to you -- District 1. Probably the most impressive thing you brought was the actual start of the Wachusett Extension, not just the extension of the start date for the Extension as had been the case for so many previous years. The new year seems promising, what with the posts of power out of Erie. Santa, that is Erie, Pennsylvania, right? If it's Eerie, Indiana, that show ran for only a year in the early '90s, and that doesn't seem like a good omen.
Overall, you've delivered. Except for that Lionel Hudson I didn't get when I was 9, but that was long enough ago that I've almost overcome that crushing disappointment. What I really would like this year -- besides the Oliver Twist line of "Please, sir, I want more" -- is understanding. I know that as a mere mortal civilian there is so much that I will never understand, but if you could help me lessen one particular deficit in my understanding, I would appreciate it. I still don't understand why water cars coming from Rigby and going to CSX get brought down on POED. POED might actually be able to highball Ayer if there were no Hill Yard business. POED might actually be able to reduce its PO-to-ED transit-time by over an hour if it could highball Ayer. POSE is going through the Hill Yard -- but I'm consuming too many bytes, and that is contrary to this, the season of giving. I've accepted that water cars on POED is practice, and I'd just like to understand why, if only a little bit.
Continued progress for the Freight Main Line, and tidings of comfort and joy to all!
-jaymac

PS - Santa, could you leave the mods something extra in their stockings?
  by johnpbarlow
 
Pan Am ops choices are often head scratchers, especially when it comes to moving trains a few miles here and few miles there.

At any rate, my serious wish for 2017 is for Pan Am to complete its system wide track rehab with ties, rails, and stone. And finish the 286K upgrade on D3. And let NS acquire all of PAS. Doesn't have to be in that order....
  by p42thedowneaster
 
Dear Santa,
How about starting an annual round trip public excursion over the NH Main from Concord, NH to BON? (or even just Tyngsboro and back)
  by F-line to Dudley via Park
 
Put them out of their misery on the Pat Corridor in 2017 with NS finally pulling the trigger on a buyout?
  by eustis22
 
Dear Santa,

Please get the guys running CMQ to buy PAR.

Your friend in beer,
Eustis
  by newpylong
 
Dear Santa,

It's been 35 years of misery time for Timmy to sell the train set.
  by B&M 1227
 
Throw a couple more tracks in MeChanicVille, move all RJ crews to XO. Eliminate 14R/11R rest & return bid, moving the 3 crews as XO locals. Pay CSX to block trains RJ Local/VTR/EDFLD. Eliminate EDRJ/RJED and run 14R/11R MCV-EDFLD-MCV with a local crew on a 12 hour turn, with 14R setting out RJ Locals at MCV, picking up the VTR/inbound CSX/inbound CP block, and setting out VTR's at Hoosick Middle for AD-1 to forward to North Bennington Monday-Friday. 11R making a NS/CSX blocked outbound-VTR pick up at Hoosick Jct/Hoosick Middle and setting out their whole CP/CSX blocks at MCV. XO local crews spotting autos, organizing the blocked drops into a one trk convenient pick up, rescuing 14R/11R and all the other trains that never make it, and doing a CSX transfer job XO-RJ-XO with Schenectady Chemical/DIMFAB/Adirondack Beverage thrown into the mix as needed. Run the CSX transfer job 7 days a week, similarly to the present VTR connection, with a daily scheduled connection so air brake tests aren't lost, improving transit times on both railroads, and creating a more manageable daily drop than the 100+ cars that come in off Q633 on Tuesdays...

One of the biggest mistakes Guilford made was ripping out XO...
:(
Last edited by B&M 1227 on Wed Dec 07, 2016 3:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.
  by newpylong
 
FYI they're putting another track in at XO between ST1 and the CS now.
  by johnpbarlow
 
newpylong wrote:FYI they're putting another track in at XO between ST1 and the CS now.
Is this 2nd track going in between CPF-466 and CPF-467?
  by jaymac
 
Dear Santa-
Yes, it's me (again), and yes, I'm asking the gift of understanding (again). This morning -- 12-07 -- 22K was yarding (again), freezing AY-2 wherever it was and limiting D-3 (again) -- during the start the morning commuter-rush -- to 1 track between CPF-Camp and CPF-WL. I know my less-than-exalted status makes me easily perplexed, but given the recent precedent of the Worcester Main Line main-line start having been moved to Burncoat to increase operational flexibility and decrease Form Ds, couldn't Other-Than-Main-Track Status be moved west to MP X23 or so? That would seem to permit hauling in on West Wye, leaving the tail on one pig track and shoving the remainder back to the another pig track, leaving things to the east -- including crossings -- a lot clearer than past and present practices have done and continue to do.
I've accepted -- given the current heritage rage -- past practices, but the serenity that's supposed to come with acceptance hasn't arrived yet. So -- if you can't grant me understanding -- could you grant me the serenity part of acceptance?
Thanks (again)!
-jaymac
  by newpylong
 
johnpbarlow wrote:
newpylong wrote:FYI they're putting another track in at XO between ST1 and the CS now.
Is this 2nd track going in between CPF-466 and CPF-467?
No that is not between the CS and ST1.
  by johnpbarlow
 
newpylong wrote:
johnpbarlow wrote:
newpylong wrote:FYI they're putting another track in at XO between ST1 and the CS now.
Is this 2nd track going in between CPF-466 and CPF-467?
No that is not between the CS and ST1.
I guess I don't know where CS (Controlled Siding?) and ST1 (Springfield Terminal track 1?) are relative to XO in Mechanicville...
  by newpylong
 
From South orientation to North. CP Main, CP CS, XO Yard track ST1,2,3
  by B&M 1227
 
newpylong wrote:FYI they're putting another track in at XO between ST1 and the CS now.
yeah, friend of mine mentioned that the other day, which triggered the rant. after switching RJ for nearly a year, you see the shortcomings of the operations there, and long for something a little more efficient...
  by newpylong
 
It's just mind boggling that they wouldn't just spend a little money and put a track or 2 back on the east side of the yard at RJ. There were 4 to 5 tracks south of the existing Runners up into the 80s. Instead they go F around out in Scotia, doesn't make sense.