Interesting Consist Discussion for the North Side

I think Eastern is just hauling them somewhere - probably Delaware Car?
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The trucks are probably going to Wilmington, DE for rebuild. They will probably be used to speed the inspection process up when the cars being shipped down there arrive. The 254 car will more than likely be scrapped. As for 647 I don't know if it will be rebuilt or not. The 1635 should be candidate to return to service.

On the Fitchburg last night and this morning, there's a 3R/1F set (most recently on 403/412).

That set is currently on train 329.

Just spotted this crossing Sherman St. in Cambridge...some sort of specialty vehicle, LORAM?

That is apparently a short rail grinder.

On 331 to Lowell now... GP-211-829-755-765-1626.

Saw that set yesterday morning when it rain the Rockport express. First time I ever have seen the 700 series bi-level coaches on the North Side in my 15 months or so of taking CR since moving to Salem.

How often do they run 3 bi-level coaches on the same set on the North Side. I have only seen a set like this for a week or so last summer.

Not often, apart from special trains (e.g. Halloween).

The 700s make it up here every-so-often. I tend to assume they run them on the north side for a bit after any work gets done at BET, to break them in before sending them back to the south side.

It is me or are they running a lot more 4 car sets on the North Side lately. A year ago you never saw less than 5.

The last couple months the Newburyport Express I take in to Boston in the Morning is more often than not 4 cars and now I'm running into that in the evening.

Tonights train (173, 6:05pm) outbound had only 4 cars where the first car behind the engine was the only bi-level. It was standing room only, vestibules packed full of people. Even getting off the double decker in Salem was slow and squeezing paste people still standing in the aisles. Never seen people still standing in the aisle at Salem before. Usually by Swapscott (On non express trains of course) the aisle are clear for the most part. Maybe some people still standing on ends of the bi-levels who'd rather stand than squeeze into a seat next someone that is now freed up.

They made an announcement that there is no quiet car tonight because of overcrowding and we had to take extra time at stations stops to get people on and off. Also, they never attempted to check passes/tickets due to the overcrowding.

I don't ride now due to a new job, but spend a lot of time near the Fitchburg Line in Waltham. I can't recall the last time I've seen a set longer than four...

To reinforce your post, I'm not in a position to hear about later IBs, but the Shirley talker has been giving axle counts of 20 for 400 and 402, so - 4 for power = 16, and 16 ÷ 4 axles/car = 4 cars for those early IB sets as well as whatever turns those sets become on whatever northside lines.

The other day I was on a five car set, with an 18xx cab car and four BOMbers. No potty. New tag line, "Go before you go!"

The Rockport express train seems to run 6 very often and 7 cars occasionally. In the last couple weeks the only time I recall seeing 5 cars on this train was when it ran this set: GP-211-829-755-765-1626.

I take the last Newburyport Express train in the morning normally, and this one has been getting 4 car sets a lot.

After a week or so of 4 car sets on the 6:05 Newburyport train 173 we are finally back to 5 cars the last couple days.

Blessed Saint Anthony of Padua(just one of the several patrons of travelers):
Please intercede for all who suffer from delays, seemingly terminal in their nature.