Grafton & Upton Railroad (G&U) Discussion

Pictures below of remaining few hundred yards of track to be laid at Milford as of Sunday 6/7/20.

Great photos. Thanks.
They must be going to replace that crossing you think? Did they rebuild the CSX side?

That last picture with the crossing is the CSX side. They'll surely have to replace it, if they intend to run a wider corner through there as evidenced by the tie placement.

Definitely rebuilding the crossing. Those are switch timbers in the photo. You can tell because they have staggered lengths and there is a set of long timbers that extend toward the other track where a switch stand would go. So they must be installing a new switch there with 2 tracks across the road.

Thanks guys but you are confusing me a bit here. The track to the right is the CSX line not the one being built. And if that is going to be a switch then I guess there will be a three track crossing at Cedar Street.

No trace of the elusive wye, right? Was there ever a yard here?

There is a Freight Yard across Depot St. Milford, where the line from Framingham once ran. You can see the RR Crossing sign on the right side in Johns last picture. The next week should reveal where the second switch at S. Cedar St. is pointing to.

bostontrainguy wrote: ↑Mon Jun 08, 2020 11:16 am Thanks guys but you are confusing me a bit here. The track to the right is the CSX line not the one being built. And if that is going to be a switch then I guess there will be a three track crossing at Cedar Street.

That's correct.

Rail connection at Vernon St. now completed. Installing Switch and two sets of rail across S. Cedar St.. We're getting closer ......

The track geometry is going to be interesting,
looks like the siding will be sandwiched between the G&U and CSX mains.
It's aimed like it will tie back into the CSX line further south (toward Bellingham.)
I wonder how far south it will go before it ties back in?

Cosmo wrote: ↑Sun Jun 14, 2020 10:13 pm The track geometry is going to be interesting,
looks like the siding will be sandwiched between the G&U and CSX mains.
It's aimed like it will tie back into the CSX line further south (toward Bellingham.)
I wonder how far south it will go before it ties back in?

So it's the CSX track that will be doubled and not the G&U? Wonder why they didn't install a second switch on the CSX track when they put in the other one? Maybe this is actually going to be a siding for a business being built inside the "wye"? They don't really need a runaround here since they can do that in Milford Center which will be interesting to see.

As of Tuesday 6/16/20, it appears the construction of the Hopedale to Milford track connecting to CSX Milford Branch is complete. A regulator manicures the lead to the turnout and track has been constructed / rehabbed at the Vernon St crossing in Milford - results look superb! Obviously G&U invested quite a bit of $ and effort to implement this connection to an unused CSX line and must have big plans for this extension. We shall see!

Ops questions:
1. What days does G&U run out of N Grafton to W Upton and/or Hopedale? Do they operate daily or as needed Monday through Friday?
2. Related question: what days does CSX B722 (Sunday through Thursday Westborough to Worcester and return local) service G&U at N Grafton - as needed? Does B722 drop typically inbounds to G&U from Q436 on its way to Worcester and then pick up outbounds for Q437 to Selkirk on its return east to Westborough? The reason I ask is on Tuesday 6/16/20, B722 ran west through N Grafton with a short consist without stopping at G&U at around 2PM.

Thanks.

Has anyone seen the RailRunner equipment? Is it still around?

johnpbarlow wrote: ↑Fri Jun 19, 2020 3:56 am 2. Related question: what days does CSX B722 (Sunday through Thursday Westborough to Worcester and return local) service G&U at N Grafton - as needed? Does B722 drop typically inbounds to G&U from Q436 on its way to Worcester and then pick up outbounds for Q437 to Selkirk on its return east to Westborough? The reason I ask is on Tuesday 6/16/20, B722 ran west through N Grafton with a short consist without stopping at G&U at around 2PM.

I don't know for sure, but the switch for the G&U off the Worcester Main is trailing point eastbound. So the eastbound trip is likely when they work the G&U. Cars bound for Selkirk are then hauled east before being sent back to west.

That local, Mr. Barlow, appears to be out of Westborough, likely heading west to run around their train and work back east (B723? -I thought the Worcester-Westborough-Framingham road turn was B722?) What would be telling is whether the springs on those cars were compressed, indicating they were loads.

In terms of describing the Milford branch, it is "used", (not moribund) with a coupla-few hundred annual carloads for the two remaining receivers.