Bucksport Branch activity & news

Are these boxcars that where elsewhere on Pan Am or have they just arrived on the property? Seems like they ha e more now than before ...

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These came from Old Town, sounds like they pulled them out of Bucksport, just to get to the center beams and a few others.

Ok that clarification is much appreciated. So the current total of box cars stored in Bucksport is the same as it was previously?

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Based on the counts from the previous videos, there are now 34 fewer boxcars than were originally brought down (221).

Thanks for the car count NHV 669. Much appreciated.

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I haven't looked at the filing from CSX, but after reading another post about the Madison Branch abandonment, was this branch included, or is CSX going to retain it for the time being?

Just the Madison Branch for now.

From the Bangor Daily News:

Bangor Daily News wrote:As the new owners of the mill property have no apparent need for freight trains and the railroad’s potential new owner has no intention of making sweeping changes to the Bucksport line, it could remain dormant — but it’s not being decommissioned just yet.
. . .
This week, CSX said it currently has no plans to change the existing routes or types of services offered by Pan Am for any line, including Bucksport.
. . .
Pan Am now has only one customer on the line, the former HoltraChem plant in Orrington, and runs one train a week to the plant to help with ongoing cleanup efforts.

The two new owners of the former mill site in Bucksport are Maine Maritime Academy, which runs a professional development center there, and Whole Oceans, a planned but yet-to-be-built land-based salmon farm. Neither seems to be counting on freight services on the line.
. . .
While there are no concrete plans for a recreational rail trail between Brewer and Bucksport, Rotella had hoped at some point the town could look into connecting to the Bangor area. A trail was also mentioned on the Maine Trails Coalition’s 2020-30 plan as a potential future option, but the rail would have to be abandoned first.

Read the full article at: https://bangordailynews.com/2022/02/16/ ... oam40zk0w/

The rail trail advocates are always angling, they are relentless. They will likely get this one eventually.

Nothing like the BDN trying to spin elements of the story (the driver which passed a stopped oil truck and hit another car head on killing one of the drivers) so it fits the narrative... Although it is interesting that the DOT has decided to build a rail with trail on the Mountain Division rather than removing the tracks like the original LD called for. Seeing that there is already two lightly used trails in a 25 mile radius, which the state continues to maintain (since the trail clubs cannot hold up their end of the funding) I have a hard time believing that they will ever build a trail on the branch. The branch isn't that scenic either, unless you want to see a couple of transmission lines, dilapidated houses, and of course the PERC trash incinerator. Which although this could be a wild idea, but PERC has a few out of state trash contracts. If they really wanted to, they could get trash by rail considering the sidings used to store dirty dirt cars until they can be loaded, is on PERC property.

Maine needs more industry and jobs, not more rail trails.

I have a really hard time seeing this line getting traffic again. Searsport has a hard enough time getting traffic, it's not like Bucksport is going to get a bunch of traffic being further inland. I am surprised the line hasn't been abandoned yet. I think a rail-trail with some bicycle and pedestrian friendly passage over the bridges to Ft. Knox isn't a terrible idea.

Don't know the area. Would rail with trail work? I hate to see kick-em when they're down, even if it remains dormant for 10+ years. Passenger service seems to always require a "full rebuild", but getting an OOS track back to minimal class 1 is possible as long as the track hasn't been ripped out.

There isn't much there, it's fairly rural; Bucksport is a small town. The paper mill was the sole reason for the line's existence.

If you are ever out there drive to the other side of the river and visit Ft. Knox and go up the observation tower in the bridge. The fort is not historically significant but is a very well preserved example of a second system fort. You can walk through almost all of it.