I'm somewhat surprised that CSX will be keeping PAR at 25mph in non passenger territory. I thought 40 at least to Waterville for TOFC.
Peter B&MMEC
Railroad Forums
Moderator: MEC407
F74265A wrote: ↑Thu Apr 29, 2021 10:38 am I read the application as saying that the only class 3 track on the system (outside of passenger areas) will be the segment by the reservoir. All other mainline track will be 25mph class 2.Could have figured; all Chessie wants with the entire PAR System is to preserve her traffic presently handled over the B&A.
shepaug wrote: ↑Sun May 02, 2021 10:08 pm Does anybody know a place to get that STB filing that does not have all kinds of things blacked out including maps ?If you mean the non-redacted version, it's not available. It's redacted for a reason.
For the sake of personal history...(map collections, etc.)
bostontrainguy wrote: ↑Mon May 03, 2021 7:29 am Is this the only time a railroad seeking a merger is not talking about how they are going to improve freight service for their customers and the region but instead is saying we want the railroad but we aren't going to improve anything for anyone. So give us the railroad but don't expect anything good to come out of it.That's not what CSX has said at all. In fact, they've said the opposite of that, both in the official STB filings and in their statements to the media.
bostontrainguy wrote: ↑Mon May 03, 2021 7:29 amIt just seems so weird.It would be weird if that's what happened, but that's not what happened.
bostontrainguy wrote: ↑Mon May 03, 2021 7:29 amAre they smart enough to know that the powerful NIMBYS in New England would start screaming about all of the dangerous new freight trains barreling through their towns at 40 mph?The NIMBYest parts of Maine already have 40 MPH freight trains running through their towns, and it's been that way for the past 20 years. It hasn't been a problem. The only thing they've complained about were train horns, and that issue went away because all of them were willing to pay for crossing improvements that allowed quiet zones to be established. Additionally, most people who live near railroads prefer faster trains because that means less time stuck at railroad crossings waiting for slow trains to pass.
Shortline614 wrote: ↑Mon May 03, 2021 11:39 am I also think people are underestimating the significance of the improvements CSX is planning to make.Agreed. Here's an example: It's 72 miles from Royal Junction to Waterville Yard. In the not so distant past, it has taken Pan Am trains seven hours to traverse those 72 miles. If CSX brings that stretch of track up to a solid and consistent 25 MPH, the transit time drops to three hours. That's a huge difference and allows for much more efficient utilization of crews and motive power.
. . .
Upgrading branch line trackage from Class I (10 mph) to Class II (25 mph) may not seem like a big improvement to us, but it would result in significantly reduced travel times over those lines.