CSX office car special on Pan Am rails

roberttosh wrote: ↑Tue Jun 08, 2021 6:43 pm I wonder if the UPS meeting had anything to do with potential sites on Pan Am? There's the big facility in Chelmsford that isn't far from Iron Horse Park and who knows what business there is in Maine?

UPS has a small distribution center in Wells, Maine, and it has existing rail access (which they've never used AFAIK). The site also has huge expansion potential. If they wanted to do something there, there's plenty of room. It's right off the PAR mainline and less than a mile from I-95.

That's a lot of equipment for an office car train. Maybe they're rounding up Pan Am's customers to "take them for a ride."

MEC407 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 14, 2021 8:16 am
UPS has a small distribution center in Wells, Maine, and it has existing rail access (which they've never used AFAIK). The site also has huge expansion potential. If they wanted to do something there, there's plenty of room. It's right off the PAR mainline and less than a mile from I-95.

The center in Wells is for local deliveries. All its packages for delivery come in from Chelmsford in the early morning, and all pickups go out to Chelmsford at night.

Iron Horse Park is a non-starter for a terminal for several reason: shove in and shove out (the B&B can't be used, not enough headroom). Tough access for trucks to get up to Billerica Ave and 495 or over to Route 3. It also is a Superfund site that has already been remediated in place. Knocking down the old shops is going to open up another can of worms.

For the immediate area, better off restoring some of the Bleachery yard on either side of the NH Main east of BY up in Lowell. The state owns that as well, the tracks are still in the bushes.

coopercat1 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 14, 2021 9:17 am The center in Wells is for local deliveries. All its packages for delivery come in from Chelmsford in the early morning, and all pickups go out to Chelmsford at night.

Understood, I was just saying that it has rail access and expansion potential if there was any need or desire for that.

newpylong wrote: ↑Mon Jun 14, 2021 10:15 am Iron Horse Park is a non-starter for a terminal for several reason: shove in and shove out (the B&B can't be used, not enough headroom). Tough access for trucks to get up to Billerica Ave and 495 or over to Route 3. It also is a Superfund site that has already been remediated in place. Knocking down the old shops is going to open up another can of worms.

For the immediate area, better off restoring some of the Bleachery yard on either side of the NH Main east of BY up in Lowell. The state owns that as well, the tracks are still in the bushes.

Newpy, I know that in the past Iron Horse Park was definitely considered for this type of operation, though to be fair I don't know what killed it. In terms of having to back in to the facility, isn't that what the NS does every day up in Ayer? Probably a long shot, but what about building a left hand turn out on the B&B and forming a wye where trains could pull straight into the terminal? The area needed to build such a track is filled with automobiles right now but not sure who owns it. There already looks to be a long paved area for transloading near the NH main end of the yard that could likely be expanded to accommodate UPS. It is clearly not an ideal location but not sure they're going to be able to do it anywhere else in these days of NIMBYism.

How far south could the B&B tail be rebuilt? In other words, at what point is it formally abandoned? Lines that are not abandoned can come back to life relatively easily

MBTA owns to Boston Road/3A which gives about 2500ft of tail. Everything beyond there is no longer under railroad control.

F74265A wrote: ↑Mon Jun 14, 2021 7:38 pm How far south could the B&B tail be rebuilt? In other words, at what point is it formally abandoned? Lines that are not abandoned can come back to life relatively easily

The tail goes down to route 3A, south of that point the line is a abandoned and track removed, the ROW has been sold and parceled out to the abutting landowners, going by Billerica's tax map.

Ok, so at most there is 1/2 mile of tail space. Not enough for a 10000 foot train but far more than a few car lengths. So there is some degree of operational flexibility there if csx wanted to use it

And you have Salem Rd. and Floyd St crossings too.

roberttosh wrote: ↑Mon Jun 14, 2021 7:18 pm Newpy, I know that in the past Iron Horse Park was definitely considered for this type of operation, though to be fair I don't know what killed it. In terms of having to back in to the facility, isn't that what the NS does every day up in Ayer? Probably a long shot, but what about building a left hand turn out on the B&B and forming a wye where trains could pull straight into the terminal? The area needed to build such a track is filled with automobiles right now but not sure who owns it. There already looks to be a long paved area for transloading near the NH main end of the yard that could likely be expanded to accommodate UPS. It is clearly not an ideal location but not sure they're going to be able to do it anywhere else in these days of NIMBYism.

Yes, but only in one direction, and not for long as they'll be coming up the Worcester Main. I am not sure why the decision was made to shove into the Hill, likely due to the West Leg not being interlocked and not wanting to get paper past Harvard for head room? I think they moved DCS south of there now and in the CSX application they proposed interlocking Moore's?

So yes, it can be done, but I don't think they will do it at Iron Horse for numerous reasons. High volume IM terminals, if not off the mainline, tend to be off fully interlocked wyes as to not require back up moves, etc.