Intermodal to Maine

CN9634 wrote: ↑Wed Aug 04, 2021 2:28 pm I’ve been seeing CSX and UMAX boxes daily in Maine between Portland and Augusta, as well as the usual SNI and Hunt boxes. Occasionally catch an XPO as well, but notably again the CSX/UMAX boxes have been more recently strong. I saw an LL Bean tractor behind a UMAX recently as well presumably ferrying from their drop yard in Bath at the former BNAS tot he DC in Freeport.

I've seen a few JBHU boxes on CSX IM trains on the B&A but there are way more JBHUs being handled on NS/PAS 22K to Ayer . Do you see any/many EMP & Hub boxes that also travel on 22K in Maine?

A while back NS pretty much had all the Hunt business but for whatever reason, CSX has definitely been making inroads, at least here in New England. NS still has the majority but it's pretty common now to see CSX trains with 10-20 Hunt cans.

CSX has had roughly a third+ of Hunt's New England intermodal business during the past year, with 100% of their relatively new temperature-controlled business, traffic from non-Chicago origin/destination lanes only available using CSX, and, to some degree, for those larger consignees/shippers closer to CSX's Worcester or Springfield ramps than NS' Ayer or Mechanicville ramps within the Chicago lane of traffic.

I frequently see Hub City and EMP boxes up here from the NS side. Can’t say I’ve seen much Swift or any of the smaller guys…maybe seen one CH Rob box. I got a shot of a Canadian Tire container “passing through” from Maritimes to Quebec recent which was neat.

I don't think there is the "hotness" to the Worcester office space market, yet, to drive CSX out. Only the state/MBTA has dollars to make an offer they can't refuse. Maybe they should buy out the G&U!

Had an errand out by Pleasant Hill and passed the West end of Rigby today… the small UPS service center adjacent the tracks had about 8-10 containers all CSX or UMAX. Don’t realize how much box traffic is up this way until you pass all the nooks and crannies, I’d think a day 1 IMDL terminal at Rigby would be fairly busy

It's too bad that Fed Ex place in Biddeford is poorly set up for that kind of traffic. Wasn't that a Walmart DC or something once? I recall seeing hopper(s) there as a kid.

It was originally the Interstate Brands bakery. At the time it was built, it was the largest commercial bakery in America. They made J.J. Nissen bread, Wonder Bread, and Hostess treats (Twinkies, etc). They received inbound loads of flour, oil, corn syrup etc. The name of the private street where the facility is located is still called Bakers Way.

I shot this pic in the year 2000 of MEC 288 pulling empties out of the bakery.

Thanks, that makes more sense than the kind of cars a DC would receive. We stopped going to Wagon Wheel campground that same year, I'm probably confusing the building with a Wal-Mart property that I saw along the way.

When CN and the SLR was running intermodal jobs 5 days a week out of Chicago, their inbound traffic was basically Walmart in ME and NH, as well as grocery and in particular wine out of CA for ME, NH and even into Northern Mass. They marketed the terminal as an alternative to Massachusetts ramps with less highway congestion. Think if 25 years ago they were running a dedicated 5-day a week train out of Chicago via Canada, then I’m sure in modern times there is a good chunk of highway traffic that can be converted.

A little over an hour spent watching traffic on the Maine Turnpike at the Kennebunk service plaza and I counted (Total Northbound and Southbound):

• 31 40-foot cubes (23 with long distances cabs, 8 with day cabs. 5 of the 8 Day cabs were Eimskip containers bound for Portland)
  14 53-foot cubes (JB Hunt, UMAX, EMP, Schneider, Pacer)
  
  Obviously that's just one hour of one day, but there's clearly quite a bit of intermodal currently traveling by truck to Saint John and domestically within Maine for CSX to capture.

I guess this is the best topic to post this under.

Today's M426 had a set of former Sea-Land now CSXT empty wells in the consist headed east through Westford.

On May 1st Birch Hill Subaru Guy posted a video of M426 that shows another set (at 0:54)--- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aYI1D06K2g

On the same day he posted a video of M427 with another empty set headed west with a bright green sticker on it that said "Home shop repair do not load."---(at 1:02)---https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyZ4Jil452A&t=25s

Does anybody know where these are going, and does the "Home shop" sticker mean somebody rejected that set when it got to its destination?

Thanks

my guess is that sealand equipment is intended for the poland springs water shuttle between waterville and the hill yard in ayer. May be cheaper to use those old well cars than the spine cars currently utilized that look like they are from a lease fleet.

Poland springs water service eimskip boxes were moving today in the old sea land 5 park wells east of Ayer today on

The Sea Land well cars have been owned by CSX for a few decades now (early '90s perhaps) and by NYS&W before CSX. Sea Land was purchase by CSX in 1986. I think these Gunderson well cars were built in the mid-80s.

They are survivors!