St. Lawrence & Atlantic Railroad (SLR/SLQ)

More ballast was dumped somewhere between IP and Stratford on Sunday.

Hello,
Last night's SLQ eastbound 394 arrived into Island Pond at 1904 with the following:

GP40-3 3805
RM-1 805
GP40-23007
3 centerbeam flats
3 covered hoppers
13 boxcars
16 tank cars

That's 35 cars total, including 33 loads and 2 empties.

Then this morning's SLQ westbound 393 departed the Pond at 0739 with the following:

GP40-2 3047
RLHH SD40-2 3403
GP40 3004
11 centerbeam flats
2 covered hoppers
11 boxcars
25 tank cars
1 scrap gondola (empty)

That's 50 cars total, all empties.

Thanks, Casey, for reminding me about the ballast. I didn't see any ballast dumped between Island Pond and North Stratford, but the huge pile of ballast in East Brighton has dwindled greatly in size. There is fresh ballast dumped along the track between MP 2 and 3 on the Sherbrooke Sub but I didn't go any farther west to see how far it extends.
Have a great weekend,
Fritz

On the east end SLR has been busy rebuilding highway grade crossings with the Lewiston Junction
Road crossing of the branch wye, Maple Lane in Mechanic Falls and the southerly crossing of Fore
Street in Oxford all done in the past few days. There is ballast and track material piled adjacent to
the switch leads and either side of Lewiston Junction Road at the mainline crossing, so that will
likely be done soon as well- complementary to the recent rebuilding of that rough stretch of
Lewiston Junction Road west of the crossing towards Poland.

MOW vehicles and work in Bethel near Bethel Station...looks like tie replacement on the siding there,.

Stone being dropped west along the line in Gorham, 3804 pulling the train.

Hello,
This morning's SLQ westbound 393 departed Island Pond at 0715 with the following:

QG GP40-2L 3014
GP40-2 3035
GP40-3 3806
RM-1 806
7 centerbeam flats
1 bulkhead flat
1 covered hopper
18 boxcars
28 tank cars

That's 55 cars total, including 1 load and 54 empties. Of interest was a TTZX centerbeam flat less than half loaded with Louisiana Pacific Smart Side siding.
Have a great day,
Fritz

Here's a probable answer:

https://www.bangordailynews.com/2022/11 ... expansion/

NEW LIMERICK, Maine — Another major expansion is coming for a New Limerick mill that is already one of the area’s largest employers.

Louisiana-Pacific Houlton is starting a $400 million expansion to its New Limerick plant to double the production capacity of SmartSide Siding and Trim, which is engineered wood strand technology that protects against hail, wind, moisture, fungal decay and termites, the company said.

Wednesday’s announcement comes just two months after LP unveiled a $150 million renovation to its plant to produce the SmartSide line of products. The new expansion will add approximately 100 new jobs.

Odd that such a product would ship west on the SLR, since Irving could simply route that traffic via CP or CSXT.

Casey,
What I have observed is that loads coming off of ST and going west on SLR are destined for CN customers, mostly in the Great Lakes and Upper Midwest states (Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin). I don't see loads going to CSX, CP, or NS destinations. As you noted, those probably are interchanged either at Northern Maine Junction (CP) or Ayer (NS). I guess CSX is no longer an interchange, since they now own ST.

Greg,
I have been following the few loaded AIMX scrap gondolas that I have seen moving west in the last month or two, and those are also going to CN destinations (e.g. Port of Quebec, Montreal, Wisconsin). I wonder if the predominant flow of empty AIMX gondolas moving east on the SLR are moving from Montreal Est, where American Iron & Metal has a large facility, for loading at the several yards in Maine.
Best,
Fritz

Hello,
Today's SLQ westbound 393 departed Island Pond at 0815 (hopefully, the start of a new trend of later departures, as the 7 a.m. OD times are tough some mornings!) with the following:

RM-1 805
GP40-3 3805
GP40-2 3007
11 centerbeam flats
1 covered hopper
18 boxcars
24 tank cars
8 ballast hoppers

That's 62 cars total, including 9 loads and 53 empties.

As they left later, I did drive to Norton and back and noted that they had dumped ballast and done some resurfacing throughout, although most appeared to be between MP 1 (west yard limits) and the old station site at Summit (roughly MP 7). A quick drive to East Brighton also revealed that they are once again piling ballast there after nearly depleting the "mountain" of ballast that had accumulated this summer!
Have a great (if wet) weekend,
Fritz

Where would the summit station be located off of Vt 114?
Is that almost at the Norton border?

Dropped pin
https://maps.app.goo.gl/ngdMZCpZTbQVULnG7

Guessing about here, halfway between IP and Norton.

Wow, talk about a rural station! There’s nothing in the area. Was it a flag stop?

Thanks, Casey!
I think the actual station was located slightly farther southwest near the clearing that is opposite Pine Brook Road (on the east side of VT route 144 on the Google Map). That being said, I have never been able to identify the exact station location. Previously, there had been a station building, siding, and several spurs at this location, which is located at the top of the grade coming east from Lennoxville (35 miles distant) and west from Island Pond (7 miles). I think but do not know for sure that they used to uncouple helper locomotives at Summit in the past.

Today's SLQ westbound 393 departed Island Pond at 0802 with the following:

GP40-2 3047
RLHH SD40-2 3403
GP40 3004
14 centerbeam flats
11 boxcars
19 tank cars

That's 44 cars total, all empties.
Have a great day,
Fritz

Forgot to mention an article in the Berlin Daily Sun from last week discussing a $1 million investment to continue installing CWR. Apparently they're down to the last 8 miles of old rail in NH, and this project will cover a 1.37 mile stretch between Groveton and North Stratford.

Hello,
This morning's SLQ westbound 393 departed Island Pond at 0747 with the following:

GP40-2 3007
QG SD40U 6904
GP40-2 3035
2 centerbeam flats
5 bulkhead flats
4 boxcars
13 tank cars

That's 24 cars total, including 1 load and 23 empties. Of interest, there was again a load of Hancock Lumber tacked next an empty from Maine Wood Treaters at the end of the train. For some reason, they did not pull the 7 empties from RCP in Island Pond last night.

I saw on the new Quebec Gatineau thread that SLR/SLQ is to receive 3 ex-BNSF SD70MACs. That seems like big power for the SLR, but maybe they will mostly run them to Southwark Yard on the 393H/394H and keep using the SD40s on the 393/394.
Have a great if windy day,
Fritz