CSX Track Upgrades & Infrastructure of Pan Am

If I remember right the grant was for relay 115 pound rail between Keag and Bangor.CSX is installing 136.So I would say CSX is spending there own money up there as well.

True, but the grant was also only going to cover 50.1% of the cost, with the railroad picking up the other 49.9%. In addition, given the resources CSX has to draw from, using 136# relay rail from their own stock may be less expensive than purchasing someone else's 115# rail.

I'm sure CSX gets a decent price on 136RE if they get it from a vendor since each year they commit orders. For instance, GWI was mentioning having a hard time getting 12 rail trains to fulfill its grans across the RPC&E in a single year, likely because that is an exception amount for them to purchase at once and the Class Is gobble up all the orderbook each year. Not sure how much rail is true relay pulled off another CSX line, the Portsmouth 122LB rail looked pretty used but the other stuff looks like reprofiled chop shop rail. A few truly new trains have arrived as well from what I've seen but its probably them getting what they can.

Is it confirmed that 136 RE is being used on the nmj/keag section? That’s heavy mainline rail and seems like total overkill for this application if true. Portland to NH border, which sees much more traffic and passenger trains was rebuilt with 115 RE.

The Portland Divison was rebuilt for passenger service, not freight. Guilford dug their heels in sand up to their knees to prevent Amtrak from doing 79 on it too. They said the rail was too light.

Very interesting
Do you expect csx to upgrade the 115RE in D2 at some point after they triage the poor track on other parts of the system?

No, only when it's due for replacement.

The Keag drop was 136lb confirmed

Thanks for the confirmation
That suggests to me that csx in fact has big long term plans for that line

Here is every rail train so far to come to PAR since CSX took over.

CSX:

W024 JUL 2022 - 60 New Rails CRWX 400 set (WML Clinton & Reservoir area)

W016 JUL 2022 - 40 Reclaim RAPU #3 - CSX 920000 set - Box CSXT 91018_? (New Bond and East Clinton area)

W013 SEP 2022 - ~15 Reclaim RAPU #2 - CSX 920300 set - Box CSXT 910184/Caboose CSXT 900435 (Portland & New Gloucester Siding)

W024 DEC 2022 - 60 New Rails CRWX 400 set (Mattawamkeag MP 4 to 13)

W011 JAN 2023 - ~31 Reclaim RAPU #5 CSX 920200 set - Box CSXT 910991 (Portsmouth Branch to Greenland 122lb rail)

W025 JAN 2023 - 50 New Rails LBFX 606000 set (28 Cars) (Mattawamkeag MP 13 to 20)

Amtrak:

B524 DEC 2022 - 35 New Rails VSR 330 set (Amtrak Wells 115lb rail)

JacobKoppel - excellent compilation! Thanks for pulling that info together!

Very helpful indeed!

Great report JacobKoppel, a lot of info there!

So when's the last time this much new rail was dropped into B&M territory?

There’s almost certainly more new or relay rail coming at some point. All of nmj-keag could use rail as well as Clinton-Ayer. As for other areas, I don’t have enough info to know for sure the condition of the rail