Thanks KuBand12. Appreciate it.
Railroad Forums
CSX Track Upgrades & Infrastructure of Pan Am
- Guilford Rail System changed its name to Pan Am Railways in 2006. Discussion relating to the current operations of the Boston & Maine, the Maine Central, and the Springfield Terminal railroads (as well as the Delaware & Hudson while it was under Guilford control until 1988). Official site can be found here: PANAMRAILWAYS.COM.
Moderator: MEC407
A lot of great information guys, Thanks!
Pictures of work on NS Albany Main at Delanson and Voorheesville as of 3/31/23:
- Newly dropped CWR along the Albany Main at Delanson - there were NS MoW crews congregating around the area but it wasn't obvious what they were up to.
- Not much new in the Voorheesville clearing department except CWR has been dropped up to where the connection track split off from the Albany Main.
- Nothing has changed or been staged yet for the actual connection to CSX Selkirk main.
- Newly dropped CWR along the Albany Main at Delanson - there were NS MoW crews congregating around the area but it wasn't obvious what they were up to.
- Not much new in the Voorheesville clearing department except CWR has been dropped up to where the connection track split off from the Albany Main.
- Nothing has changed or been staged yet for the actual connection to CSX Selkirk main.
Attachments:
BandA wrote: ↑Sun Apr 02, 2023 12:21 am Is 136# rail good or bad?It's very good. The higher the number, the heavier / thicker / stronger / longer-lasting it is.
MEC407
Moderator:
Pan Am Railways — Boston & Maine/Maine Central — Delaware & Hudson
Central Maine & Quebec/Montreal, Maine & Atlantic/Bangor & Aroostook
Providence & Worcester — New England — GE Locomotives
Moderator:
Pan Am Railways — Boston & Maine/Maine Central — Delaware & Hudson
Central Maine & Quebec/Montreal, Maine & Atlantic/Bangor & Aroostook
Providence & Worcester — New England — GE Locomotives
johnpbarlow wrote: ↑Sun Apr 02, 2023 6:36 am Pictures of work on NS Albany Main at Delanson and Voorheesville as of 3/31/23:Great pics. A lot of us are very interested in this project and appreciate the reporting.
- Newly dropped CWR along the Albany Main at Delanson - there were NS MoW crews congregating around the area but it wasn't obvious what they were up to.
- Not much new in the Voorheesville clearing department except CWR has been dropped up to where the connection track split off from the Albany Main.
- Nothing has changed or been staged yet for the actual connection to CSX Selkirk main.
Rail is listed by its weight for 3 feet, 136# rail will weigh 136 pounds per 3 feet length,100# rail will be 100 pounds per 3 feet.ETC.136# rail is very heavy and would be used on mainline track.Does anyone knows what the old rail weighed on the Worcester line and Waterville to mattakeag.I believe jointed rail was 39 feet long due to railroad cars being 40 feet.i think the 3 feet came from a standard in England,but I am not sure.DOES ANYONE KNOW .MAINE businesses and state officials must be elated at the upgrades that CSX is doing after decades of minimal maintenance and zero upgrades.PAN AM/GUILFORD ONLY did upgrades on someone else's dime,MBTA ,AMTRACK and Norfolk Southern Ayer,ma to Mechanics Falls,ny. The only downside is once NSRR uses trackage rights to AYER,MA on CSX ,with only manifest freight left on ayer to mechanics falls ,will maintenance on this line and Hossic tunnel be worth the investment with just one train each way daily, which may drop to 5 days a week?
Let's not act like PAS is Daytona right now. It's a Class 2 25 MPH railroad and that is not going to change with GWI becoming the operator.
Look to the Buffalo & Pittsburg for a glimpse of what things might look like. That is another GWI shortline operating over largely NS owned track. They have a healthy local business with overhead secondary.
What you will see is the yards cleaned up and worked on. GWI is big on safety and you can get hurt just looking at some of them right now. A yard should not even be in service if it's restricted to 5 mph.
Look to the Buffalo & Pittsburg for a glimpse of what things might look like. That is another GWI shortline operating over largely NS owned track. They have a healthy local business with overhead secondary.
What you will see is the yards cleaned up and worked on. GWI is big on safety and you can get hurt just looking at some of them right now. A yard should not even be in service if it's restricted to 5 mph.
At least Clinton to Ayer, Worcester main is I believe 112 lb
What speeds to you think D1 will be a year from now?
If I recall correctly, CSX plans to bring the Portland to Waterville section up to a consistent 40 MPH... but it's unknown whether that will be done within one year from now. It's definitely in the works, but these situations are fluid and can change, subject to weather, worker/equipment/material availability, etc.
Similarly, they want to get the Waterville to Mattawamkeag section up to a consistent 25 MPH from top to bottom, at least as a first phase of improvement, but it's hard to predict exactly when that will be completed. It's possible that they could bring Waterville to 'keag up to 40 MPH in a future phase of improvement — that's the rumor, anyway, and CSX has sort of hinted at it — but that definitely won't happen within one year from now. Too many other things to do first.
Similarly, they want to get the Waterville to Mattawamkeag section up to a consistent 25 MPH from top to bottom, at least as a first phase of improvement, but it's hard to predict exactly when that will be completed. It's possible that they could bring Waterville to 'keag up to 40 MPH in a future phase of improvement — that's the rumor, anyway, and CSX has sort of hinted at it — but that definitely won't happen within one year from now. Too many other things to do first.
MEC407
Moderator:
Pan Am Railways — Boston & Maine/Maine Central — Delaware & Hudson
Central Maine & Quebec/Montreal, Maine & Atlantic/Bangor & Aroostook
Providence & Worcester — New England — GE Locomotives
Moderator:
Pan Am Railways — Boston & Maine/Maine Central — Delaware & Hudson
Central Maine & Quebec/Montreal, Maine & Atlantic/Bangor & Aroostook
Providence & Worcester — New England — GE Locomotives
1-2 years:
Waterville to Keag - 25 MAS
Waterville to Rigby - 40 MAS
Rigby to Plaistow/MBTA territory - 60 MAS
Waterville to Keag - 25 MAS
Waterville to Rigby - 40 MAS
Rigby to Plaistow/MBTA territory - 60 MAS
Seeing 60 MPH freight trains in this area is going to be a real shocker! Once on MBTA are they restricted to 40?
I would think so. The T isn't going to want heavy freights putting that much additional wear and tear on their infrastructure... not unless they were to renegotiate the old MBTA–Boston & Maine agreement and have CSX start coughing up $$$ for maintenance and upgrades. And it's hard to imagine CSX being willing to do that just for an additional 20 MPH. They've got an amazingly sweet deal right now with the status quo.
MEC407
Moderator:
Pan Am Railways — Boston & Maine/Maine Central — Delaware & Hudson
Central Maine & Quebec/Montreal, Maine & Atlantic/Bangor & Aroostook
Providence & Worcester — New England — GE Locomotives
Moderator:
Pan Am Railways — Boston & Maine/Maine Central — Delaware & Hudson
Central Maine & Quebec/Montreal, Maine & Atlantic/Bangor & Aroostook
Providence & Worcester — New England — GE Locomotives
It's due to the PTC that was put in. It was installed for 40 MPH freight. I don't see that changing.