Rockland Branch Discussion

2002 was running yesterday. The snow had been cleaned off the walkways and some of the hood doors were open. There had also been vehicle traffic in the snow next to the engine and a barrel pump was propped up on the walkway by the open hood doors. Wonder if they filled the cooling system with 55 gallon drums. 2001 was shut down.

Dick H wrote:#690: Interesting photo with that "threatening" sky. Were the locos running?
If they are dead and drained, they will have to get a pool company's tank truck
to fill them up and it's supposed to be only 20 degrees today and 3 degrees tonight.

MEC407 wrote:Wow, 690... absolutely fantastic shot with the star trails! Nicely done!

If I'm not mistaken, MMA fitted some (or maybe all?) of the B23s with auxiliary power units. They did that with some or all of their B39s too. Of course, one wonders whether MMA actually maintained the APUs toward the end, given the company's shall-we-say "unconventional" maintenance practices during their final couple of years...

Thanks! Both were shut down when I took the picture (12/31), and both were drained (friend told me that they were working on the units the next day, adding water, etc). The Maine Eastern equipment was also shut down, sitting at the interchange with Pan Am. Interestingly, they wyed the engines, with the 3573 now facing west, and 764 facing east.

I think the Maine Eastern engines went around the wye to get by the CMQ engines.

I received word that the 2001 and 2002 were suffering from some mechanical issues. I was also told the MEC 514 would be heading east to Rockland today and be used for loading the cement barge. No idea how long it will stay on the property, or if the crew that came down from Rockland to get it took the 2001/2002 with them. Any sightings or photos would be greatly appreciated.

Interesting. First Guilford loco in Rockland in how many years...?

Went past the Rockland yard today around 3:30 and no locos spotted outside. But noticed some cars had been moved around. The snow was still untouched along the tracks going to the barge, so no cement has been moved yet.

PT1101 wrote:I received word that the 2001 and 2002 were suffering from some mechanical issues. I was also told the MEC 514 would be heading east to Rockland today and be used for loading the cement barge. No idea how long it will stay on the property, or if the crew that came down from Rockland to get it took the 2001/2002 with them. Any sightings or photos would be greatly appreciated.

Yes they did take the 2001, 2002 and five perlite cars. I will try and get a video up to YouTube soon of them going through Bath at dusk.

So that was a "Turbo G" that I saw on the side of whatever went east through Waldoboro and Warren shortly after 18:00 tonight. Couldn't tell if it was "light engine," or had more with it.

As a certain dispatcher/TOM used to say, "'Magine that."

Here are a few shots of them in Brunswick and a video of them going through downtown Bath:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2vZUdVQSm4" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Ok so now im reading that the 2 B23s are not running so they borrowed a GP40 from Pan am? Is this true? Hell of a start after taking over from a company who did so much for the line. At this rate the line will close in 6 months! On top of that Ive yet to read much positive about them. So what gives????

Narrowgauger wrote:Ok so now im reading that the 2 B23s are not running so they borrowed a GP40 from Pan am? Is this true? Hell of a start after taking over from a company who did so much for the line. At this rate the line will close in 6 months! On top of that Ive yet to read much positive about them. So what gives????

Well you aren't well acquainted with them. I would suggest reading the latest ANR&P which gives a good idea about the new outfit. Preliminary trouble with units a few days in as a result of the weather conditions (And I won't speculate but I heard there may have been some issues in transit) is hardly indicative of the future of the line. I hear of some feasible and obtainable plans coming up on the line for future traffic. That isn't to say anything against MERR either, that is just to say that given the cards dealt, there is a positive outlook in their future.

First off i do not NEED to be antiquated with them. When you begin a new business , you put your best foot forward. Sending two rag tag scruffy looking locomotive that dont run is not the way to start a new addition to anyone's business. Appearance goes a long way toward professionalism and gives you a sense of credibility and viability to your customers. Would you go into a store that looks like hell and has non working doors or lights before they even begin selling anything?. I am in no way insulting a company that it seems you have some sort of vested interest in. I am simply saying that they are not starting off on the best foot.

Well it seems the locomotive issues have been resolved. The MEC unit is back on home rails, and the B-23's are earning their keep. I saw a photo of one being tucked into the Rockland roundhouse. Apparently there was a door height issue due to apparatus on the roof of the cab, so there had to be slight modification before it would fit. And once water was added to the unit, it fired right up. While I agree a shiny new paint job does goes a long way in the eyes of the public, it is also very expensive. Money the CM & Q opted to spend elsewhere, or not at all. And given that the MEC unit did perform service, I'm guessing Dragon Cement and the customer receiving the hoppers of perlite didn't care what the engine looked like. Would I like to see some sort of uniform paint job on all CM & Q units? Absolutely. I think the CM & Q logo would look great on the nose or elsewhere. However, I don't foresee a trip to the paint shop until the units go in for some serious mechanical or maintenance issues.

Narrowgauger wrote:First off i do not NEED to be antiquated with them. When you begin a new business , you put your best foot forward. Sending two rag tag scruffy looking locomotive that dont run is not the way to start a new addition to anyone's business. Appearance goes a long way toward professionalism and gives you a sense of credibility and viability to your customers. Would you go into a store that looks like hell and has non working doors or lights before they even begin selling anything?. I am in no way insulting a company that it seems you have some sort of vested interest in. I am simply saying that they are not starting off on the best foot.

Ok, well for someone who has passed judgement based off public observations, I would suggest so. The CMQ crews that were hired on got raises and a benefits package/401K that they were quite happy with. Customers got access to a local and more expanded customer service and marketing department, as well as someone who owns a lot more equipment (not just locos, but railcars) and has relationships with a lot of big rail industry entities. Also, as someone who has worked for 2 major rail shippers (the kind that own their own equipment), I can tell you that I've never heard a discussion in meetings where we have talked about 'rag tag scruff looking locomotives' but rather two much more important things: Cost and Service. Your example of a grocery store vs a railroad is apples and oranges. CMQ had a problem with the power their first week and borrowed/leased a unit to remedy it. Now they are both running and as long as the service is good at a great cost, who cares but you. I've also heard some positive things about new ideas they have, so stay tuned.

as PT mentioned, money spent elsewhere. Didn't Giles recently (last year) say that they were looking into raising track speed elsewhere on their system, i.e. the meat and potatoes of their carloads? Based on reports of MERR freight traffic, they probably aren't too concerned with throwing a ton of money (or locomotives) at a line that currently requires service just a few days a week (correct me if I'm wrong).