Snow Plan?

Hello All,

This snow storm will bring a lot of operations to a halt or stand still in NYC into the Northeast until tracks are cleared, one wonders with such a bare bones operation like CMQ, what their plan is for the snow. As far as I know, the CMQ does not have any snow plows but maybe some old MMA Snow fighters? Corrections are welcomed.

Pan Am has already positioned plows in places to get ready for the snow.

While I can't speak to any operational aspects of CMQ's snow strategy, I can add my notes from the rolling stock obtained by RAH with the MMA bankruptcy:

Plow VB100 Farnham QC
Plow VB101 Farnham Qc
Plow VB103 Newport Vt
Plow VB150 Scrapped @ Derby? Was unit that sat off Houlton Branch for 6 months after derailment in 2005
Plow VB151 Was based out of Millinocket
Plow VB151 Was based out of Millinocket
Spreader VB200 Was based out of Millinocket
Spreader VB201 Farnham Qc
Spreader VB202 Brownville Jct

That is what they got in the sale, anyone have an idea of what was still runs and sadly what may have been scrapped?

I'm pretty sure VB103 is still active, we (VRS) use (lease/borrow, I don't know the details) it when the WACR needs to be cleared.

Paddy,
Yes, the VB 103 was sitting north of the turntable in Newport, Vermont around 1330 today. But, since the CMQ hasn't sent a train to Newport in almost a week, there's no locomotives to shove the plow. Maybe they'll hire the VRS to do that (as well as switch their local customers in Newport)! There were 22 cars waiting to go north: 3 covered hoppers, 13 empty centerbeam flats, 1 tank car, 3 boxcars, and 2 loads of logs (on GMRC bulkhead flats).
Cheers,
Fritz

Fritz wrote:Paddy,
Yes, the VB 103 was sitting north of the turntable in Newport, Vermont around 1330 today. But, since the CMQ hasn't sent a train to Newport in almost a week, there's no locomotives to shove the plow. Maybe they'll hire the VRS to do that (as well as switch their local customers in Newport)! There were 22 cars waiting to go north: 3 covered hoppers, 13 empty centerbeam flats, 1 tank car, 3 boxcars, and 2 loads of logs (on GMRC bulkhead flats).
Cheers,
Fritz

I think CMQ and Pan AM are in a competition to see who can be the railroad with the worst service. Now throw a snowstorm in the mix, customers won't know the difference! lol

They don't have a plan other than to lay off people, and try to make money, it's funny how these people don't realize winter comes every year.

somewhere wrote:They don't have a plan other than to lay off people, and try to make money, it's funny how these people don't realize winter comes every year.

I don't know, ripping up and scrapping every piece of remotely non-essential rail and equipment on the whole system certainly seems to have been part of the plan from day 1.

dnelson wrote:

somewhere wrote:They don't have a plan other than to lay off people, and try to make money, it's funny how these people don't realize winter comes every year.

I don't know, ripping up and scrapping every piece of remotely non-essential rail and equipment on the whole system certainly seems to have been part of the plan from day 1.

There has officially been layoffs in Newport. Traffic is not materializing and things are looking very bleak. Customers are still getting screwed

Is VB103 still in Newport?

There was an ex-CPR plow sitting alongside the shops in Derby, gorgeous old thing, which was being earmarked as scrap, but was presently (fall, 2014) being reconsidered. I hope it has been retained.

If it's worth money they will scrap it for sure.

Maybe they can sell it to the MBTA, lol.

I don't know how relevant this is, but I crossed the track from NMJ to Searsport twice last evening (2/17) and it hadn't been plowed. I thought that was odd, given that the snowstorm was on Sunday. Not much traffic on the line right now, I assume(?).

The ex-CPR plow was being kept warm, indoors at Derby, today.

ok they still have2 ex bar Jordan spreaders and 4 ex cn plows they have kept time and are much better than mma and par