Guilford wide-cab GP40 on Hampton Branch

Holy crap! I was going over the Exeter Rd. (Rte. 27) bridge this afternoon and looked North out the window and saw some Foss Man. "pellet hoppers" and what looked like an engine on the siding behind the old Saxonville Lumber! I almost crapped. Turned out to be MEC 510 (usually only ever see older geep's down here.) I havent seen an engine parked in Hampton for yeeeeeears. They usually come down, swap cars at Foss and head north again to Portsmouth. I wonder why this beautiful GP40-2 was parked down here??????????

Anyways, once my friend dropped me off to pick up my car, I booked it home and grabbed my camera, hoping it wasnt gone, then flew back uptown and yup it was still there I think this is the first time I have ever seen a GP40-2 in town.





So nice to something down this way on the Hampton Branch. Hopefully Foss Mannufacturing gets bought by someone and doesnt go totally bankrupt and close, cuz then that means this branch it completely D E A D.

That's encouraging to see.

I drive over a grade crossing in North Hampton every day, and, judging by the rust on the rails lately, I had assumed that I had seen my last train on that branch.

(It figures. I was out of town on the one day when there was a train.)

Several acquaintances who own businesses along the branch had also commented recently that they hadn't seen or heard a train lately.

My guess was that the first time that Foss used their Ch. 11 status to stiff GRS out of a payment, the latter would pull the plug on the service. I believe the railroad had already petitioned for abandonment of that branch, but Foss (pre-bankruptcy) had objected.

Let's hope that wasn't the last train.

HI. Ya, tha rails are seriously old. The same ones since the Eastern Route was abandoned. I mean you go uptown and walk behind the Brooks Pharmacy building, up onto the tracks and walk like 20 or 30 yards and the track starts to go missing and its all overgrown with brush. So its not far at all South of Foss where the old Route is banged up. But yeah the tracks from Foss North are really old, and quite wobbly lol. I'm pretty sure its the same track from the 70's, or whenever the last Eastern Route trains came up from Boston through Hampton, etc.

It's such a terrible waste of a route. Straight up from Boston through Newburyport, Hampton, to Portsmouth. A total waste not to use it. I have read the large study they did on getting the Route back up and running passenger service. It claimed the old trestle in Newburyport over the Merrimack River was still able to be repaired and used, and alot of people were interested in getting the route back, but it didnt work. I couldnt believe it, they everything laid out, costs of everything from upgrading the track and repairing ties, etc., to repairs on the plate girder bridges over the Hampton Marsh.........but we still got the BIG NOPE.

I have heard rumors that one of the reasons they dont really want trains running South up through Hampton is because of Seabrook Station. Since the old Eastern Route railbed lies so close to the nuke plant, people raise questions. I think its ridiculous lol.

Anyhow, I do PC & Network Admin., and my main business contract in North Hampton on Rte. 1 is right in front of the tracks. I have heard the train rumble by behind the building I think once in the past few years lol, but I am not there when it usually comes down to Foss. I believe there is no real set schedule for Foss, more of a "whenever we need pellets" type of thing, so its a pretty scattered schedule. I have heard the train from my house in Hampton on a Sat. morning several weeks ago. So it comes down every now and then.

Still unsure why 510 is parked on the old Saxonville Lumber siding. Theres like 2 or 3 sets of siding there, but I didnt even think they used it anymore. Maybe it has something to do with the bridge repair they are doing on Exeter Rd.?


Gillfid Rail......runned by DOPES.

I can only image that it will be a matter of time before "Pan Am Railways" files the line for abandonment. They will continue to run trains till the track is no longer stable enough to support a train and is deemed unsafe (who knows maybe that was the last train). As far as commuter rail service goes... well nothing is going to happen for quite sometime. New Hampshire needs to come up with away to fund railroad projects but until that happens I don't see any hope for that line. Yes the bridge over the Merrimack is a big hurtle but an even bigger hurtle is the Power Plant. Like I've said in many other forums regarding this line... When the Power Plant was built it was designed to allow train travel through the property, but since 9/11 the Feds say it’s a security risk and now question the possibility of trains going through the area if the line was to be used again. (Not to mention they give public tours of the plant)... I also think that it’s terrible excuse and as time goes on it won't be a big deal. I believe the last train to cross over the Merrimack was in the 1960s.

My "guess" is that the tracks past Foss WON'T be torn up-but it has "0" to do with resumption of passenger trains.

The "Eastern"(and Portsmouth Yard) was last rebuilt.or "repaired when Seabrook Nuclear was being BUILT,as the railine played a major role in its construction.


It will be used agin when the plant is TORN DOWN,or "decommissioned,to remove the rubble or low level contaminated concrete/earth,and maybe some machinery.

Saw this being done for 3 years on the Rockland Branch here in Maine,when Maine Yankee was decommissioned. Tracks rebuilt at this time for the passenger/excursion train on Maine eastern,but several legislators admitted to voting funds for the rehab,to be safe to hopefully prevent a derailment of low level nuclear waste.

Maine Yankee was decommissioned "early",5-10 years I think,largely due to the concerns of the "beautiful people",who's portfolios prevent from worrying about how they will pay the high utility bills.

Can't see the people of coastal N.H. and Mass. wanting 18 wheelers of low level waste driving through their neighborhoods-and this "stuff" ain't "disposed of here in N.E.

So,if you have an idea,of when Seabrook will be decommissioned,figure thats when the tracks will be "rehabed" from Foss,probably back to Emery,so the "stuff" can be taken over the old Manchester Branch to get picked up on the mainline at Rockingham Jct.

I can remember when the MEC was hauling in stuff to BUILD Maine Yankee in the late 1960's!! Time Flies!!!

Bud

*

I saw the 510 and those hoppers in Portsmouth several days ago. Took 'em long enough to get over to Hampton!

Purely out of curiosity, how come you posted this here and not in the Guilford forum?

I posted here cuz I figured it was a "railfanning" post, and not really Gillfid related "news" or anything. Well, it is news to someone like me who doesnt get see alot of activity here in town lol

Ya, tha State owns tha railbed South of Foss to the NH/MA line, and they own the interchange in Hampton. I organize a volunteer clean-up every Spring to clean up the area inside the interchange (rotary) cuz lowlife degenerates like to go down there and dump their trash. We hauled out 6000 pounds of crap last April, using 5 pickups, and brought it all over to the Hampton Transfer Station. I hate scumbags.

Yes, time does fly lol. I can remember one of my older brothers having a girlfriend that lived in Seabrook when I was young, and when turning onto Railroad Ave. from Rte. 1, you would be met with a bridge over the tracks. Well, they tore that ol' bastid down sometime in the late 80's if I remember correctly. Tore up the tracks a number of feet in both directions. I often take a ride down there and always try to look and see where the line went across and the bridge used to be lol. You can see the "path" somewhat, where the line once went through there. You can also go out behind the Shaws in Seabrook (Wal-Mart shopping center), and see the line. There are some tracks still visible, but ofcourse its severly overgrown. Weird how close the building is to the railbed. Hard to remember when that shopping plaza didnt even exist and it was woods back there lol. There is actually a small little access road/path that goes over the tracks and connects to the new Seabrook library/Police Station/Fire Station area. I should take a ride down there and take some pics this weekend.

I will definitely look into the nuke plant, I do wonder when its due to close. I guess what makes me wonder the most is how people can disregard this area, and the route itself. I mean, its right there. And with the frigging amount of tourism that we have here in the Summer (Hampton Beach), it seems ridiculous not to seriously consider rail as an option. Hampton is making multi-million dollar upgrades to the sewer infrastructure at the beach to be able to handle the load of all the growth that is anticipated. There is talk of a year-round aquarium and all sorts of other improvements. And you can barely park there as it is, we dont even have a parking garage yet lol. Passenger rail would eliminate so much traffic and problems we get here. It would be a relief. And the tracks are far away enough from the nuke plant to avoid anything and everything I would think....I mean, unless someone gets ahold of a 5 mega-ton or so nuclear weapon. But, I guess the Feds know better. If it can withstand a direct impact from a 747 LMAO, that why wouldnt it withstand a similar type blast at a distance from the tracks? Speculation I guess.....

If I ever won Powerball, I would revive the line HAHAHAAHA


P.S. There was a little more activity around here when I was in Junior High and my early years of High School, before Saxonville Lumber was scooped up by another company from the Northwest and packed up shop (early 90's). There was always boxcars and frequent power on the siding there to see, as Saxonville utilized the rail to the hilt.

Personally, I don't think Seabrook Station is solely to blame for the lack of ressumption of passenger service. I think right now the main problem is the funding issue, and I recall reading that once the Greenbush MBTA line is completed next year, it'll be a while before any other big commuter rail expansions get off the ground, although FR/NB is being studied.

There is another Dominion/ex-NU nuclear plant several miles to the south of Seabrook that dozens of trains, passenger and freight, pass by each and every day without problem (Millstone in East Lyme).

I did survey work in 2000 on both Millstone and Seabrook, prior to their sale by NU to Dominion. During that time period, pre-9/11, the public could drive into the complex and right up to the parking lot adjacent to the "protected area". You could even drive your trailer to the public boat launch which was accessed via a road next to the "high wire" fence. Post-9/11, the security is much tighter, as guard stations that were abandoned were reopened, and the south access road completly closed off, along with access to the "Nature Center" at Seabrook.

The times have changed, but I don't think they've changed so much where we can't have the resumption of service on this line. And I'm sure there is a spot to the south where a Seabrook passenger station could be located. Then, fly through the "complex" and it'll just be like the Acelas flying through East Lyme CT.

-Jay

I hear ya. I think their are alot of knuckleheads in too-high of a position in alot of companies. I think Gillfid Rail proves this. Some folks just dont have it, they dont know how to "run" things properly, and turn everything into a loss....and a MESS. Unfortunately it seems alot of these types gain higher-power through less than desirable means. We have a few here in town, they lied on their resumes about their college education, and get jobs as Directors of different Depts. in town. Then the town finds out they are useless liars, sucking the tax payer out of 100's of thousands of dollars a year in salary, but theres nothing anyone can do about it lol.

I think if Gillfid truely wants to "fix" itself, and not just "remask" everything, with the change to "Pan Am Railways", then they should first start at the top, and give the boot to Fink and the other Cronies. Remasking is NOT restructuring. Maybe some day we'll have passenger and more freight service through Hampton again. The old train stations still exist, and the railbed is there waiting. Maybe when the right people are at the top, and all the variables are seen, it will happen. Hopefully!

BTW, MEC 510 is still there. Took a ride down after work a little earlier. I also noticed that a local mover formerly of North Hampton, Cormier Movers, has moved into the old Saxonville Lumber building, or atleast part of it. I think there is another company in there now too. Cormier is run by Meatballs, you know, the guys who take vacations to the tropics every 2 weeks and let a bunch early 20's drug addicts take care of the biz while they are gone lol. So its not exactly a friendly atmosphere down there anymore...there are alot of "Under Surveillance" signs and crap, more than likely due to the fact that they may store customers stuff in the little warehouse.

I just care about the trains.........

P.S. I think Rail System sounds cooler than Railways.

RBP

Jonny Bolt wrote:give the boot to Fink and the other Cronies.

Fink et al are the owners of the company, along with Mellon, so why would they give themselves the boot? lol

The Cape Cod Central RR runs right through the Canal Electric (or whatever it is called now) Plant in Sandwich MA and the Old Colony and Newport RR runs through the Neport Naval Base in RI. [you can get "up close and personal" with two retired aircraft carriers!]

Granted, they are not nuclear plants but, as one other person pointed out,....look at "Millstone" in CT.

Paul

MEC407 wrote:

Jonny Bolt wrote:give the boot to Fink and the other Cronies.

Fink et al are the owners of the company, along with Mellon, so why would they give themselves the boot? lol

lol. Ya, thats the main problem and hurdle lmao.

We're making "F Fink" T-shirts

Not sure how they would do it, but if there was enough push behind it, it could happen. Even though Gillfid kept whatever amount, a few thousand feet, there is only 1 freight customer on the Hampton Branch these days, so its not like there would be extreme train traffic problems.

viewfinder wrote:

Jonny Bolt wrote: Maybe some day we'll have passenger and more freight service through Hampton again.

If its true that big G kept a couple thousand feet than how can passenger trains ever run up to NH thru Newburyport again? I mean they must've done that for a reason right?

Guilford always seems to do that - keep some track to prevent the route from ever again becoming a through route and thus, a competitor. I guess their theory on it is "If we couldn't make money on it, than noone can". They did the same thing with the Conway branch and the Northern Line (Concord-WRJ). However, on the latter, the state of NH seized it (or something to that effect) and gave the contract for WRJ-W Leb to Claremont Concord. So getting around Guilford and their "lets keep 1000' can be done. It just takes some time.

-Jay