This is all well and good but I have to wonder how their business compares with what the New Haven handled in and out of Holyoke in the 60's, In the 60's we had NY-2 and YN-1 which were symbol freight jobs between Cedar Hill and Holyoke which also worked New Britain and/or Plainville and always Westfield. They would go in to Holyoke with anywhere from 30 to 60 or more cars a day. We had a six day yard job (later reduced to five days) which did the industrial work and there was a lot of it. The last job for the day was to make up YN-1 and if YN-1 did not have enough power to push it up the hill out of Holyoke to Ashley Pond. BACK IN THE DAYS.
Noel Weaver
Railroad Forums
Mayor of Holyoke MA promotes freight rail
- Pertaining to all railroading subjects, past and present, in New England
It's tough to compare the Holyoke of the 60's to the present day. The industrial blueprint and manufacturing output has completely changed, as well as the shift in logistics from carload to intermodal. I heard from an old time railroad employee that 90% of the original New Haven trackage in Holyoke is still there however. The Pioneer Valley certainly has had to reinvent new ways to establish traffic within the city's de-industrialized state.
It is always good to hear railroads providing another transportation solution.
Having an aggressive short line develop and capture business to capitalize on existing underutilized infrastructure is worthy of commendation.
Having an aggressive short line develop and capture business to capitalize on existing underutilized infrastructure is worthy of commendation.
If you can't dazzle them with brilliance -
Baffle 'em with bulls**t...
Baffle 'em with bulls**t...
An unmentioned factor in the story seems to be the affects of NS. The reason for the Yankee Candle transload being in Holyoke is the practice of discouraging on-line switchouts in the Fink 1.0 era. The original Yankee Candle delivery point of Deerfield got moved south with intermediate drayage. NS played Rescue Ranger to PAR with the joint venture, and on-line origination and termination became encouraged again. Whether this will play out in Yankee Candle re-relocating is questionable, at least in the short term, but even short-haul is up. What are the chances that the Sullivan moves through Gardner for Worcester fluffing would have happened in the bad old days? The more cars, the more revenue seems the new order of things, thanks to things black and white.
"A gray crossover is definitely not company transportation."
Pioneer Valley now having direct access to interchange with the NS has definitely helped their business and offers customers more options. When the Conn River is rebuilt I expect service to improve even more to them. It's a win win for that area...
While it pleases me very much to see the PVRR prosper in Holyoke. I only wonder what could have been had they been allowed to take over the Westover branch from Guilford when they left Chicopee in 2001/2....
Same week the mayor also changed his mind on Casinos (now he's in favor).
I wonder if he might be thinking that trains and casinos add jobs?
I wonder if he might be thinking that trains and casinos add jobs?
Cadet57 wrote:While it pleases me very much to see the PVRR prosper in Holyoke. I only wonder what could have been had they been allowed to take over the Westover branch from Guilford when they left Chicopee in 2001/2....and what would have happened if the strikes never happened 15 year before that... the list can go on and on. I think it's sufficient to say without the cash infusion from NS in 2009 and the changing of the guard in Billerica much of the railroad would be like the Westover branch. There is just enough infrastructure left to run a railroad...
Back to your question, last I was there the Westover Industrial was flanked on both sides with more businesses than you can count. I am sure if an effort was made some could be pursuaded to ship via rail. Does anyone remember what happened after it was abandoned? nothing?
newpylong wrote:Does anyone remember what happened after it was abandoned? nothing?Tracks were ripped up this past summer. Only a couple grade crossings that they didn't bother to fill in are left.
Don't have a hard quote, but during a Q&A about Westover development a couple years ago, the mayor and other big wigs flat out said, no more rail. Well, they got what they wanted.
After Guilford embargoed the track back in 1998 or so the PVRR General Manager at the time made moves to provide service to Westover but faced outright opposition from GRS. Back then PVRR had been doing about 2500 cars a year but took a hit after the closure of BASF in Holyoke. Traffic from the Westover branch would have added about 300 cars, and was desirable for PV, who still had to run to Holyoke for fewer customers. It's anyone's guess what may have happened if PV did end up with the Westover branch, but it helps when one railroad can actually purchase track from another. Look at the Grafton and Upton RR and what's gone on there. I think with the way shippers are now looking to rail because of fuel prices the Westover line had a chance, and PVRR was able to increase their traffic to around 5000 cars in recent years on it's existing trackage. Maybe Dan Bigda will step in and put the track back.
Jedijk88 wrote:After Guilford embargoed the track back in 1998 or so the PVRR General Manager at the time made moves to provide service to Westover but faced outright opposition from GRS. Back then PVRR had been doing about 2500 cars a year but took a hit after the closure of BASF in Holyoke. Traffic from the Westover branch would have added about 300 cars, and was desirable for PV, who still had to run to Holyoke for fewer customers. It's anyone's guess what may have happened if PV did end up with the Westover branch, but it helps when one railroad can actually purchase track from another. Look at the Grafton and Upton RR and what's gone on there. I think with the way shippers are now looking to rail because of fuel prices the Westover line had a chance, and PVRR was able to increase their traffic to around 5000 cars in recent years on it's existing trackage. Maybe Dan Bigda will step in and put the track back.No doubt it's a new era under Fink Jr though the damage done by Fink Sr to New England railroad service in the old error can not be underestimated. Meanwhile, maybe the flip floppin' kid mayor could push for a casino train shuttle from Hartford and Springfield if they manage to get the house of funny money at...Mountain Park.
Given what can be gridlock traffic in and around the former grade crossings -- especially on weekends -- about the only way a Westover ROW could be resurrected is if it is elevated. That probability is slim.
"A gray crossover is definitely not company transportation."
Actually, it was the Westover park people who adamantly wanted nothing more to do with rail. There certainly was traffic potential, but for some unexplained reason the WMDC had developed a bad case of choochootitis and refused to even talk about it with or without Guilford.
Historically WMDC never was really interested in rail. They had had a chance to have the Mass Central operate the branch in the 1970s as a low cost shortline service provider but leaped away at the chance.
I think that the idea of rail in an Air Park in some of the WMDC minds just didnt add up to value added.
Historically WMDC never was really interested in rail. They had had a chance to have the Mass Central operate the branch in the 1970s as a low cost shortline service provider but leaped away at the chance.
I think that the idea of rail in an Air Park in some of the WMDC minds just didnt add up to value added.
Quite a few months ago the crossing signals and tracks where completely ripped up crossing Rt 33 near Westover. Forget any rail access to Westover,
I go though that area a few times a month. You would never know a railroad use to pass though there.
Rich
I go though that area a few times a month. You would never know a railroad use to pass though there.
Rich