Grafton & Upton Railroad (G&U) Discussion

[BayColony1706]

This is the same guy who bought and "improved" Edaville by scrapping 4 out of 5 miles of track, and gave up on Cape Cod Central afer one season. I may be being skeptical, but I've seen the way this guy runs a railroad. On the flip side, he did run QBT at the Fore River Ship yard pretty well for a number of years. I guess time will tell.

[thebigham]

I read at Yahoo Groups that the Alcos are out and a GP7 and a GP9 are in.

Anyone have more info?

[SkiScorcher88]

I read the same thing on the Yahoo Group. I also have an update to the current status of the railroad as far as renovation goes. The line has recently undergone brush clearing from the North Grafton yard to at least the Upton yard. No word yet on their next move.

The pictures can be found on the RR Pictures Archives website: http://rjgrubin.rrpicturearchives.net/a ... 275&Page=2

[Mondo]

There won't be any brush cutting for a while, the machine is sitting behind Cummbys in Grafton with the cutter or more removed.

[g-and-u-watcher]

When I drove by various grade crossings between West Upton and Cumbys (at the 140 crossing) on Sunday it seemed that the brush had already been cut in most places.

Also, was I hallucinating, or did the G&U caboose sitting in the West Upton yard just show up? I think I would have noticed it before, but hallucination is always a possibility.

[SkiScorcher88]

Sir, I believe you may be hallucinating... for the only G&U cabooses I know are either on Cape Cod as an ice cream shop or sitting in the Hopedale yard rotting. However, if the caboose you speak of is real (and not a hallucination ), and it happens to be the green G&U #2, then I might have to infer that an engine transported it from Hopedale all the way up the line. When was the last time any engine traveled on those tracks? When I was in Hopedale back in December, the tracks were completely covered with underbrush.

Did the caboose happen to look like this?
http://photos.nerail.org/showpic/?photo ... 26%20Upton
http://photos.nerail.org/showpic/?photo ... 26%20Upton

[frrc]

[DELETED]

[SkiScorcher88]

Disregard the speculation above about the G&U #2 and the hopes that the tracks to Hopedale are in working condition. The picture of the new Caboose is here:

http://rjgrubin.rrpicturearchives.net/a ... 275&Page=3

Anyone have an idea where it came from?

[NYC27]

It has friction bearings and the line to North Grafton still needs some brush work, so this had to have come in by truck. Interesting design, obviously rebuilt from 1944 or older boxcar.

[H.F.Malone]

It's a Maine Central car, most likely one of the many MEC cabooses that were in Canaan, CT 15 years ago to become a "caboose motel" that never got off the ground. The promoter of that project bought 20-24 MEC and B&M cabooses from Big G, and finally sold them off about 8-9 years ago. There was quite a variety of MEC cabooses in that bunch, including at least one of these boxcar conversions.

[Engineer999]

I was in this yard on Sunday, and there was no evidence that anything has move, including this caboose, for a long time.

However, someone has been clearing brush along the line since all of the small trees were gone on both sides of the track to at least 30 feet from center. Two weeks earlier, there were small pine trees next to the rails just north of this yard.

There also was a large pile of new (or recycled) ties sitting next to the track about 50 yards north of the 44 tonner. And I saw an even larger pile of ties next to the track at the route 146 crossing in Grafton.


Something is happening.

[CVRA7]

From the looks of the caboose, I would agree that it was trucked in. No steps, heavy rust on the wheels, no cutting lever for the coupler, and no air hose all point to this. And I also agree that the railway is stirring in its sleep, getting ready to wake up!

[frrc]

[DELETED]

[Engineer999]

On Sunday, there were 4 freight cars parked on the south end of the yard in North Grafton, 2 boxcars, one hopper, and a car I couldn't see well enough to determine what is was.

I traced the tracks back up to Milford to the Draper complex and everything is still intact, including all of the crossings. Brush is thick from the south end of West Upton yard (where the caboose and 44 tonner are parked) to Milford. I couldn't find any rail missing.

But the track through Milford to the CSX interchange has almost disappeared. Crossings have been paved over or taken out completely. Little hope for that to return.

Is there any chance that someone would require freight service in the Draper complex?

[NHN503]

I'm not sure if anyone else has heard the news, but 50% of the G&U has been sold and the remaining 50% probably going to be bought out in the next 4 years. The new owner has the full intent of restoring the entire railroad and plans on putting everything back into operation within 2 years. Everyone... the G&U is BACK!

Here are some very recent links to newspaper articles about the G&U.
http://www.milforddailynews.com/homepage/x269372205
http://www.milforddailynews.com/homepage/x2086329157

In the first article I find Chairwoman Marsha Paul's actions threatening. I wonder if she treats all business entering town as a threat. Comments such as "If I could stop you I would, but I cant" should not be coming from a town politician....railroad business or a small business..you take in all the facts from each side and make a decision. Gotta love her agenda.