The Boxes Are back

[necr3849]

Rumors had been surfacing for a time regarding the reopened mill(s) in Millinocket eventually shipping export paper via Searsport. All this past week and at least the Saturday before, that rumor has become fact. Yesterday's southound #211 had a block and fifteen empties come back on the return train to Hermon. The #211 is staging them on a siding in view of the docks, but special trucks have to unload those and physically put them on the ships. As of now, the tracks do NOT go right out on the wharf. Don't know if there is any plan for them to either. Its making for some healthy trains length-wise with several having been over 30 as of late. I just got back online this past week, so I have some pictures to post soon.

[fogg1703]

Great to see the return of export traffic to Searsport. I find the logistics particularly interesting as one would think that a straight truck movement from GNP to that same warehouse might be cheaper if not easier, however I think we are all pleased that an all rail movement was chosen. The rates must be almost break even for MMA. A shame the old wharf (along with the trackage)is gone, it would have been nice to see lines of boxes on the wharf again. Anyone know when the wharf and warehouse was removed in favor of the new one?

[roberttosh]

At about 95 miles each way, you're talking about a 3 1/2 - 4 hour round trip, which is probably $350-$400 per truckload. Times that by 4 trucks per railcar and you're talking about a railcar equivalent of $1400-$1600. If MMA charges $1000 per car, that's pretty good revenue for short haul and you're still saving the shipper $400-$600 per railcar.

[fogg1703]

If those numbers are even close to being accurate Mr Tosh, I too agree this is good revenue for the short haul. Even adding in the warehousing by Sprague and the shuttle truck trip to dockside, the all-rail route seems like it is comparable if not less than the trucking option. I wonder if there is a potential tapioca "backhaul" for those boxes?

[KSmitty]

Just wondering what boxes are being used. Are they MMA/SLC cars or are they RBOX or an outside railroad? Excess Height cars or regular 50' boxes?

[necr3849]

I would have replied faster if I hadn't been having issues with internet connections and so on. As for the boxcar types seen to Searsport, MMA and NOKL high cubes have been all that's used. I don't know what the weekday runs have looked like, but the past two Saturdays have been void of any boxes coming back or going out from Searsport. Hope it wasn't a very short-lived experiment.

You should have seen the anti-LPG protest down at the entrance to Irving/Sprague on the 19th. Probably a couple hundred altogether, and Channel 2 was there for a time. They were almost all older age and looking clueless other than to make themselves seen. Tankers were making little effort to avoid them when they got out in the road.

[Cowford]

That's a good-sized tank! Sounds like it would be in the neighborhood of 20 million gallons cap'y, based on the cargo parcels they'd like to bring in. Curious to know where the LPG would come from.

Hopefully, cooler heads will prevail within Searsport's town hall.

[KSmitty]

To update on the boxes. The same string of NOKL high cubes that were on paper duty and got benched back in the fall are still sitting on the north end of MMA's upper yard. However this morning on the south side of the upper yd there were 3 tracks with maroon high cubes on them. They were too far inside the yard to get any more than color, I didn't notice them Friday...I think they're new arrivals.

Also as an aside, LMS seems busy lately, maybe I've just hit it at the right time the last few trips around the junction, but seems there is more activity than I realized they had...what exactly do they transload there? I've seen everything from box trucks to logging trucks in and out of there.

[necr3849]

Kevin,

At leat two lines of those brown boxes were in the Lower yard last Saturday as well. Temporary storage I think. If you look beyond the Lower Yard toward PAR where the Searsport Loop breaks away, you'll often see the log cars on the siding furthest to the left. Trucks come in and go all the way down to Cleanout Road before basically doing a 360 through the PAR/MMA interchange area and crossing again right in front of the log cars. I got to see them them do it a few times this past Summer.

As for the weekend Searsport jobs, they appear to be a memory as well. I guess lack of employee numbers is really what decided this move. Haven't seen or even heard a Saturday run since like the first of the year. I'm wondering how those customers are liking this change.

I know Pottles does a crap load of paper transfer from LMS down to Verso in Bucksport. They even took over a good chunk of the main parking lot to create that mini trailer staging area. A couple years back, Old Town Fuel & Fiber had Pottles doing the same thing up there. Now, it's like it never happened.

[KSmitty]

Jeff,
Thanks for the info. I was under the impression MMA had cut the Saturday run. What happened to the normal Saturday operator to make cancelling the Saturday run necessary. It was also reported that MMA's 211 on Tues,Thurs was going to go to night time runs. Anyone know if theydid go dark and if so what time the crew is on duty and when they depart NMJ?

[JB283]

If Oldtown and Bucksport both got rail access, why do they use the trucks for those runs? I was wondering that about the woodchips in Lagrange also. Why dont MMA just hand that stuff off to PAR at NMJ?

[KSmitty]

If Oldtown and Bucksport both got rail access, why do they use the trucks for those runs? I was wondering that about the woodchips in Lagrange also. Why dont MMA just hand that stuff off to PAR at NMJ?

From what I understand, PAR can't get enough boxes to Bucksport quick enough, Old Town may have had similar issues with service in the past... Woodchips are trucked, I would assume, because the short distance of the route, and the fact that they can't get enough boxes as is, so why clutter the rail lines with more cars...

[JB283]

Well thats to bad. I thought by what i have read in other PAR posts that that company was trying to get buisness that they didnt have in the past. I would have liked to see woodchip hoppers sitting in oldtown next time i came home.

[KSmitty]

Its not from lack of trying. I remember reading that Verso wanted to ship more by rail, but that with the 5mph Buckie Branch and a lack of crews they just can't seem to keep Verso happy.

[JB283]

I guess they need to hire some people then.