The Boxes Are back

[fogg1703]

"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?"

This goes back to the days in the 70's when the MEC and BAR began to have their issues. Unloading and trucking from S. LaGrange to Old Town saved money by avoiding the interchange at NMJ (single line haul for BAR). I suppose now that MNR runs the lines where the lion share of the chips originate, they could route them through Keag to Pan Am cutting MMA out of the loop. Not sure how receptive any mills would be to recieve anything by rail from Pan Am after the previous 25 years of service though. And honestly who could blame them.

[JB283]

"Not sure how receptive any mills would be to recieve anything by rail from Pan Am after the previous 25 years of service though. And honestly who could blame them."

That is completly understandable. You mentioned that MNR huals the chips now. Hopefully they will hand them off to Pan Am. I have read in other posts in other forums on here that PAR is trying to pick up buisness that it has ignored in the past. Hopefully PAR will go after the chips. (Maybe thats just wishful thinking on my part). What does MMA do in Maine anymore except bring stuff in on the old CP line and the Tank Cars on the Searsport line? Do they got anything else going in Maine?

[KSmitty]

Do they got anything else going in Maine?

Yeps, Millinocket, East Millinocket and some other smaller stuff, transloads mostly. BAR founded LMS, and apparently its doing quite well...
E. Millinocket is shipping paper out, I assume some chemicals in. Millinocket is about a year away from shipping 100000tons of bio coal/year with potential to do 1million tons. That would potentially mean unit coal trains from Millinocket to points south (export at Searsport or IC with PAR) and points west to Montreal and beyond.

[roberttosh]

Guilford and BAR handled the woodchips to Old Town into the early 90's, but BAR eventually came to the realization that it was more economical and efficient to cut Guilford out altogeher and truck the chips form a nearby transload. Much, much better equipment turns and easier for the mill to unload trucks. Bad blood between the roads didn't help either. Not 100% certain what LMS handles these days, but at one time they unloaded lots of Western Canadian woodpulp bound for Bucksport. Again, this provided better inventory control, better equipment turns and likely a better price than paying Guilford a king's ransom to move cars the final few miles to the mill. Furthermore, mills don't like to put all their eggs in one basket, so by pushing some outbound paper through LMS, they keep Pam Am honest from a rate standpoint and have a willing partner (i.e. backup option) to keep them going when Pan Am is out of cars or when service falls apart. By the same token, the mill at East Millinocket does, or at least did up until recently, truck paper to Pan Am served warehouses in the Bangor area, so it goes both ways.

[necr3849]

It's really too bad MMA always seems like its gets left out of the paper business south of Brownville. Their route is far better condition-wise and faster than PAR. I'm hoping the looming Millinocket/Searsport predictions mentioned earlier will give MMA that needed shot in the arm. Their main problem is lack of employees. Last I knew, they had maybe ten actual train men and don't pay crap compared to MNR or PAR. Until recently, only one engineer operated out of Northern Maine Junction. Supposedly they were going to have a second shift being added soon. I haven't been along the line much lately to back that up, though.

With PAR, it seems to always go back to track/speed/service. Even though they did that huge tie project last Fall on the Bucksport Branch, they did absolutely nothing with tamping or rail. No ballast was added after the tie laying to fill in with. It looks like total ....welll....shit. That describnes it best. If anything, there are now a couple more 10mph zones. The cars still look like they could tip over anywhere at any time. Perhaps this Spring, some part of this will be done.

I don't think the yard in Bucksport could handle many more cars than it does now. Late last week, a WABK train over 50 cars came in one morning. It took nearly the whole time before the next WABK two days later for the mill switcher to get those cars sorted out. There simply aren't enough tracks anymore, other than the stubs east of the mill along the waterfront. They have enough problems maintaining the tracks they have there now. Never mind new ones. I constantly hear that the mill would ship more by rail if PAR made it possible. However, management always finds a way to shoot itself in the foot. Nothing new in 2012.

[fogg1703]

"It's really too bad MMA always seems like its gets left out of the paper business south of Brownville. Their route is far better condition-wise and faster than PAR."

Remember its a far more lucrative move if MMA gets the haul all the way to Montreal as opposed to interchange at NMJ. Not to keep bringing up the past here, but this is where the BAR and MEC began to "disassociate." BAR kept pushing more Fraser and GNP routings via CP's Moosehead as opposed to MEC at NMJ. MEC did not appreciate the slight and took BAR to court, and the rest they say is history.

I too hope for success for the remainder of the MMA system, however it seems the cards have been dealt and a major player (CSX) is now getting involved in Eastern Maine/Canadian Maritime traffic via Irving/PAR and leaving the fledgling MMA wondering how they lost their seat when the music stopped.

[CN9634]

If all goes well, you will see more than just boxes headed up and down the Searsport branch. The proposed propane tank took one step forward this week closer to reality. If done, it will generate propane traffic for rail. I'll allow others to estimate exact car loads or research the data themselves.

Also there is talk about VW's being shipping across Maine with the current auto traffic that runs over the former CP line. Some more business for MMA would be nice...

[Cowford]

Hurrah for common sense!

[necr3849]

Should have seen the protesting going on a while back at Searsport against the tank. All these "Thanks, but no tank" signs on the front lawns of people who wouldn't even see or be directly affected by such construction. Dozens of earthy-crunchy senior folk at the end of Station Road with their retarded homemade banners. I was wishing those Irving trucks would take the corner a bit too wide. Anyway, let's hope such proposed propane stuff will last a bit longer than the Millinocket boxes did. MMA will have to hire more people to keep up for sure.