New auto facility in MA?

[NellsChoo]

What do folks know about the new CSX auto facility in MA? I think the town it is in is Brookfield or East Brookfield. What makes are handled there? Which route do the cars take from there?

In other words: WHAT'S THE WORD??

Jonelle
Curious

[CSX Conductor]

The site hosts, every brand that was at Westboro, plus Nissan, which was in the CP Yard before. Fords are still going to Ayer on the B&M. Toyota is refusing to leave the CP Yard, even though CSX wants them to move to East Brookfield after Januarty 1st.

East Brookfield operation is way behind the 8 ball. There are always loaded auto racks on the controlled siding between CP60 & CP64, sometimes only about 20, other times I have seen 100 to 125!!

CSXT drops loads on the siding from the east end at CP60 when coming east from Selkirk, then the East Brookfield & Spencer RR pulls the cars and spots them to be unloaded. The empty racksare stored up in the back, on a curved, hill on 6 tracks. Q283 has to go into the back of the facility when it picks-up the empties and takes them west toward Selkirk.

The EB&SRR s supposed to have the empties on the controlled siding so that Q283 just backs into the controlled sidng @CP64, ties on, brake test and go, but that has not happened yet.

The whole place is a mess.

The EB&Srr has 2 RETX locomotives. I must admit, they are in a sharp looking paint scheme, teal and white. They haven't been using them though because these units are not cab-signal equipped. therefor the MEC 351 is on loan from Guilford.

[NellsChoo]

Hmmm... what part of the state are we talking about?

[Guest]

According to my Funk & Wagnalls, East Brookfield is about midway between Worcester and Palmer, MA.

[CSX Conductor]

Sorry Nells, I thought you knew where East Brookfield was. The auto facility (not that you can get into it) is located on RTe 49, just 1/2 mile or so south of the jct. of Rtes 9 & 49.

If you go to CP64 you will be able to see the head-end of Q283 after they have made a few doubles. (If you can't find CP-64 from RTE.9, just ask anybody in town where the East Brookfield Police station is, or the Post Office, they are right next to CP-64.

[NellsChoo]

Last night in Ayer MA we heard someone talking to the EB&S. How could this be? Do they do any interchange at all with Guilford? How could we have heard this from so far away?

JD

[CSX Conductor]

Was this on CSXT's road channel?

[NellsChoo]

Not sure... usually we leave Guilford's channel on, but that day there was NOTHING on any station, so my boyfriend may have had the scanner scanning the whole railroad section.

So again, not sure...

[CSX Conductor]

When the EB&S crews are switching the East Brookfield auto facility they need to occupy CSXT's controlled siding between CP60 & CP64 on the main-line for head-room, and whenever they are occupying the controlled siding the are required to monitor CSX road channel #1 in case the NA dispatcher needs to get a hold of them to clear up or anything like that.

As for hearing them all the way up in Ayer, during the overnight hours radios seem to reach further because the air is clearer at night because there is less congestion in the air-waves (i.e. more companies using 2way radios, more cell phones, ete. during the day).