"Up North" Gawking (District 1 sightings)

[MEC407]

They won't upgrade anything from 25 to 40 even if it's on someone else's dime. Rebuilding to class III is easy, maintaining isn't.

Weren't the grants for CMQ to move to 40 not PAR?

Right you are:

3. PAR from Northern Maine Junction to Waterville (MP 65 to MP 113)
Current track conditions on this segment of the project are Class I (no greater than 10 mph) with a signal system that dates back to the 1950s. Tie and rail conditions are in need of upgrade to support faster transit times. In 2015, PAR will be installing over 40,000 ties and surfacing this entire line. This project will continues these upgrades by installing 80,000 linear feet of 115-lb continuous welded rail, new turnouts and surfacing enabling an upgrade of the track class speeds on the line from 10 mph to 25 mph. The project will rehabilitate 20 road crossings and include the addition of motion sensing technology for crossing warnings and signal system modernization again improving safety and motorist comfort. This line is crucial as PAR connects the Maine industries to both Norfolk Southern and CSX, the two largest Class I railroads in the US east of the Mississippi River.

Source: http://maine.gov/mdot/tigergrants/docs/ ... rative.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Additional info and documents: http://maine.gov/mdot/tigergrants/tiger2015/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[MEC407]

Video by MaineRailFanner:

https://youtu.be/gKvxw6fffGc?t=34s" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[atholrail]

Some stuff from up north today...

NMWA had the 306-510-334.
POWA had the 321-354-351-618.
WAPO has the 519-335.
WA1 had the 72.
NM1 had the 504.
SAPPI3 had the 506.

[JB283]

I saw a video yesterday on You Tube that was an NBSR westbound headed through Mattawamkeag dated sometime in the begining of the month of May 2015 i believe it might have been June. I saw in the video some empty center beams over on the PAR side of the tracks. Are they just being stored there, or did PAR bring them up? I thought the line to keag was run as needed and when needed, it was just NS chip gons and scrap tie cars. Has something changed?

[KSmitty]

The centerbeams are stored there. Pan Am hauled a slug of them north last fall. Irving took them, and then respotted some new ones back in February. So this is the second set stored there.


Edit to clarify.
Pan Am hauled ~60 for storage last fall, staged on 3 & 5. They sat into January 2015 when Irving picked them up. Sometime in late Jan/early Feb 2015 Irving spotted whatever is currently there for storage on 1 & 3. There was a few months in the winter when no CB's were at Keag

[BM6569]

Caught 373 and 374 hauling the DOT/FRA cars east thru Lewiston yesterday

[BostonUrbEx]

Walnut switch is now CPF 183! Who'd a thunk it'd ever happen?

[newpylong]

Hand throw DCS before now right?

[KSmitty]

Hand throw DCS before now right?

Right.

[BM6569]

Caught POWA in Lewiston yesterday. 4 engines, 65 cars or so. 10 loads of old ties for Keag

[KSmitty]

WAPO 610, 315, 3003, 321 west n clear of 147 at about 15:00.

610 has a sick horn, and 3003's patch is starting to peel, revealing the "Saint Lawrence and Atlantic" lettering underneath.

[MEC407]

3003's patch is starting to peel, revealing the "Saint Lawrence and Atlantic" lettering underneath.

Poor thing probably wants to go back to SLR... can you blame her?

[hh660]

1:50 pm, one Pan Am utility truck and TEN (10) pieces of self propelled track maintenance vehicles just passed by the Mountain Division heading east on track one
S

[BM6569]

Wasn't there some discussion on here when CTC was cut in east of Rigby?

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTYwMFgxMjM3/ ... 8/$_57.JPG" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[hh660]

This morning's WAPO had a coule of 'blue dip' Pan Am boxcars in tow, labeled for B and M. Very plain, greyish blue, like no other Pan Am blue.
S