In reading an interesting thread on the New England Railfan Forum regarding Maine industry past/present (http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopi ... 0#p1240385" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) a discussion arose about intermodal service to/from Maine. While this idea has been tried without success, could the time be right again for a new service with a firm partnership (CSX) and capital investment in upgraded track? It seems the state is not lacking industries that rely on truck for most if not all transportation needs and might be easily switched to containerized shipping. While I have brought this discussion up before, I am curious to here what doomed both the Gelco and TV96 trains of the Guilford days? I have heard of high car hire costs and infrequent equipment turns as a major complication. How does this work with BM being a member of TTX? Are the agreements different for TBOX cars as opposed to a spine car set?
I mentioned CSX as the partner as they seem to be the only line that is truly interested in Maine traffic expansion with their Press Runner service and dedicated daily trains to Rigby, as well as past experiences with the CR era TV96 routing. Obviously major upgrades would be needed on the Worcester branch as well as as trackage north of Portland, depending on terminal locations, with Waterville being the logical and most economical choice due to the aprons being in place. A huge investment would be needed to bring speeds up to a manageable number, however I think the previous attempts might have been aiming at competing with highway speeds, while a more conservative approach this time around might only have a 2-3 trains/week service with a 24 Hr guarantee to Worcester as a start. Perhaps a northbound train one day, a southbound the next and rinse and repeat. Any loadings that need a more rapid transit could be driven. While not ideal, the cars could be taken south to Rigby and attached to a POSE until demand warranted a dedicated train.
There is an awful lot of COFC traffic that could be taken off Maine and NH roads before they hit a railhead to just concede to the competitor.
I mentioned CSX as the partner as they seem to be the only line that is truly interested in Maine traffic expansion with their Press Runner service and dedicated daily trains to Rigby, as well as past experiences with the CR era TV96 routing. Obviously major upgrades would be needed on the Worcester branch as well as as trackage north of Portland, depending on terminal locations, with Waterville being the logical and most economical choice due to the aprons being in place. A huge investment would be needed to bring speeds up to a manageable number, however I think the previous attempts might have been aiming at competing with highway speeds, while a more conservative approach this time around might only have a 2-3 trains/week service with a 24 Hr guarantee to Worcester as a start. Perhaps a northbound train one day, a southbound the next and rinse and repeat. Any loadings that need a more rapid transit could be driven. While not ideal, the cars could be taken south to Rigby and attached to a POSE until demand warranted a dedicated train.
There is an awful lot of COFC traffic that could be taken off Maine and NH roads before they hit a railhead to just concede to the competitor.