Brunswick Branch Activity

[S1f3432]

I have a copy of Maine Central Railroad Employees Timetable No. 7, dated April 28, 1935, and curiously on the timetable
pages there is no indication as there is in timetables of some other railroads, so digging deeper I found it on page 20 under
Portland Division Special Instructions. Double track: P.T. Limit to Freeport, Royal Jct. to New Gloucester, Gardiner to Augusta,
Waterville to Clinton, Pittsfield to Herman Pond, and Bangor Freight Yard to the Kenduskeag Bridge. I had thought that the
double track had gone from Waterville all the way to Bangor but was mistaken. Sometimes old publicity maps indicate such
features but I haven't turned up anything yet. 1935 was well into the Depression and MEC was pruning some of it's excess
plant so east of Freeport may have been a casualty during this period.

[Mikejf]

The double track ended here https://goo.gl/maps/YwZiQzVTQex
Between Highland Rd and Grant Rd.

[jonnhrr]

Question - what local serves the Brunswick branch these days? Out of Rigby I assume? Does it run daily or just certain days/as needed?

Jon

[gokeefe]

Usually DO-1.

[KSmitty]

Once or twice a week as needed. Believe they run up Friday's as a general rule.

[drcrf93]

While DO-1 can still sometimes be used in Brunswick, PO-2 has been the most common symbol as of the past year or so. PO-2 usually arrives Brunswick in late afternoon or early evening once a week on any weekday. Last summer when service to Grimmel's was going strong it was almost always every Monday and Thursday afternoon/evening but since Grimmel's has been out of the picture again since around November last year it seems to be back to about one trip to Brunswick a week. Last week I believe they ran both Tuesday and Thursday however.

[F-line to Dudley via Park]

Why's Grimmels gone dark? Was last Summer/Fall's burst of activity just them chowing down one very large...but one-off...scrap meal from Portsmouth Navy?

[BM6569]

Well scrap prices are down and there is probably not as much of the metal moving in the winter, right?

[jaymac]

The scrap-car count in Gardner -- yes, the Mass. one without an "i" -- is way off, as well. A few months ago, a half-dozen or so either EB or WB through cars or cars to/from the PW was pretty common. Now, even a single car is remarkable.

[F-line to Dudley via Park]

Well scrap prices are down and there is probably not as much of the metal moving in the winter, right?

Very plausible. Although Grimmels has a long history of running either very hot or ice cold on carloads. We've seen this sort of long lull from them before regardless of what scrap prices are at a given moment, so I'm wondering if there's been any change in who is sending them scrap metal now vs. 9 months ago and whether they're currently preoccupied with truck customers. I guess it depends on how active the plant is, period. Any local word on whether they've recently shed staff amid the price downturn?