medford branch cleanup?

[spur01887]

Is there any new word on the possible beer train to the Anheuser plant? It was mentioned in this thread back in October but nothing since.

[FatNoah]

Around 10:15 this morning, I drove over the branch on Rt. 28. I saw a truck (bucket truck, perhaps) on the branch either on the rails or straddling them. I didn't have time to stop and see what they were doing.

[F-line to Dudley via Park]

Still just shy of 3 years since the last move. Even in the "chase every carload" era that's still consistently been enough inactivity to trigger the abandonment proceedings on crud-condition little nothing stubs like this, Hampton, and Watertown. I know the cold storage place still advertises rail access on its website, but that's getting to be a little implausible now. Is the brewery still talking about resuming shipments, or have the boxcar height restrictions pretty much killed that plan? And do these customers have PAR over a barrel with inescapable contracts like Newlyweds did all those years they were in a staredown over Watertown abandonment?

[tom18287]

if pan am thought it was dead they would have abandoned it already. there must be a decent chance of some customers on the branch. they upgraded all of the crossing stuff a couple years ago.

[bostontrainguy]

It's on their updated website:

CRYSTAL COLD STORAGE – MEDFORD, MA
Opened in 2001, Crystal operates a 2.5 million square foot, state-of-the-art, temperature controlled facility in Medford, just north of Boston. The facility is close to routes I-93 and US-1. Their siding can handle 5 cars.

[Mcoov]

So clearly they're not ready to give up the spur, yet they don't use it.
All we can do now is wait.

[Trainman101]

Not sure if its working but the crossing on middlesex ave is still powered on. (the elec. box has a light thats lit on it).

[F-line to Dudley via Park]

Not sure if its working but the crossing on middlesex ave is still powered on. (the elec. box has a light thats lit on it).

That crossing protection was a (relatively) recent installation, so it probably is in full working order. The equipment was ex-Saugus Branch salvage.

[BostonUrbEx]

The Medford Branch is a complete mess now. It is so overgrown you couldn't even walk down it. It is a far cry from the early spring where the only thing in your way was a downed tree between Middlesex Ave and the mainline.


Can someone explain to me why the commuter rail was relocated to utilize the Orange Line underpass for the Medford Branch? I see no benefit over keeping the iron straight and on the surface.

[bostontrainguy]

The Medford Branch is a complete mess now. It is so overgrown you couldn't even walk down it. It is a far cry from the early spring where the only thing in your way was a downed tree between Middlesex Ave and the mainline.


Can someone explain to me why the commuter rail was relocated to utilize the Orange Line underpass for the Medford Branch? I see no benefit over keeping the iron straight and on the surface.

It does seem a bit over-designed now, but way back when this was built there was a bunch of customers on the east side of Commercial Street (you can still some some of the abandoned tracks and ROWs if you visit the area). So the surface level track was necessary as a freight lead and sorting track for these spurs and probably also the Medford Branch.

The underpass eliminates any conflicts.

[130MM]

Can someone explain to me why the commuter rail was relocated to utilize the Orange Line underpass for the Medford Branch? I see no benefit over keeping the iron straight and on the surface.

In the original design the Commuter Rail Single Track was to become one of three Orange Line tracks. The Orange Line was to go to all the way to Reading, but the local communities resisted and that part of the plan was dropped. The overpass was to connect to the Medford Branch from the other side of the right-of-way without disturbing the Orange Line. But when the Reading Extension was dropped; the commuter route the tunnel was retained. There was a little movement to convert the freight track into a passing siding, but there was no funding.

DAW

[GP40MC1118]

I remember that proposal to convert to the freight branch portion to a usable passing
siding for commuter rail. I think the interlocking on the north end was going to be called
PARKWAY.

Also remember a company called Triple AAA (or that's what the siding was called) on
the signal track between the river and the tunnel. Got reefers I believe...

D

[F-line to Dudley via Park]

Yeah, that's long been a serious proposal. But it's not one they have a need to act upon until:

1) The double-tracking project north of Wilmington is finished within our grandchildren's lifetimes.

2) Haverhill gets a new layover that can take service increases tapped-out Bradford can't.


For #1, I'll take the over.

For #2...well, the Plaistow extension was supposed to lick that one but thanks to New Hampshire voting against its interests that one got killed real dead. Although one of the layover site alternatives was--by mere feet--on the Haverhill side of the state line and is still fair game. So there's hope for them pursuing that build independently, since Bradford relocation also has an environmental justice component pushed by the noise and fumes it inflicts on the close abutters. Of course, the T wouldn't be in any hurry to fund a layover relocation as long as #1 is still unlikely to be finished in our grandchildrens' lifetimes.


I'm actually not sure if Wellington siding addresses the top limiter on the inner Western Route, or if that's the Ash St. single-tracking through Reading station-proper that sets the uppermost capacity limit. Still worth doing since it's bona fide help for brittle schedules, but it's at least a third--not first--step after the two biggies at the end of the line.

[BostonUrbEx]

Can someone explain to me why the commuter rail was relocated to utilize the Orange Line underpass for the Medford Branch? I see no benefit over keeping the iron straight and on the surface.

In the original design the Commuter Rail Single Track was to become one of three Orange Line tracks. The Orange Line was to go to all the way to Reading, but the local communities resisted and that part of the plan was dropped. The overpass was to connect to the Medford Branch from the other side of the right-of-way without disturbing the Orange Line. But when the Reading Extension was dropped; the commuter route the tunnel was retained. There was a little movement to convert the freight track into a passing siding, but there was no funding.

DAW

Based on what I recall being told, the commuter rail was on the surface the whole time, and when the extension was dropped, then it was routed through the tunnel.

[F-line to Dudley via Park]

Can someone explain to me why the commuter rail was relocated to utilize the Orange Line underpass for the Medford Branch? I see no benefit over keeping the iron straight and on the surface.

In the original design the Commuter Rail Single Track was to become one of three Orange Line tracks. The Orange Line was to go to all the way to Reading, but the local communities resisted and that part of the plan was dropped. The overpass was to connect to the Medford Branch from the other side of the right-of-way without disturbing the Orange Line. But when the Reading Extension was dropped; the commuter route the tunnel was retained. There was a little movement to convert the freight track into a passing siding, but there was no funding.

DAW

Based on what I recall being told, the commuter rail was on the surface the whole time, and when the extension was dropped, then it was routed through the tunnel.

That doesn't make any sense because the whole reason for the tunnel's existence is that both sides of the ROW had thick concentration of freight sidings in the Wellington-Malden Ctr. stretch, and too many customers would lose service regardless of whether the Orange Line tracks took the west side or the east side of the ROW. So they didn't have any attractive choices but to build some mechanism for allowing freight to access both sides of Medford Jct. If commuter rail had gone to Reading and OL Track 3 been extended to Oak Grove...Track 4 still would've been there out of Somerville for freight, still would've interfaced with the Medford Branch and freight sidings flanking both sides of the ROW out to Medford St. It would've been one super-long Medford Branch with a really funky layout of longish stub sidings at the junction.

Granted, the business withered away pretty fast and if that decision were considered in 1980 instead of 1970 they probably would've said screw it and severed the junction for the cost savings of all- at-grade. But when they were designing Haymarket-north back in Nixon's first term the existing biz was still robust enough for freight access to both sides of the track to still be a necessity.