GLX Impact on NH Route (Lowell Line)

[Arlington]

^ Congratulations to all involved!

Why does the work at the switch to Washington St / Cobble Hill bypass track (Yard 10 lead?) Seem to be on such an irregular schedule (big machines alongside deep trench, sitting idle for weeklong stretches)?

[Arlington]

How old are the "concrete Lincoln logs" stacked retaining walls alongside the LL in Somerville. As construction disturbs the trashy slopes, the stacked retaining walls are looking a little too lacy and delicate. What's the plan?

[Arlington]

They seem to be piling dirt or ballast against the tallest & worst "Lincoln logs" concrete retaining walls, on the future GLX side of the Lowell rightof was. Huge piles of ballast in fact.

All the ballast seems to be for widening the foundation of the four track right of way.

incidentally is this upcoming track-move work actually going to be on the Fitchburg line?

Track Shift
Target Start: September 2018
Duration: Sept. 29-30 & Oct. 6-7
Areas impacted in next two weeks: Night work (9 p.m. to 5 a.m.) will begin Sept. 4 and last for two weeks between Medford St. and Lowell St. This work includes excavation in areas along the west side of the alignment, grading and hauling material to and from the work zone
Purpose of Work: Provide GLX Project construction workers with maximum amount of space to safely work on the east side of the rail alignment.

I ask because the Lowell line seems to be scheduled for closures anyway over the next few months which were originally scheduled just for PTC work.

[Trinnau]

PTC and GLX both working Lowell Line at the same time.

[kwf]

CWR and markings for tie placement are on the ground around the area of Somerville Jct station. A drain pipe on the east side of Central St has been causing constant problems with the grading work...

[Arlington]

The new track now being laid is on the WEST side of the CRs...that'd put it on the future light rail side, roughly in the "slot" that the GLX OUTBOUND will occupy in the future.

So, as I understand it, they moving CR (temporarily) WEST to create space for crews to work on the EAST...presumably on the CR-side on stuff like
- any current east obstructions (like eastside bridge abutments or old platform curbs at Gilman), that would block the final CR Outbound alignment
- the future east retaining structures closest to the final CR Outbound alignment
- the turnout that will connect to the Freight bypass that's been laid near Washington St

With CR operating on the two "center slots" out of the Final 4 (CR Outbound operating on the future CR Inbound, and CR Inbound operating on the future GLX Outbound), will they temporarily pull up the current western track? Or can it be left there? (I'd guess they'd take it out, since they probably want to re-lay drainage pipes and rebuild the whole foundation)

Presumably we go for a while with the CR operating "down the middle" (or even slightly west-of-middle?) while its future-final alignment is cleared, retained, drained, and graded, and then CR gets put in its final eastern location so that GLX construction can start in earnest on the WEST side.

And during the GLX-side (Eastern) construction phase, they'll have the option of single-track operations on the CR Outbound (western most) track if they need an extra margin of safety for crews working on stuff in the GLX's two-track east-side ROW.

[zski128]

Commuter rail is now shifted over as of this morning to accommodate the bridge rebuilding. Also appears some demolition work has beefun at one of the future station sites.

[ceo]

Which site? If it's Gilman Square, remember that they're rebuilding Somerville High School on the hill directly behind it, and some of that might look like GLX work.

[Arlington]

Which site? If it's Gilman Square, remember that they're rebuilding Somerville High School on the hill directly behind it, and some of that might look like GLX work.

Gilman has TWO demolition project ongoing: SHS (hilltop) & GLX (bottomland)

SHS = Somerville High School's C, D, E & F wings overlooking the Lowell Line, began near the start of Summer Break, and ends about now.

GLX's demolition is on the CR side of the tracks: Homan's Building at 358 Medford St, where they've saved the ornamentationand are ready to take the whole thing down. (see the current notice of its demolition

Two stops farther out on the GLX/Lowell ROW, at Ball Square, the Ball Square Bowling Alley & Auto Shop will be demolished in "Late 2018"

[GP40MC1118]

There is a lot of remediation work going on at the former MS Walker building and the DPS printing company building in front of it (3rd Ave).
Demolition should start soon...

D

[Arlington]

The CWR from the former outbound CR all looks to be detached from the ties but still atop or nearby.

[Rockingham Racer]

The CWR from the former outbound CR all looks to be detached from the ties but still atop ot nearly.

Does that mean that "the continuous welded rail from the former outbound commuter rail all looks to be detached......"?

Just checking my abbreviations knowledge.

[Arlington]

^ Yes. Sometimes the CWR is in the dip in the roadbed between the old and new Outbound (OB?) Leaving a level surface of ties and gravel, and in a few places both rails have been detached but still rest on the centerline of the ties.

It left me wondering if they'd just somehow bury the old ties (like under a layer of plywood topped with stone dust) or go to tthe trouble of pulling out the ties.

At the Harvard St bridge (parallel to "lower" Boston Ave twixt Ball Sq & Tufts), for example, they've made way for construction vehicles by building a platform of wood and gravel up and over the future GLX bridge berths.

I haven't seen enough of this kind of construction to say: is it current practice to temporarily "encase" usable RR infrastructure while building other civil works nearby?

[ceo]

Looked to me, from the Lowell St bridge this morning, like they were finishing up pulling the ties.

[kwf]

Looks like they're storing the ties at the old Pat's tow lot