Worcester Line Track Work, 05-05-2010

jaymac wrote:On 09-09-2010 at 1515, there were a half-dozen or so folks in hardhats and conspicuity vests, one of whom was looking at a set of plans, plus a tracked Bobcat at the Shrewsbury St., W. Boylston, crossing. What made this remarkable was that the usual foliage, some quite tall and tree-like, was gone, not just at the immediate crossing but also at the old Ziff Paper siding. The work didn't look like flail brushcutting, but total-nuke clearing.
Anybody know what's going on?

They frequently clear out all the growth within a good radius when redoing a crossing, perhaps that was it...

I live close enough that I can hear the train blowing for Shrewsbury Street when I'm out in my yard. I took a break from yard work on one such occasion last weekend and drove by. I too noticed the clearcutting, and assumed it was perhaps a result of someone spotting Asian Longhorned Beetles in the area. Hardhats and vests and Bobcats suggest I may have been wrong, which is fine by me. Don't want those pesky beetles too close to me!

I don't think it was simply opening up sightlines at that crossing, because they were never that bad anyway... certainly much better than Burncoat Street.

By the way, the Ziff Paper siding is the one leading to what is now Atlas Press, right? Where did the siding on the other side go, the one which is now buried under Angell Brook Drive?

It appears they're planning on re-opening a siding to this warehouse. Don't have a clue who's in there. Thanks to Gary Senecal for posting these photo's on NERail. http://photos.greatrails.net/showpic/?p ... 20Railways

http://photos.greatrails.net/showpic/?p ... 20Railways

Peter

It looks like that's the building on the west side of Shrewsbury Street, north of Angell Brook Drive. I'll go down there sometime soon and look at it again, and maybe see who's in there.

I will note that to my knowledge (and I do pay attention to town goings-on), West Boylston has held no public hearings regarding restoration of a rail siding in that area. I would expect such activity would touch off a great deal of discussion, especially as it would include installation of a grade crossing across Angell Brook Drive very close to a new residential development.

At the least, if the rumors are true, it will result in the first rail-served industry in the town in a great many years!

Double Stack wrote:It appears they're planning on re-opening a siding to this warehouse. Don't have a clue who's in there. Thanks to Gary Senecal for posting these photo's on NERail. http://photos.greatrails.net/showpic/?p ... 20Railways

http://photos.greatrails.net/showpic/?p ... 20Railways

Peter

I don't think this is what's going to happen unfortunately. Take a look 180 degrees behind the camera: http://photos.greatrails.net/showpic/?p ... y=gsenecal

aint gonna happen

there must be another reason for the clearing.

Whatever the reason(s) for the clearing, there was no sign of activity on 09-10 at 1200, and also no panel track was readily visible.

I don't think this is what's going to happen unfortunately. Take a look 180 degrees behind the camera: http://photos.greatrails.net/showpic/?p ... y=gsenecal

aint gonna happen

there must be another reason for the clearing

That's Angell Brook Drive that I had been mentioning. First time I saw how they had severed the siding and put the road in like that I got a chuckle. Not that it would be impossible to put a grade crossing in, but there would need to be a bit of work to raise the siding and/or lower Angell Brook Drive to do it, and like I mention there has been no talk about it in town government.

I still suspect, then, those darn beetles are the reason for the clearcutting.

The beetles that caused the de-forestation in Worcester were found in West Boylston, thus a possible reason for the major land clearing effort.

Double Stack wrote:It appears they're planning on re-opening a siding to this warehouse. Don't have a clue who's in there.

I went by a short while ago. The building in the photo is Bunzl New England, a distribution center for the supermarket and food service industry. Lots of truck trailers in evidence, but zero indication of any preparation for future rail service. The tree clearing is not limited to the immediate area around the grade crossing and former siding - the deforestation extends across the street and quite a distance up a hill well away from the railroad. Very few hardwood trees were left standing, but pines and softwoods were left intact. That points almost definitely to ALB eradication efforts.

Sorry folks, but it's bugs, not boxcars.

A very low order of probability, probably, that the Boylston Switcher will be reinstituted...

newpylong wrote:

Double Stack wrote:It appears they're planning on re-opening a siding to this warehouse. Don't have a clue who's in there. Thanks to Gary Senecal for posting these photo's on NERail. http://photos.greatrails.net/showpic/?p ... 20Railways

http://photos.greatrails.net/showpic/?p ... 20Railways

Peter

I don't think this is what's going to happen unfortunately. Take a look 180 degrees behind the camera: http://photos.greatrails.net/showpic/?p ... y=gsenecal

aint gonna happen

there must be another reason for the clearing.

Looking at that photo blown up, and from aerial photos, I don't think the track/ROW has been bisected. If it has, I wouldn't think, that if service were required, it would be too difficult to "bend" it around the obstruction.

Better take another look at both, because it most certainly has been bisected. Angell Brook Drive is a good 4 feet above where the siding used to swing off the main and is inbetween the building and the mainline. You can't "go around it" because the road keeps going... providing rail service at this location is not impossible but highly improbable.

Whatever else may or may not be happening on the Worcester Line, the Prescott Street. West Boylston, crossing got some recent TLC. A drive-over on 09-25-2010 showed that this summer's in-the-gauge vegetation has disappeared, and nice, neat, low dirt/ballast berms parallel the rails for a couple of yards beyond the paving.

So how is the trackwork coming along? They are supposely replacing ties,just wondering how far they got.

The coupla times I was near Rte. 110 last week, I didn't see anything, but there was radio traffic with and about a foreman having the track between MPs 9 and 15.