Date: 13-Mar-96 13:19:31 MsgID: 322-60159 ToID: 72732,2307 From: 0Pete Terwilliger >INTERNET:terwilli@yankee.com Subj: Rumors & Sightings - ASCII Version Chrg: $0.00 Imp: Norm Sens: Std Receipt: No Sender: terwilli@yankee.com Received: from yankee.com (ns.yankee.com [198.112.68.1]) by arl-img-4.compuserve.com (8.6.10/5.950515) id NAA17565; Wed, 13 Mar 1996 13:06:41 -0500 Received: by birddog.yankee.com id <15363>; Wed, 13 Mar 1996 13:07:27 -0500 X-Sender: terwilli@homer X-Mailer: Windows Eudora Pro Version 2.1.2 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Date: Wed, 13 Mar 1996 13:11:29 -0500 To: 72732.2307@compuserve.com From: Pete Terwilliger Subject: Rumors & Sightings - ASCII Version Message-Id: <96Mar13.130727est.15363@birddog.yankee.com> Rumors and Sightings on and around Springfield Terminal Volume II, Issue 5, March 7, 1996 *************************************************************** _Historical Perspective - Final Days of B&M Passenger Service to Portland Maine_ According to Boston's Commuter Rail: The First 150 Years, through interstate service via the B&M's Western Route was dropped in June of 1959, after which trains for Haverhill, Dover and Portland traveled the Lowell (New Hampshire) Main and "The Wildcat" (called the Wilmington Jct. Branch). Boston and Maine Corporation timetable No. 8, effective Oct. 25, 1964, shows one daily, one Saturday only, one Sunday (except holidays), and one Saturday & Sunday only (except holidays) trains from Portland to Boston, all through Winchester (via "the Wildcat"). Boston to Portland service was three Saturday-Sunday (except holidays) trains and one weekday (except holidays) train, also via Winchester. All trains were operated with Budd rail diesel cars on the Portland route. On Jan. 11, 1965, timetable No. 9 became effective, showing only one Boston-Dover round trip on a commuter schedule, Monday through Friday. The last train to Portland operated on January 4, 1965. The trip which turned at Haverhill was also dropped in January, 1965 and this portion was served by the single Dover train. Later, service was discontinued from Dover on June 30, 1967. After June, 1967, one trip remained to Haverhill until June 1976, after which there were NO trains until December 17, 1979, at which time service resumed using the Western Route (the MBTA's Haverhill Line). It is interesting to note that the public timetable advertised that the Boston <-> Portland service connected with New Haven Railroad trains to New York City at South Station. However no information on cross-town service between North and South stations was provided [a direct connection from North to South Station in Boston has been proposed for some time, lately as part of the Depressed Central Artery Project - ed.]. Also, checked baggage was handled only at Boston, Lawrence, Bradford, Exeter, and Dover, but not at Portland. Running times for the Boston <-> Portland service were from 2 hours, 35 minutes to 2 hours, 50 minutes. Stops were made at Winchester (receive passengers only) Lawrence, Bradford, Haverhill, Exeter, Durham, Dover, No. Berwick, Wells Beach, Kennebunk, Biddeford, Old Orchard Beach, and Portland. All stops between Dover and Portland were to discharge passengers only. The outbound Monday through Friday train made all the stops that an inbound Dover commuter train made in the morning: Atkinson, Plaistow, Newton Jct., Pow Wow River, East Kingston, Newfields and Newmarket, in addition to the others except Winchester. _Power Control_ Many have asked for a roster of Springfield Terminal's motive power. With the help of John A. Joyce, Steve Mayotte, and others, the following is the official Rumors and Sightings on and around Springfield Terminal unofficial roster of the Springfield Terminal Railway. The roster is a sighting log following many days spent track side and many hours compiling information! There are 159 units listed: 103 units active, 56 units out of service including 26 return to lessor. ST GP-7's: #12, #13, #15, #16, #18, #19, #22, #23, #25, #27, #32, #34, & #35; #10 is stored at Waterville since July 1995. ST GP-9/9r's: #45, #51, #52, #54, #62, #66, #68, #71, #72, & #77; None were out of service as of January 14. B&M TEBU slug: #100 stored at East Deerfield since late 80's/early 90's. ST GP-35's: #200-#216; all 17 are active B&M/MEC GP-38's: #252 is active since December 1995, #251, #254, #259, #261, #262 are still rostered, but likely will never run again. #253 and #257 were sold to ConnDOT. MEC U-23B's: #280 was retired on October 10, 1995, leaving #288 as the only rostered U-23B right now. #288 has been stored in Waterville since October 1995. MEC GP-40's: exCR units #300-#306, #310, #312-#314, #316, #317, #320, #346-#355, and exNS units #370-#375 are active. ExCR units #308, #309, #311, #315, #318, & #319 have not yet been sighted. B&M GP-40's: #326-#330, #332-#335, #337, #339, #340, #342 are active. #322 has been in Billerica for 8+ years, #325 has been in Waterville for 8+ years, #331 has been in Waterville for 5+ years, #336 was apparently retired in the early 90's and is not on the roster, #338 is the mystery GP-40 stored in East Deerfield for 6+ years, and #320, #321, #323, #324, and #341 are off the roster. B&M GP39-2's All the former GP39-2's are now in storage at East Deerfield. The Atlantic States Limited reports that Helm Leasing inspected the GP39-2s now being stored in East Deerfield Yard and found them in good shape. If financing can be worked out, all twenty units may join the exB&M GP40-2s at Helm Leasing, carrying Helm Leasing numbers #300 through #319. MEC U-18B's: #402, #404, #406 (ex-400...) and #407 are all active. The Billerica wreck, old #406, was retired on 10-10-95, along with #405, among others. MEC C-424m's: Stored in East Deerfield are 4 of the 6 C424m's: #450, #451, #452, and #454. #453 and #455 are still in Waterville. #455 has consistently been in the worst mechanical condition of the six as it has been out of service since January 1992. It is missing many parts, and may not be moveable at the moment. #453 is also in poor condition, out of service in Waterville since September 1994. B&M GP-7's: #470 in operation, #471was sold to ConnDOT. MEC SD-40's: #600, #601, #603, #604 active, #602 has been stored since September 1992 in Waterville. ST SD-26's: #615, #620, #621, #643 active, #619 stored since October, 1993 in Waterville and may return to service soon. The other 30 SD-26's are all retired, and most of those 30 have been scrapped. ST SD-45's: #680, #681, #682, #684, #686 are active, #688 stored in Waterville since November, 1994; others were sold to NRE equipment and may have eventually became part of an SD40-2 rebuild program. B&M SD-39's: #690 and #692 are both active; #691 was retired on October 10, 1995. MEC SD-39: #693 is still on roster, but may be stripped for parts soon. This unit was obtained by swapping a U-23B with Morrison Knudson. The unit has been stored in Waterville for 6-8 years or more. ST switchers: SW-1 #1400 is active in Waterville, SW-9 #1424 is stored in Waterville as of January 15, 1996. A side note: Holyoke Water & Power owns one of the oldest running locomotives in New England. SW1 #1849, former B&M #1113, was built in 1941. A sister unit, former B&M #1112, works for Public Service Company of New Hampshire and recently received a complete set of new power assemblies. The #1112 arrived on the B&M just a few days before #1113. _District 1: exMaine Central_ GP-7s #15, #35, & #470 and GP-9s #45,#52, #54, #66, & #68 were the first generation power sighted in Rigby Yard during the last two weeks The Atlantic States Limited reports that Amtrak's planned Boston to Portland, ME passenger service has the potential to dampen the start up of a new Guilford intermodal facility in Fairfield, ME. Guilford officials are reportedly concerned with possible interferences that the new passenger service may create on the proposed intermodal train's schedule. Frequent observers of Springfield Terminal's operations will remember the erratic schedule recently employed by the now defunct D&H (CPRS) <-> Ayer, MA intermodal trains 261/262 - The trains' arrival time heavily depended on the amount of switching work assigned enroute. A passenger train on a set schedule could limit similar scheduling flexibility of any new intermodal trains. The new intermodal facility, to be located in an old gravel pit, will reportedly cost approximately 3.5 million dollars of which 65% will be funded by the Federal Government. The Atlantic States Limited also reports that the State of Maine is negotiating with Guilford Rail Systems to purchase the remaining 50 miles of the former Maine Central Mountain Division from Portland, ME to the New Hampshire Border. The State of New Hampshire already owns much of the Mountain Division in that state, now being operated in part by the Conway Scenic Railroad. Springfield Terminal still provides service to Westbrook via local PO-7, however, the line immediately to the west was abandoned in 1994. The Mountain Division last saw a through train in 1984, followed by a few hi/wide movements in the following months. The portion in Maine could be a candidate for commuter service to relieve traffic volumes in nearby Portland suburbs. _District 2: exB&M East End_ On February 22, unusually symboled LAPO symbol freight was operated from Lawrence, MA to Rigby Yard in Portland with the GP-35 #214 in the lead. On February 23, the Andover detector was temporarily taken off line after numerous "detector malfunctions... On February 27, Dover, NH -> Boston train DOBO, the New Hampshire Northcoast/Springfield Terminal dirt train from Ossipee, NH was heard for the first time this year... On February 26, Dover local DO-7 was sighted with GP-7 #15 pushing 4 cars of scrap metal, three or four cars of chemicals, and some empty lumber cars. Following this sighting, local DO-7 was not seen for a couple of days... On February 29, Delaware & Hudson -> Portland ME train DHPO derailed in Lawrence Yard tearing up tracks 2, 3 and 4 on the west end. Lawrence -> E. Deerfield train LAED, powered by GP-35's #216, #211, #204, #215 was loaded up with over 88 cars in order to clear the yard for maintenance crews. Train LAED later met East Deerfield -> Lawrence Train EDLA in Gardner with a single GP-40 (#344) and just 22 cars... On March 1, Lawrence -> East Deerfield train LAED was stopped by the just-returned-to-service talking detector in Andover. Upon further inspection, no defects were found... On March 5, the Andover talking detector started malfunctioning again... _MBTA/Amtrak: exB&M Boston East & Boston West_ Gloucester Yard The Narragansett Newsletter reports that service may be restored to the former B&M Gloucester Yard after being absent for over 12 years since the Beverly draw bridge fire in 1984. Funds are being sought through bond issue for a feasibility study of the idea, under auspices of the MBTA and a private operator (likely to be Guilford because of service agreements). Shorts On Sunday, February 25, MBTA train 2405, the 5:30 train for Fitchburg, was delayed for about 15 minutes due to passengers attending a matinee of the "Disney on Ice" show at the New Boston Garden. The train left the station and proceeded to the signals just beyond Tower A, when it was recalled to the station to pick up late arriving passengers. Many of these passengers needed to travel beyond South Acton - the next train would have been at 9:30 pm... On March 1, a fire near Amtrak's W. Cambridge Yards at Wreck (?) Lumber caused numerous morning commuter train delays... Also on March 1st, Amtrak trains #287, #288 and #290 were delayed by a another truck hung up on the Forest Street crossing in Wakefield. Forest Street was the location of a disastrous crossing accident involving an Amtrak commuter train and a lowboy trailer carrying a ditch digger in January (see Vol. II, Issue 2)... Additionally on March 1, Amtrak train #334 was stranded after the locomotive shutdown on low water indication at MP 18. Following train #344 picked up the passengers and brought them to N. Billerica where cabs were called. The stranded trainset was later picked up by Amtrak GP-9 #194... Sperry rail car #141 was inspecting the Amtrak right of way between Somerville Junction and CPF WL in Ayer over the weekend on March 2. SRS #141 was sighted northbound on the Grand Junction on Friday, March 1, westbound at West Concord at 13:45 on Sunday , March 3 where it appeared to find something near or between the station platform and the Assabet River bridge, and finally, the car was sighted southbound on the Grand Junction on Wednesday, March 6... _District 3: exB&M Gardner District_ Crash! Amtrak (MBTA) train #422 struck a van at the Main Street crossing in Shirley MA on February 26, injuring the driver of the vehicle. The van was reportedly thrown clear of the intersection by the impact of the train. Subsequent cleanup efforts tied up Springfield Terminal's Freight Main for over an hour and one half while crews repaired the crossing gates and local police investigated the accident. Intermodal Update An inspection of the Hill Yard at Ayer on March 3 found no trailers in Port Devens although there were a few stored on flat cars on the nearby camp siding. The last few Ayer <-> D&H intermodal trains 261/262 were operated without CPRS power as part of Portland, ME <-> D&H trains PODH/DHPO respectively. On February 27, PODH left Ayer with SD-39 #690 on the lead with 18 pigs on the end. Reports say that the numbers of trailers awaiting pickup has dropped by at least 50%. The loss of the CPRS/D&H connection following March 1 is taking its toll... Shorts On February 22, Lawrence -> East Deerfield train LAED with only GP-40 #302 in the lead was pulled up the Gardner grade west of Fitchburg by Fitchburg local FI-2. Originally, plans called for FI-2 to push but a hazardous tank car stopped that idea.... The locomotive on Amtrak train #428 suffered a failure of its head end power on February 23 caused by low water...Portland, ME -> D&H train PODH was sighted in Fitchburg on February 23 at 11:00 pm, approximately 14 hours later than normal...On February 26, the Shirley talking detector on track number 2 was taken offline following numerous detector malfunctions. The majority of traffic used track #1 through Shirley in both directions while the detector was offline... Amtrak GP-40TC #194 continues in commuter service on trains on the Fitchburg route...On 3/1/96, Amtrak (MBTA) train #412 was stopped by the Shirley talking detector. Upon further inspection, the train was found to have "warm" journals on the front end of the locomotive. The train proceeded inbound to Ayer where the problem was determined to be minor...On March 1, Lawrence -> East Deerfield train LAED lost GP-35 #211 due to engine failure after leaving Ayer. The locomotive shutdown after receiving a "high speed wheel slip indication" while climbing the hill to Fitchburg... On March 2, Amtrak train #1405 hit two deer near the Main Street overpass in Ayer... Also on March 3, Maine Central -> Selkirk train NESE and Lawrence -> Selkirk train LASE were delayed in West Boylston to allow a road race to finish...Additionally on March 3, Portland, ME -> D&H train PODH was delayed in Fitchburg by a white out caused by heavy snow squalls...On March 4, train PODH was sighted stirring up the fresh snow while heading toward Fitchburg with exGTI flagship GP-7 #470 along with GP-35 #200, GP-40 #329, GP-40 #343, GP-40 #312 and GP-40 #302 on the head end...Sperry rail car #141 is spent the early part of the week of March 3 inspecting rail on the joint MBTA/ST trackage west of CPF WL (the Willows) in Ayer... On March 5, Springfield Terminal ran unusually symboled train POED from Portland. Maine to East Deerfield, MA...A snow and ice storm delayed all Springfield Terminal trains on March 6... On March 7, the crossing protection at Willows Road at CPF WL in Ayer failed requiring all inbound commuter trains to manually protect the crossing... _District 4: exB&M West End_ Hoosac Tunnel Crews have been removing ice from the floor of the Hoosac Tunnel in the first 1,500 feet in from East Portal. Underground water leaking in from the mountain above is traveling down the insulation lining and freezing around the track. Without attention, the ice can raise above the railhead and potentially derail the trains. Crews have been using a Gradall to remove the soot covered ice which is being stored just outside of East Portal. Meanwhile, the ice and cold temperatures are causing minor damage and cave ins in the brick work on inside of the "little tunnel" in North Adams. ConnRiver Expansion The Atlantic States Limited reports that the Massachusetts Senate has passed a bill allowing Springfield Terminal) to build a spur off the ConnRiver Running Track along an extension of the Norwottuck Rail Trail to the Coca-Cola bottling plant on University Drive in Northampton. In return, Springfield Terminal has agreed to give the state an easement under the ConnRiver Running Track for a bike path tunnel. The State of Massachusetts will fund both the realignment of the bike path and the new rail spur; engineering activities are already underway. Shorts Springfield Terminal crews are indicating that the long rumored change in Conrail interchange from Worcester, MA to Rotterdam Junction, NY has fallen through...The two story remains of the Charlemont freight house are being repaired after the long single story materials handling section was removed...Empty log car TOE 1818, a frame with trucks at either end, and eight axle depressed center flat car N&W 70111 were sighted on Portland, ME -> D&H train PODH on February 22... Numerous cars are being cut up at WTe recycling in Greenfield including yellow maintenance of way rail gondolas from the welded rail train... On February 29, GP-9 #77 was sighted in the E. Deerfield Engine House... On March 3, there was a minor derailment on the Adams branch line when loaded acid cars were backed into a siding to pick up a car of scrap metal. It is believed that a rotten tie allowed the rails to give way under the weight of the acid cars. There were no injuries and the derailment was cleaned up in a matter of a few hours. Fortunately there were no hazardous chemical spills... The Bulletin reports that Irving Oil is establishing a large bulk facility at the former Valley Heating dealership in Lebanon, New Hampshire on the first few miles of the exB&M Northern Main. The new customer reportedly will increase traffic on East Deerfield -> White River Junction train EDWJ by 5 to 10 tank cars a day with a possibility of 5,000 cars per year. _District 4, exNew Haven Lines_ The Journal of Commerce recently reported that Conrail has announced that it has received bids for purchase of the 419 miles of track in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Guilford (Springfield Terminal) and Railtex (New England Central) have announced their intention to buy the entire package of lines being offered. Additionally, the Providence and Worcester has expressed an interest in purchasing the Cedar Hill Yard in New Haven CT and Conrail's rights over Amtrak between New Rochelle NY and North Haven CT, and between Providence, RI and Boston MA, as well as Conrail's Stoughton Branch. _Extra Section - the Boston and Maine Flying Yankee_ The Manchester Union-Leader announced on February 23 that the historic Flying Yankee stainless steel trainset, which has been sitting for several years in Glen, NH, has been sold to the State of New Hampshire for the sum of $1.00. The Heritage New Hampshire Co. has abandoned plans to turn the trainset into a stationary restaurant and has offered the trainset in a step which should make certain its preservation. The Conway Scenic RR/Crawford Notch Lines, the 470 RR Club from Portland, ME, and the B&M Railroad Historical Society are reportedly interested in the preservation project. Heritage New Hampshire acquired the Budd set several years ago from the Edaville Railroad following their move to Portland, ME, paying an estimated $35,000. They had bid to be the operator of the restored Crawford Notch line, but lost out to the Conway Scenic Railroad. The train set served as "The Mountaineer" in one of its' incarnations, plying the Crawford Notch route running from Boston to northern New Hampshire many years ago. _Department of Corrections_ Volume II, Issue 4 reported: >... The "Wildcat" may be one of those ROW upgrade issues that >Mr. Davis mentioned, track speed is reportedly limited to 10 mph. Speeds on the "Wildcat" have been raised to 25 mph in certain sections, chiefly closest to Wilmington. Steve Mayotte writes in to report that the 90 day time span of the power summary reproduced from NC News was inaccurate. The report tallies sightings since January 1, 1996. We have had several calls/write ins concerning a possible #33 on Springfield Terminal's roster. It seems that #33 was reserved but never assigned to any unit.... _Contributors_ Special thanks to this issue's contributors: Mike Boucher, Bob Warren, Gordon DeFoe, Al Tuner, John Joyce, Michael R. Joyce, Rich Reed, Bill Henry, Charlie Sullivan, Stephen A. Mayotte (NC News), Tom Simonds, Mike Simonds, John P. Krattinger, Ron DeFilippo, Brian Sapienza, Dennis Rockwell and others! Apologies to anyone who was missed! Additionally, thanks to The Atlantic States Limited, The Bridge Line Historical Society's Bulletin, and The Narragansett Newsletter. Special thanks to David Wright for the information on the B&M's Boston to Portland service! Know anything about recent events on Springfield Terminal Railway or any other exB&M rail line? See anything out of the ordinary? Then, send your reports to Rumors & Sightings on and around Springfield Terminal for inclusion in the next issue! All contributions, comments, corrections, and suggestions for improvement should be sent to Peter Terwilliger, editor, at terwilli@STYAHOO.iii.net or by fax at 508-568-3735. Try to include the number and roadname where possible - we can do the rest. If you see unsafe conditions, please contact the Springfield Terminal Police at 1-800-955-9217. Remember to respect railroad property and do not trespass! Rumors & Sightings on and around Springfield Terminal is an all volunteer newsletter concerning happenings on ST and/or any of the many exB&M lines. Rumors & Sightings on and around Springfield Terminal is posted on MISC.TRANSPORT.RAIL.AMERICAS and the RAILROAD LIST approximately every two weeks. Additionally, hardcopy versions are available at Shepaug Railroad Company in the old NY,NH,&H railroad station at 24 Columbia Street in Leominster, MA and at the Acton Model Railroad Center at 562 Massachusetts Avenue near the exFitchburg Division crossing with MA Route 111 in West Acton, MA. Rumors & Sightings on and around Springfield Terminal is supported by contributors, both on and off the Internet. _Standard Disclaimer_ Rumors & Sightings on and around Springfield Terminal is in no way associated with the Springfield Terminal Railway Corporation, Guilford Rail Systems, or any other railroad or financial interests. Rumors & Sightings is a compilation of contributions that reflect what is seen and heard from time to time on and about Springfield Terminal Railway by interested railfans. All content should be further verified. _Copyright_ This issue and/or the material herein may be reproduced at will, however, credit must be acknowledged. _____________________________ terwilli@yankee.com terwilli@tiac.net DO NOT USE: terwilli@STYAHOO.iii.net