Classics And Coal
CSXT train R004-13 is seen emerging from the 1400 ft long tunnel and approaching the School Street crossing at MP 0.6 on Providence and Worcester's Gardner branch as they head to Union Station and CP45 where they will get on home rails of CSXT's Boston Sub. This train consists of 100 empty system steel hoppers headed back to the Pennsylvania coal fields from Granite Shore Power's Merrimack Station in Bow, New Hampshire on CSXT/Pan Am's Northern Mainline.
Historically the plant, which was built by Public Service Company of New Hampshire in 1960 (unit 1) and 1968 (unit 2) was one of the Boston and Maine Railroad's most important customers. For decades an average of one 100 car train per week served the plant, and in 2008 (the most recent I could find online) over 534,000 tons were delivered. But in 2015 the plant transitioned from a base load station pumping out 482-megawatts from its two units to a peaker plant operating only during periods of extreme intermittent demand when generation is needed quickly to maintain electrical system stability on the grid. Today it remains, quite controversially, as the last coal fired plant in all of New England, and unit coal trains are few and far between these days. In fact this was the first one since the summer of 2020 (though a handful did run to Selkirk last winter and get cut up and sent in blocks on regularly scheduled manifest trains) so it rightfully drew lots of attention from local fans which was great to see.
I missed the loads going north last weekend but with perfect timing I decided to forgo a little sleep and try for the returning empties. This was even more of a treat since CSXT assigned the power off of M427 which was an old school classic quartet of two SD40-2s and two YN2 painted AC4400CWs. CSXT 8822 will be right at home when she swings west onto the old Boston and Albany at CP45 in less than a mile as she was blt. Sep. 1977 as Conrail 6413.
Historically this line belonged to the Boston and Maine Railroad, but the just under 3.5 miles of former mainline from the division post in downtown Worcester to Barbers junction along with the entirety of the Gardner branch were sold by the trustees of that bankrupt road to the newly independent P&W in 1974. As for this tunnel, it dates from 1956 when it was built to remove the railroad from the middle of busy Lincoln Square.
Worcester, Massachusetts
Wednesday December 14, 2022
Classics And Coal
CSXT train R004-13 is seen emerging from the 1400 ft long tunnel and approaching the School Street crossing at MP 0.6 on Providence and Worcester's Gardner branch as they head to Union Station and CP45 where they will get on home rails of CSXT's Boston Sub. This train consists of 100 empty system steel hoppers headed back to the Pennsylvania coal fields from Granite Shore Power's Merrimack Station in Bow, New Hampshire on CSXT/Pan Am's Northern Mainline.
Historically the plant, which was built by Public Service Company of New Hampshire in 1960 (unit 1) and 1968 (unit 2) was one of the Boston and Maine Railroad's most important customers. For decades an average of one 100 car train per week served the plant, and in 2008 (the most recent I could find online) over 534,000 tons were delivered. But in 2015 the plant transitioned from a base load station pumping out 482-megawatts from its two units to a peaker plant operating only during periods of extreme intermittent demand when generation is needed quickly to maintain electrical system stability on the grid. Today it remains, quite controversially, as the last coal fired plant in all of New England, and unit coal trains are few and far between these days. In fact this was the first one since the summer of 2020 (though a handful did run to Selkirk last winter and get cut up and sent in blocks on regularly scheduled manifest trains) so it rightfully drew lots of attention from local fans which was great to see.
I missed the loads going north last weekend but with perfect timing I decided to forgo a little sleep and try for the returning empties. This was even more of a treat since CSXT assigned the power off of M427 which was an old school classic quartet of two SD40-2s and two YN2 painted AC4400CWs. CSXT 8822 will be right at home when she swings west onto the old Boston and Albany at CP45 in less than a mile as she was blt. Sep. 1977 as Conrail 6413.
Historically this line belonged to the Boston and Maine Railroad, but the just under 3.5 miles of former mainline from the division post in downtown Worcester to Barbers junction along with the entirety of the Gardner branch were sold by the trustees of that bankrupt road to the newly independent P&W in 1974. As for this tunnel, it dates from 1956 when it was built to remove the railroad from the middle of busy Lincoln Square.
Worcester, Massachusetts
Wednesday December 14, 2022