Howley Street
With the disappointing news recently that Rousselot will be closing their Peabody plant by the end of 2023 I decided I better make the effort to photograph CSXT's ex Pan Am local BO-1 (technically I guess L055 now) making the trip up the Eastern Route to Salem and the freight only Danvers and South Reading Industrial Tracks to access the plant.
The closure of this plant will bring to the end all freight operations north of Everett Junction on the Eastern Route unless any new customers materialize along the commuter zone. With rail operations to end around June, well before the plant finally shuts down, now is the time to get out.
Having made the 17 mile run up from BET in Somerville and run around at North Street Yard they are now gingerly working west (timetable east) out the nearly 2.5 mile mong branch to the plant at the 5 MPH maximum speed. They are crossing Howley Street as they pass an old brick mill still standing on the other side of the little North River.
It's hard to fathom now, but at one time tracks radiated in three directions from Peabody Square and Budd cars from Danvers passed over these very rails enroute to Salem and Boston as late as 1958. Today this wobbling twice a week local freight is all that remains, and even it too is about to come to its conclusion finally ending all rail service to Peabody.
Holding down the job is CSXT's ex Pan Am GMDD GP40-2W MEC 507 (blt. Jul 1974 as CN 9472) which was given this mysterious retro fresh Guilford gray paint job at Waterville in August 2020 and has been frequently assigned to BO-1 since then. If you haven't seen what she looked like sparking fresh check out this shot:
If you've not seen it, here is one of several news articles on the closing of the plant which has been in operation in some form for over 200 years! www.salemnews.com/news/peabody-rousselot-plant-to-close-a...
Peabody, Massachusetts
Thursday March 9, 2023
Howley Street
With the disappointing news recently that Rousselot will be closing their Peabody plant by the end of 2023 I decided I better make the effort to photograph CSXT's ex Pan Am local BO-1 (technically I guess L055 now) making the trip up the Eastern Route to Salem and the freight only Danvers and South Reading Industrial Tracks to access the plant.
The closure of this plant will bring to the end all freight operations north of Everett Junction on the Eastern Route unless any new customers materialize along the commuter zone. With rail operations to end around June, well before the plant finally shuts down, now is the time to get out.
Having made the 17 mile run up from BET in Somerville and run around at North Street Yard they are now gingerly working west (timetable east) out the nearly 2.5 mile mong branch to the plant at the 5 MPH maximum speed. They are crossing Howley Street as they pass an old brick mill still standing on the other side of the little North River.
It's hard to fathom now, but at one time tracks radiated in three directions from Peabody Square and Budd cars from Danvers passed over these very rails enroute to Salem and Boston as late as 1958. Today this wobbling twice a week local freight is all that remains, and even it too is about to come to its conclusion finally ending all rail service to Peabody.
Holding down the job is CSXT's ex Pan Am GMDD GP40-2W MEC 507 (blt. Jul 1974 as CN 9472) which was given this mysterious retro fresh Guilford gray paint job at Waterville in August 2020 and has been frequently assigned to BO-1 since then. If you haven't seen what she looked like sparking fresh check out this shot:
If you've not seen it, here is one of several news articles on the closing of the plant which has been in operation in some form for over 200 years! www.salemnews.com/news/peabody-rousselot-plant-to-close-a...
Peabody, Massachusetts
Thursday March 9, 2023