Boston & Maine Hinsdale NH Railroad Station FOR SALE!

(update - I am told this property was indeed sold... leaving the photos up for the record)

Have you always wanted to live in a railroad station?  The station at Hinsdale NH is for sale by its owner!  It is located on Depot Street next to what was once the Ashuelot branch of the Boston & Maine, now a rail trail.  

Boston & Maine Hampton NH Structures 1974

These are Hampton, New Hampshire area photos dated July 1974.  They were acquired a while ago in a large lot.  The photographer is unknown.

Hampton NH

Hampton NH (rear)

Hampton NH Today

North Hampton NH

North Hampton NH Today

... when you go NEW HAVEN!

Firefighters in Three NH Communities Battled Brush Fires Along Railroad Track

(SOURCE:  Union Leader)

MANCHESTER — Four brush fires along railroad tracks late Wednesday afternoon in Merrimack, Bedford and Manchester remain under investigation, a state forest ranger said.

Ranger Doug Miner of the state Division of Forests and Lands said the first fire was reported in Bedford at 5:06 p.m., followed by a blaze spotted in Merrimack about 5:15 p.m. and then two fires along the tracks in Manchester.

At the time, a Pan Am Railways train, which had 20 cars hauling telephone poles, lumber and other goods, was making its way north on the tracks.

The train stopped behind Northeast Delta Dental Stadium in Manchester to change crews, according to Miner.

A B&M police officer, Miner said, told him the crew reported seeing brush fires along the tracks as it headed north.

Miner said Pan Am sent a mechanic to check the diesel engine and to clean out the smoke stack. When the train was restarted, he said, sparks were emitted.

"It's a little early to make any conclusions," Miner said.

He explained there were many people walking along and across the tracks in Manchester, which is prohibited.

District Fire Chief Al Poulin said there were two brush fires, one near Riverdale Avenue and the other near Gay Street, both along the Merrimack River and the railroad tracks.

About 25 minutes earlier, a brush fire on Railroad Avenue in Merrimack burned about 1½ acres, Poulin said. The fourth fire was in the area of 59 Iron Horse Drive in Bedford.

Less than an acre was burned in the two fires in Manchester, Poulin said.

He said, it took 10 to 15 firefighters to extinguish the blazes. He said drought conditions and heavy snow the past few winters have left woodlands filled with dry bone brush and broken tree limbs.

"What happens, because conditions are so dry, is the fire deep-seeds itself in the underbrush and burns in the ground," he said. The trees are so dry and broken that they easily catch fire.

"The woodlands are basically just a tinderbox, far more than normal," Poulin said.

For safety reasons, the firefighters cut down the trees that were charred and burned and dug up the area of the brush fire because flames are known to hide deep inside the ground.

About 1:45 p.m. firefighters put out a much larger brush fire in the Upland Street area, where several acres burned.

Poulin said investigators determined the fire was caused by a man who was burning personal files in the woods. In that blaze, two forestry units, four-wheel drive vehicles modified with pumps and other firefighting equipment, were brought in along with five other pieces of equipment.

The district chief explained the city's usual fire trucks are too heavy to go into wooded areas. - See more at: http://www.unionleader.com/article/20150528/NEWS07/150529160#sthash.7AGfJtB9.dpuf

MANCHESTER — Four brush fires along railroad tracks late Wednesday afternoon in Merrimack, Bedford and Manchester remain under investigation, a state forest ranger said.

Ranger Doug Miner of the state Division of Forests and Lands said the first fire was reported in Bedford at 5:06 p.m., followed by a blaze spotted in Merrimack about 5:15 p.m. and then two fires along the tracks in Manchester.

At the time, a Pan Am Railways train, which had 20 cars hauling telephone poles, lumber and other goods, was making its way north on the tracks.

The train stopped behind Northeast Delta Dental Stadium in Manchester to change crews, according to Miner.

A B&M police officer, Miner said, told him the crew reported seeing brush fires along the tracks as it headed north.

Miner said Pan Am sent a mechanic to check the diesel engine and to clean out the smoke stack. When the train was restarted, he said, sparks were emitted.

"It's a little early to make any conclusions," Miner said.

He explained there were many people walking along and across the tracks in Manchester, which is prohibited.

District Fire Chief Al Poulin said there were two brush fires, one near Riverdale Avenue and the other near Gay Street, both along the Merrimack River and the railroad tracks.

About 25 minutes earlier, a brush fire on Railroad Avenue in Merrimack burned about 1½ acres, Poulin said. The fourth fire was in the area of 59 Iron Horse Drive in Bedford.

Less than an acre was burned in the two fires in Manchester, Poulin said.

He said, it took 10 to 15 firefighters to extinguish the blazes. He said drought conditions and heavy snow the past few winters have left woodlands filled with dry bone brush and broken tree limbs.

"What happens, because conditions are so dry, is the fire deep-seeds itself in the underbrush and burns in the ground," he said. The trees are so dry and broken that they easily catch fire.

"The woodlands are basically just a tinderbox, far more than normal," Poulin said.

For safety reasons, the firefighters cut down the trees that were charred and burned and dug up the area of the brush fire because flames are known to hide deep inside the ground.

About 1:45 p.m. firefighters put out a much larger brush fire in the Upland Street area, where several acres burned.

Poulin said investigators determined the fire was caused by a man who was burning personal files in the woods. In that blaze, two forestry units, four-wheel drive vehicles modified with pumps and other firefighting equipment, were brought in along with five other pieces of equipment.

The district chief explained the city's usual fire trucks are too heavy to go into wooded areas. - See more at: http://www.unionleader.com/article/20150528/NEWS07/150529160#sthash.7AGfJtB9.dpuf

PAT GROSSMITH

PAT GROSSMITH

NHDOT to Upgrade Five Portsmouth NH Rail Crossings

(SOURCE:  Seacoastonline.com By Jeff McMenemy)

PORTSMOUTH – The state Department of Transportation is launching a $1 million project to upgrade five railroad crossings in the city.

City officials requested the upgrades in 2014 while Sea-3, a propane storage and distribution facility in Newington, was going through a review process to expand their facility. The Newington Planning Board approved the expansion, but the city appealed the decision to Superior Court. No date has yet been set for that appeal.

Eric Eby, parking and transportation engineer for the city, told members of the Parking and Safety Committee Thursday that the DOT will put out a request for proposals on the project sometime in April.

“The city’s share will be $100,000, or 10 percent for the project,” Eby said at the Thursday morning meeting in City Hall. 

Numerous area officials and residents fought the proposed expansion, citing the substantial increase of propane carrying rail cars that would result from the project, and worries about the condition of Pan Am’s tracks.

The railroad crossings will be upgraded at Barberry Lane, Maplewood Avenue, Green Street, Michael Succi Drive and Gosling Road, Eby said.

After the RFPs are responded to, the DOT will “select a contractor and get working on the project,” Eby said.

Meanwhile, Portsmouth attorney Alec McEachern, who represents Sea-3, recently filed a motion to dismiss the city’s appeals of the facility’s expansion, claiming Portsmouth “lacks standing to appeal the relevant decisions by the town of Newington’s Planning Board,” because the city is not an abutter to the propane facility. McEachern also argues the only impact to Portsmouth of the proposed expansion of Sea-3 is to “increase rail traffic and decrease ship traffic.”

He also filed a motion to intervene in the case, which was filed against the town of Newington. 

Portsmouth staff attorney Jane Ferrini argues in the city’s objection to Sea-3’s motion to dismiss that the court shouldn’t consider the motion because Sea-3 is not yet a party to the appeal. Ferrini argues if the court does allow Sea-3 to intervene “this court may be opening the door for several corporations and associations to request to intervene in the underlying matter, such as … Pan Am, Norfolk Southern Railway and the Propane Gas Association of New England.”

But Ferrini says if the court does allow Sea-3 to intervene, it objects to Sea-3’s motion to dismiss because Portsmouth and three other towns received notice about the proposed expansion after Newington determined the project was a “development of regional interest.”
 Ferrini also contends the city is not “attempting to deprive Sea-3 of its federal” railroad rights, but rather, the city wants a “safety/hazard study of the site and Sea-3’s use of Pan Am railway.”
 
Sea-3 is seeking to build “five additional rail unloading berths and associated handling equipment at its existing” facility, McEachern said in a recent filing with the state’s Site Review Committee. This will allow the company to receive via rail and stockpile excess propane to be used during winter months.

Preferred Site Chosen for Plaistow NH Commuter Rail Proposal

(SOURCE:  NH Union Leader) By Adam Swift

PLAISTOW – A site off Main Street on Joanne Drive is the preferred site for a commuter rail station and layover facility for the extension of MBTA service into Plaistow.

That potential site was officially presented during a public information session on the commuter rail study Tuesday night.

Over the next several months, the study will move into the environmental assessment phase, with an environmental assessment report expected to be completed and presented to the town by the end of April. That report will document potential environmental impacts of the Joanne Drive site versus not building a commuter rail station and layover facility at all, according to John Weston of HDR Engineering, the firm preparing the reports.

Although the commuter rail study is nearing completion, it will still be a long and difficult journey before the Haverhill commuter rail line could be running across the state line.

“With the completed report, it is my understanding that the Plaistow Board of Selectmen will present the report to other town boards for review and to provide feedback to them,” said Weston. “If the selectmen find (the commuter rail plan) beneficial to the community, then they will bring it to the town for a vote.”

Weston said no plan would move forward without the support of the town.

Even if the plan clears those hurdles, Weston said it would take a minimum of four to five years to complete.  Trains will be rolling by 2020 at the earliest, he said.

The town election on March 10 will guage how much support there is among residents for a commuter rail station and layover facility in Plaistow.  A citizens' group against the project has put forward a petition article asking voters if they support a station in town.

James Peck, one of the organizers of Citizens Against a Train Layover Yard in Plaistow, said he is hoping there is a heavy turnout at  town election voicing displeasure with the plan.

There also will be a reconfigured Board of Selectmen following the March 10 election, as three candidates are looking to fill two open seats on the board.

Two of those candidates, Tammy Bergeron and Julian Kiszka, have signed a pledge against the layover facility in town. The third candidate, Jim Wentworth, said he does not believe in signing a pledge, but has raised questions about the project.

During Tuesday night's meeting, Weston laid out some of the reasons why the Joanne Drive site was chosen as the preferred site over several other alternatives. He also provided some information on potential noise associated with the project, cost, and ridership figures.

Weston said the Joanne Drive site has the best regional access to Route 125, has less noise impact than other sites that were considered, has the fewest number of residential properties within a half mile, and allows for a potential connection to Plaistow center.

“Probably, at the most, there would be 300 people boarding the train every morning, and that would not be all at once,” said Weston. He said the 13 commuter trains that currently run during the day from Haverhill would extend to Plaistow.

The peak hours for traffic and ridership would be from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 a.m., generating about 100 additional trips in the Joanne Drive area during that time.

The layover facility at the site would have tracks for six trains. Weston said there would be 50 buildings within the area where the sound of idling trains would be able to be heard over ambient noise. The potential for sound walls would reduce that number to 39, he added.

Weston also touched on the cost of the project. The capital costs for the Joanne Drive site would be just over $50 million.

The costs for the capital improvements are expected to come from a combination of federal funds with matching funds from Massachusetts, according to Weston.

By Adam Swift
Union Leader correspondent

PLAISTOW – A site off Main Street on Joanne Drive is the preferred site for a commuter rail station and layover facility for the extension of MBTA service into Plaistow.

That potential site was officially presented during a public information session on the commuter rail study Tuesday night.

Over the next several months, the study will move into the environmental assessment phase, with an environmental assessment report expected to be completed and presented to the town by the end of April. That report will document potential environmental impacts of the Joanne Drive site versus not building a commuter rail station and layover facility at all, according to John Weston of HDR Engineering, the firm preparing the reports.

Although the commuter rail study is nearing completion, it will still be a long and difficult journey before the Haverhill commuter rail line could be running across the state line.

“With the completed report, it is my understanding that the Plaistow Board of Selectmen will present the report to other town boards for review and to provide feedback to them,” said Weston. “If the selectmen find (the commuter rail plan) beneficial to the community, then they will bring it to the town for a vote.”

Weston said no plan would move forward without the support of the town.

Even if the plan clears those hurdles, Weston said it would take a minimum of four to five years to complete.  Trains will be rolling by 2020 at the earliest, he said.

The town election on March 10 will guage how much support there is among residents for a commuter rail station and layover facility in Plaistow.  A citizens' group against the project has put forward a petition article asking voters if they support a station in town.

James Peck, one of the organizers of Citizens Against a Train Layover Yard in Plaistow, said he is hoping there is a heavy turnout at  town election voicing displeasure with the plan.

There also will be a reconfigured Board of Selectmen following the March 10 election, as three candidates are looking to fill two open seats on the board.

Two of those candidates, Tammy Bergeron and Julian Kiszka, have signed a pledge against the layover facility in town. The third candidate, Jim Wentworth, said he does not believe in signing a pledge, but has raised questions about the project.

During Tuesday night's meeting, Weston laid out some of the reasons why the Joanne Drive site was chosen as the preferred site over several other alternatives. He also provided some information on potential noise associated with the project, cost, and ridership figures.

Weston said the Joanne Drive site has the best regional access to Route 125, has less noise impact than other sites that were considered, has the fewest number of residential properties within a half mile, and allows for a potential connection to Plaistow center.

“Probably, at the most, there would be 300 people boarding the train every morning, and that would not be all at once,” said Weston. He said the 13 commuter trains that currently run during the day from Haverhill would extend to Plaistow.

The peak hours for traffic and ridership would be from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 a.m., generating about 100 additional trips in the Joanne Drive area during that time.

The layover facility at the site would have tracks for six trains. Weston said there would be 50 buildings within the area where the sound of idling trains would be able to be heard over ambient noise. The potential for sound walls would reduce that number to 39, he added.

Weston also touched on the cost of the project. The capital costs for the Joanne Drive site would be just over $50 million.

The costs for the capital improvements are expected to come from a combination of federal funds with matching funds from Massachusetts, according to Weston.

---

Comments

To improve the chance of seeing your comment posted here or published in the New Hampshire Union Leader:

• Identify yourself. Accounts using fake or incomplete names are suspended regardless of the quality of posts.
• Say something new, stay on topic, keep it short.
• Links to outside URLs are discouraged, if used they should be on topic.
• Avoid comments in bad taste, write well, avoid using all capital letters
• Don't cite facts about individuals or businesses without providing a means to verify the claim
• If you see an objectionable comment please click the "Report Abuse" button and be sure to tell us why.

Note: Comments are the opinion of the respective poster and not of the publisher.

Barton McLaine said Wednesday, February 25, 2015 at 11:28 am

****** the torpedoes and all sense.Just let's be very clear about this. Maggie and her henchmen are planning to spend a minimum,,, when have to ever seen the minimum spent,,,think Big Dig,,,of 300MILLION$$$$ of YOUR money to provide transportation to her 3,000 voters who moved here from Boston and vote Democrat blindly.~~~Talk about payoffs!

REPORT ABUSE

You must sign in before you can post comments. If you are experiencing issues with your account please e-mail abuse@unionleader.com.

   

- See more at: http://www.unionleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20150225/NEWS0606/150229533/1022/NewHampshire#sthash.cvR3cnGm.dpuf

By Adam Swift
Union Leader correspondent

PLAISTOW – A site off Main Street on Joanne Drive is the preferred site for a commuter rail station and layover facility for the extension of MBTA service into Plaistow.

That potential site was officially presented during a public information session on the commuter rail study Tuesday night.

Over the next several months, the study will move into the environmental assessment phase, with an environmental assessment report expected to be completed and presented to the town by the end of April. That report will document potential environmental impacts of the Joanne Drive site versus not building a commuter rail station and layover facility at all, according to John Weston of HDR Engineering, the firm preparing the reports.

Although the commuter rail study is nearing completion, it will still be a long and difficult journey before the Haverhill commuter rail line could be running across the state line.

“With the completed report, it is my understanding that the Plaistow Board of Selectmen will present the report to other town boards for review and to provide feedback to them,” said Weston. “If the selectmen find (the commuter rail plan) beneficial to the community, then they will bring it to the town for a vote.”

Weston said no plan would move forward without the support of the town.

Even if the plan clears those hurdles, Weston said it would take a minimum of four to five years to complete.  Trains will be rolling by 2020 at the earliest, he said.

The town election on March 10 will guage how much support there is among residents for a commuter rail station and layover facility in Plaistow.  A citizens' group against the project has put forward a petition article asking voters if they support a station in town.

James Peck, one of the organizers of Citizens Against a Train Layover Yard in Plaistow, said he is hoping there is a heavy turnout at  town election voicing displeasure with the plan.

There also will be a reconfigured Board of Selectmen following the March 10 election, as three candidates are looking to fill two open seats on the board.

Two of those candidates, Tammy Bergeron and Julian Kiszka, have signed a pledge against the layover facility in town. The third candidate, Jim Wentworth, said he does not believe in signing a pledge, but has raised questions about the project.

During Tuesday night's meeting, Weston laid out some of the reasons why the Joanne Drive site was chosen as the preferred site over several other alternatives. He also provided some information on potential noise associated with the project, cost, and ridership figures.

Weston said the Joanne Drive site has the best regional access to Route 125, has less noise impact than other sites that were considered, has the fewest number of residential properties within a half mile, and allows for a potential connection to Plaistow center.

“Probably, at the most, there would be 300 people boarding the train every morning, and that would not be all at once,” said Weston. He said the 13 commuter trains that currently run during the day from Haverhill would extend to Plaistow.

The peak hours for traffic and ridership would be from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 a.m., generating about 100 additional trips in the Joanne Drive area during that time.

The layover facility at the site would have tracks for six trains. Weston said there would be 50 buildings within the area where the sound of idling trains would be able to be heard over ambient noise. The potential for sound walls would reduce that number to 39, he added.

Weston also touched on the cost of the project. The capital costs for the Joanne Drive site would be just over $50 million.

The costs for the capital improvements are expected to come from a combination of federal funds with matching funds from Massachusetts, according to Weston.

---

Comments

To improve the chance of seeing your comment posted here or published in the New Hampshire Union Leader:

• Identify yourself. Accounts using fake or incomplete names are suspended regardless of the quality of posts.
• Say something new, stay on topic, keep it short.
• Links to outside URLs are discouraged, if used they should be on topic.
• Avoid comments in bad taste, write well, avoid using all capital letters
• Don't cite facts about individuals or businesses without providing a means to verify the claim
• If you see an objectionable comment please click the "Report Abuse" button and be sure to tell us why.

Note: Comments are the opinion of the respective poster and not of the publisher.

Barton McLaine said Wednesday, February 25, 2015 at 11:28 am

****** the torpedoes and all sense.Just let's be very clear about this. Maggie and her henchmen are planning to spend a minimum,,, when have to ever seen the minimum spent,,,think Big Dig,,,of 300MILLION$$$$ of YOUR money to provide transportation to her 3,000 voters who moved here from Boston and vote Democrat blindly.~~~Talk about payoffs!

REPORT ABUSE

You must sign in before you can post comments. If you are experiencing issues with your account please e-mail abuse@unionleader.com.

   

- See more at: http://www.unionleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20150225/NEWS0606/150229533/1022/NewHampshire#sthash.cvR3cnGm.dpuf

Portsmouth - Great Bay Rail Line Raises Fear

(SOURCE:  SeacoastOnline.com/by Jeff McMenemy)

Robert Hassold looked at pictures of the Pan Am Railways rail trestle that crosses Great Bay and worried about the condition of the bridge crossing.

"They look rickety, they look like they're in desperate need of repair," Hassold, a tugboat captain, said this week at his home in Portsmouth. "Personally, I don't think you'd walk over those bridges."

His concerns were shared by Great Bay Piscataqua Waterkeeper Jeff Barnum as he looked at a map showing the trestle that crosses Great Bay between Newfields and Stratham.

"It's got 1,500 feet of exposure. If something fell off the tracks, it goes into the water," Barnum said. "There are two other water crossings on this 13½-mile stretch of railroad."

But what has Barnum and Hassold concerned — along with numerous Portsmouth officials — is that Pan Am Railways is not required to share its annual inspection reports of the bridges with the public.

Barnum and Hassold say if the reports showed the bridges to be in good condition, Pan Am Railways would release them.

Portsmouth Assistant Mayor Jim Splaine worries not only about the condition of the trestle over Great Bay, but the condition of all of Pan Am's bridges on the Portsmouth line.

"It's clear to me we're putting way too much trust in Pan Am's in-house inspections," Splaine said Friday. "They're supposed to be looking at them and inspecting them at least once a year. We should not have to have that kind of blind trust in a corporation."

Their comments came the same week that Portsmouth's Staff Attorney Jane Ferrini announced the city was working toward an agreement that could result in the city dropping its two appeals of the Newington Planning Board's decision to approve an expansion of the Sea-3 propane terminal. The approval, if not successfully appealed, will lead to a substantial increase in the number of railcars carrying propane on Pan Am lines in the Seacoast from the Rockingham Junction in Newfields to Sea-3 in Newington.

Ferrini this past week said the potential agreement between Sea-3 and Portsmouth for the company to do a safety study of its facility would focus on the site, and not on the condition of Pan Am's tracks. She said questions raised by city officials and residents about the condition of the tracks is a "statewide concern that the mayor has reached out to the governor's office to pursue and request a statewide rail study."

Portsmouth City Councilor Stefany Shaheen said she's "very concerned" about any deal reached by the city with Sea-3 that doesn't include the condition of the tracks. She also has called for Pan Am to release its bridge inspection reports.

"I thank ultimately we can't move forward as a municipality without some very strong assurances that the safety of the tracks is where there need to be," Shaheen said, adding, "This is still a very fluid situation."

But Pan Am Railways Executive Vice President Cynthia Scarano said Friday the company won't release its bridge inspection reports. When asked why the company would not give them to city officials as requested, Scarano said, "Because the agency that is put in place by the federal government, and that has the knowledge and the education necessary to look at those inspection sheets, has them."

She maintains that "it becomes a safety and security issue when they all of a sudden become a public document."

Portsmouth Deputy City Manager Dave Allen said Friday an official with the Federal Railroad Administration told city officials the bridges in Portsmouth were inspected in May and were found to be in good condition.

Scarano said that in addition to the annual inspections Pan Am does of its bridges, it also inspects its tracks, including the ones on the bridges, every week.

FRA spokesman Mike England said Pan Am has installed 5,000 new cross ties on the Portsmouth branch line and 2,000 relay ties. He said the metal part of the rail has been "entirely resurfaced" for all 13-plus miles on the line.

Scarano said the line is considered a Class 1 line, which means trains can no faster than 10 mph. If the line were upgraded to Class 2, trains could go as fast as 25 mph, under FRA regulations, but city officials have asked Pan Am to commit to running its trains at only 10 mph.

"What we have stated is if we bring it up to a Class 2 classification, we're going to reserve the right to go 25 mph," Scarano said. "But in my lifetime, I don't see it happening because of the crossings and the distance of the line."

She said Pan Am has never had a derailment on the Portsmouth branch of the line and it is committed to operating safely.

"Propane is crucial for all of us," she said Friday. "We just want to deliver it safely."

Asked if Pan Am will pay for all or part of improving the railroad crossings in Portsmouth, Scarano said it's too early to say. She did say the rail company's engineering department has met at least once with Portsmouth Department of Public Works officials to "start taking a look at some of the crossings." But she said until it's clear what exactly needs to be done to improve the crossings, Pan Am won't commit to taking on the cost of the improvements.

Because the railroad "then becomes responsible" for maintaining the crossings, she said.

But Splaine argues that's something the railroad should do.

"They have to pay for this," Splaine said. "They're going to make a lot of money" if the Sea-3 expansion is ultimately approved.

Pan Am Official Says NH Rail 'quiet zones' a Safety Hazard

(SOURCE:  Seacoast Online)

PORTSMOUTH — City councilors tried but couldn't get all the commitments they wanted from Pan Am Railways Executive Vice President Cynthia Scarano, and they weren't shy about showing their unhappiness with the entire process.

Scarano told the council Monday night that the number of rail cars carrying propane from the Sea-3 propane terminal in Newington through Portsmouth would jump from between 1,000 and 1,500 to between 2,000 and 3,000 if the decision allowing the expansion of the Sea-3 facility is not overturned.

The city of Portsmouth has appealed the Newington Planning Board's decision to approve the expansion.

Scarano said the railroad company has already installed 5,000 new rails on the line that runs from Newington through the city of Portsmouth as part of a commitment they made to the town of Newington.

If the decision is not overturned, Pan Am would upgrade its tracks from Class 1 to Class 2 status, allowing them to move the cars at speeds up to 25 miles per hour.

When that happens, Pan Am would add 5,000 more new ties.

Scarano repeated Monday night that she didn't see any time in her lifetime "where we need to go more than that," meaning faster than 10 mph................ READ WHOLE ARTICLE

Huge Crane in Nashua Putting Derailed Locomotives Back on Track

(SOURCE:  David Brooks, The Telegraph - thanks to Dave Pierson for the link)

NASHUA – Pan Am Railways is bringing in a large crane in to lift a pair of derailed 100-ton locomotives and put them back on the tracks in downtown Nashua.

The two locomotives went off the rails at Main Street around 3 p.m. Tuesday. One was blocking the northbound lane of Main Street for about an hour until the two were pushed back by a bulldozer.

Pan Am Executive Vice-President Cynthia Scarano said a 44-foot long mobile crane, capable of lifting 130 tons, will be driven to the scene from the company’s Billerica, Mass., headquarters this morning. The Kershaw RC-130 crane can travel by road or by rail.

“They should be re-railed by 1 or 2 p.m.,” she said.

The locomotives were not pulling any cars at the time as they travelled at low speed along what is formally known as the Hillsborough Branch line. Nobody was injured in the accident and no obvious property damage occurred.

New Hampshire railroad safety inspector John Robinson said the train apparently was derailed by ice built up along the rails. 

“The ice builds up along the flangeway, which keeps the wheel tracking ... to the point where the wheels steer off the rail,” he said. “It’s not completely unknown.”

The flangeway is a groove that allows the lips, or flange, of the wheels to fit alongside the rail and keep the wheels in place. Ice in the flangeway can lift the wheel up above the rail to the point that it can slip sideways.

Robinson said no formal investigation had been launched. 

Pan Am Train Stuck on Main Street in Nashua NH

It was reported that on February 18th a Pan Am train derailed at the Main Street crossing in Nashua NH.  Deedless to say, auto traffic was effected.  This photo was posted on the WMUR website (no phorographer sited).

Lowell MA Commuter Rail to Temporarily Lose 500 Parking Spaces

(SOURCE:  Nashua Telegraph, by David Brooks)

LOWELL, Mass. – New Hampshire-to-Boston commuters who board commuter rail in Lowell are facing some unpleasant news: Almost two-thirds of the parking garage at the train station will be closed for at least a year.

“There will be an impact. I won’t deny that, but we’re trying to minimize that,” said James Scanlan, administrator of the Lowell Regional Transit Authority. 

The $7 million construction project will rebuild one of the parking garages and has been in the works for several years, but some commuters only learned of it Monday when Scanlan distributed an announcement.

“A problem? Big-time,” said Scott Beausoleil, a Nashua native who graduated from Bishop Guertin in 1980 and has commuted into Boston for much of the last 22 years by boarding the MBTA Commuter Rail line at Lowell.

“You don’t so much mind it in the spring to late fall – but boy, come winter, you can understand what traffic can be like, especially if the weather’s bad,” said Beausoleil, who is a case administrator in the bankruptcy field. 

The problem is that a 30-year-old, four-story parking garage known as Gallagher I is crumbling to the point that it can’t be repaired any more, Scanlan said. 

“We’ve been putting money into it, federal and state money, for at least the last 7 or 8 years … probably $1 million, for concrete repairs,” he said. “But the amount of deterioration that has occurred in the concrete, from water, salt … the (federal government) came in and said they were reluctant to fund it any more. They did a review of the structure with us and said we should be doing a more comprehensive overhaul of the garage.” 

All the concrete in the garage will be removed and replaced, meaning Gallagher I has to shut for about a year, starting around April 1, so the concrete can be removed and replaced. The $7 million project will be paid for with $2.5 million in federal transportation money with the rest coming from Massachusetts state funds. 

Compounding the difficulty for commuters is that a two-story addition, known as Gallagher II, can only be reached by driving through Gallagher I – therefore Gallagher II also will have to be shut for the duration of the work. 

The adjoining Rourke Garage will remain open because it has a separate entrance.

The result, said Scanlan, is that about 550 of 950 parking spaces at what is officially called the Gallagher Intermodal Center will be unavailable for a year. 

The three garages are rarely full to the brim, Scanlan said – peak usage usually tops out around 780 vehicles – but they’re popular with commuters from the New Hampshire side of the state border. On average, about 20 percent of the vehicles in the garage, between 120 and 150 vehicles, have New Hampshire license plates, Scanlan said. 

Scanlan said the Lowell transit authority is negotiating with several nearby commercial sites, including the YMCA, to lease some parking spaces for the duration of the project. 

They also may use some 80 spaces at the system’s maintenance facility. Another option is the Early Garage, owned by the city, although it’s far enough away from the Gallagher Center that a shuttle bus would become necessary.

Details will be announced as they’re worked out, Scanlan said.

As for Beausoleil, he said the situation supports something that he has been saying for years: Commuter rail should extend to Nashua. Then local residents wouldn’t have to worry about what Lowell does.

Rail Study to Restoring Service in Central, Southern NH

(SOURCE:  New Hampshire Union Leader  - By DAN TUOHY)


MANCHESTER — One of the alternatives in the "capitol corridor" rail study would put express buses on the shoulder of Interstate 93, saving anywhere from eight to 22 minutes over peak travel times to Boston.

As New Hampshire works on expanding I-93 from Manchester to the Massachusetts border, the "bus on shoulder" scenario is being considered as part of a multimodal transit booster, twinned with the possible restoration of passenger rail along the corridor.

An advisory committee to the New Hampshire Capitol Corridor feasibility study heard the preliminary alternatives Tuesday at the Southern NH Planning Commission in Manchester.

As the consultants and committee continue to refine rail and bus options this year – working toward a preferred state recommendation late in 2014 – a combination of both has merit, said Kenneth Kinney, a transit consultant with URS Corp., during the presentation. URS is working on the study with New Hampshire Department of Transportation and various stakeholders, including municipal, elected officials and bus operators.

"Can we do it all? The answer, I think, is yes," said Kinney.

The prominent option under study is the restoration of passenger rail connecting Concord, Manchester, Manchester-Boston Regional Airport and Nashua to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority tracks to Boston. There has been no passenger rail north of Lowell, Mass., since 1967.

Alternatives to be discussed further include intercity rail options, enhanced bus service on shoulders, and a no-build options.

The state-local financial commitment for rail between Manchester and Boston would be $8 million to $10 million annually, according to preliminary analysis. The rough cost estimates are after federal support and fares are taken into consideration, and the source of that local matching funding is still to be determined.

One of the assumptions of the study is that there is no capitol corridor restoration without federal funding.

The Federal Transit Administration and Federal Railroad Administration like the project, Kinney said. He said that a state-federal financial plan for a proposed rail option will not be completed until 2015.

Additional studies are being conducted, including prospective fare surveys and noise monitoring along existing rail lines.

The project website is: nhcapitolcorridor.com. The benefits and objectives, according to Tuesday's presentation, include:

• Addressing the congestion issue at southern end of the corridor, thereby reducing trip times and providing a wider set of alternatives to the automobile.

• Improving access to higher-paying jobs in greater Boston. Commute from New Hampshire; return money to New Hampshire.

• Improving access to other tourism, recreation and cultural attractions in both greater Boston and in New Hampshire.

• Building that employee base to attract new businesses and grow existing ones in New Hampshire.

• Providing additional transit service to the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport.

Recent New England Model Railroad Announcements

N SCALE

Athearn:  Thrall High Side Gondola  - Sullivan Scrap (Holyoke, MA) – cancer schemes, blue & pink

Atlas:  PS-2750 Hopper – Boston & Maine (4 road #s)

Rapido:  Osgood Bradley Lightweight 10-Window coach - NH, B&M, BAR

HO SCALE

Athearn: Thrall High Side Gondola  - Sullivan Scrap (Holyoke, MA) – cancer scheme, blue & pink

True Line Trains:  MBTA MP36PH-3C diesels #010 & 011 - DC/DCC w/sound 

Pros & Cons of Portsmouth NH Rail Line Revival

(SOURCE:  Seacoast Online)

December 16, 2013 2:00 AM

 

The prospect of a resurgence of freight shipped by rail may be a positive development on multiple fronts, however, residents who live along the local rail system and motorists in general are right to express their concerns.

Use of the rail line from Newington through Portsmouth, Greenland and Stratham to the Rockingham Junction on the Newfields-Newmarket town line has been largely dormant for as long as most residents can remember. However, the line was never abandoned and the day was likely to come that its use would rise again. Beyond the shipping of freight — and it is the plan of Sea-3 in Newington to ship propane via the Newington-Portsmouth branch that produced concerns — it remains the hope of many that passenger service could also resume.

Increased freight shipping via railroads can get many tractor-trailers and other commercial shipping vehicles off local and state roads and interstates and decrease the reliance on standard fuels. The operation of trains would also potentially have a regional and national economic impact.

Furthermore, increased rail freight could lead to substantial upgrades of the tracks, which would improve the chances of restoring passenger service that must operate at speeds in excess of the 10 mph currently allowed on the Newington-Portsmouth branch.

With all that said, the many residents whose homes are near the rail lines need to have their concerns addressed. Because of federal regulations, local communities have no legal say over what is shipped on rail lines. However, that doesn't mean the rail company, Pan Am Railways, the Federal Railroad Administration, Sea-3 and its parent company, Trammo, can't address resident concerns in a fair and open manner.

This is particularly true when it comes to shipping a fuel such as propane, or others for that matter.

There are many concerns about the condition and safety of the current tracks that roll through downtown Portsmouth, pass through rural areas of Greenland and cross over Great Bay. The first attempt to assess the condition of the tracks proved difficult. The FRA was not forthcoming with information on the condition of the tracks last week. It provided only a fact sheet on federal track safety standards, and said the latest track inspection report would be made available only through a Freedom of Information Act request, which Seacoast Media Group filed.

The issue extends beyond the current condition of the tracks. According to Cynthia Scarano, executive vice president of Pan Am Railways, the tracks of the Newington-Portsmouth branch currently limit train speed to 10 mph. Ensuring the safety of the tracks to allow for the shipping of propane is step one, but learning more about any potential improvements that would allow faster speeds must be discussed.

The area is not used to seeing trains on the tracks, and the few that do use them crawl along. More trains, traveling faster through areas not used to seeing them, is one reason to bring all parties to the table to discuss how rail commerce can be safely permitted.

All crossings must be thoroughly inspected to ensure there is proper sight distance and signage and, wherever necessary, to feature lighted signals and stopping arms. Any other protective measures, such as fencing in residential areas, should also be considered.

Federal regulations protect the right of interstate commerce along the rail system, and that is a good thing as rail for freight and passenger service, is a vital link; a promising alternative to highways. But that doesn't mean local residents' concerns should be pushed aside. There is promise here. The ability to revive rail service lies in the hands of the business that owns the lines, the businesses that will use them and the federal agency that regulates them. It is necessary that a balanced approach is taken to the revival of the rails.