One of Norfolk Southern's New SD9043MACs Appears on Pan Am

NS ex-UP SD9043MAC #7317 on loaded Bow NH coal train, Westford MA (11/20/15)

Walther's HO Scale Russell Snow Plow in Pan Am Scheme

Walther's has released a Pan Am version of their HO scale Russell snow plow, road number MWS 76.  

* Limited Edition - One Time Run of These Roadnumbers!
* Completely New Tool from Rails to Roof
* Prototypes in Service 1920s to Present
* Fully-Assembled, Railroad Ready - Undecorated Kit also Available
* Factory-Installed Grab Irons
* Complete Underbody w/Brake Gear & Piping
* Custom Front Truck for Tighter Curves
* Detailed Flanger
* Thin Profile Stirrups
* Window "Glass"
* Ultra-Smooth Rolling Metal Axles & 33" Wheelsets
* Proto MAX(TM) Metal Knuckle Couplers
* Railroad-Specific Details:
* See-Through "Steel" or Original "Wood" Running Boards
* Sturdy Hinged & Positionable Side Wings in Two Styles w/Wire Cross Braces
* Fitted w/Original or One of Three Styles of Late Headlights as Appropriate
* Bettendorf or Roller Bearing Rear Truck 

Part # 920-110012, MSRP $69.98

Pan Am Violating Law by Not Reporting Oil Volume in Maine

(SOURCE:  Portland Press Herald, Associated Press)

PORTLAND  — One of the two rail lines over which oil is shipped through Maine is behind on reporting the volume of oil shipments to the Department of Environmental Protection.

Pan Am Railway tanker cars that carry liquefied propane are parked at the NGL Supply Terminal on West Commercial Street in Portland on Monday, July 8, 2013. DEP spokesman Jessamine Logan said Wednesday that Pan-Am Railways failed to report oil volume for April and May as required by law. The monthly reports must be submitted within 30 days.

DEP spokesman Jessamine Logan said Wednesday that Pan-Am Railways failed to report oil volume for April and May as required by law. The monthly reports must be submitted within 30 days.

The Portland Phoenix first reported on the overdue documents Wednesday.

Logan told The Associated press said the state grants leeway for vacations and illnesses that cause delays. But the April report is now more than a month overdue.

A spokeswoman for Massachusetts-based Pan-Am didn't immediately return a call.

Logan says Pan-Am and Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway are the only rail companies that regularly ship oil through Maine.

B&M/Pan Am Shop Building Burned at North Billerica MA

(SOURCE:  LowellSun.com)

BILLERICA -- An old, out-of-service hydrant in Iron Horse Park did not help extinguish a Sunday brush fire, which quickly turned into a significant blaze that leveled an old storage building for the Pan Am Railroad, according to Billerica Deputy Chief Tom Ferraro……. When a fire engine responded at 4:02 p.m., firefighters used 500 gallons of water in about five minutes, Ferraro said. Billerica firefighters then tried to use the industrial park's private hydrant, but it was out of service, he said.

Firefighters had to go 1,000 feet away to connect to a working hydrant, and by the time they came back, the blustery conditions had extended the blaze into 1700 Iron Horse Park, a dilapidated old storage building owned by Pan-Am Railways, according to Ferraro.

"I'm not going to say it would have been a different story (if the hydrant was working), but it would have been a lot easier to lay 100 feet of hose instead of 1,000," Ferraro said. "We wouldn't have run of out of water.

"This was a private hydrant," he emphasized. "This was not the responsibility of the Fire Department's hydrants."

Fire Chief Tom Conway said the storage facility was a dry, wood building estimated at 200 feet long…….. There was some damage to materials in Sanford Company's yard, he said. In addition, he believes there was some heat damage to the MBTA vehicles stored across from the blaze.

Milford NH Rail Operator Braces For State Decision on Track

(SOURCE:  Mark Hayward at the NH Union Leader)

A small rail operator is poised to lose control of a railroad track in the Milford area today, when state transportation officials seek approval of a deal to give Pan Am Railways subsidiary rights to the 18-mile, state-owned track.

More than a year in the making, the deal would push Peter Leishman, a Democratic state representative from Peterborough and the owner of the Milford-Bennington Railroad Company, off the track he's used for some 20 years.

Leishman's company uses the track to transport crushed stone from a Wilton quarry to the Granite State Concrete processing plant in Milford. But in early 2012, the state asked bidders to submit proposals and a 2½-year deal, billed as a trial period for the new operator, goes to the Executive Council today for approval.

The Pan Am deal has drawn criticism.

The e-bulletin "Atlantic Northeast Rails & Ports" criticizes state officials for how they handled the bidding process, suggesting they cut corners to favor Pan Am Railways.

And in a letter to executive councilors, the chairman and chief executive of Monadnock Paper Mills said he believes Pan Am has a vendetta against Leishman and will stop at nothing to keep him from succeeding.

"This contract simply does not pass the smell test," Richard Verney wrote the Executive Council.

Leishman said he thinks Pan Am is obsessed with getting control of the line.

"I don't know. Nobody can make any sense of it," Leishman said.

John W. Schultz, the vice president of transportation for Pan Am subsidiary Springfield Terminal Railway Company, referred questions to company spokesman Cynthia Scarano. A telephone message left for her was not returned on Monday.

Last summer, a state official said Leishman failed to live up to a provision in his contract that establishes the minimum use for the track. But no one was available to speak Tuesday.

Department of Transportation spokesman Bill Boynton said Tuesday he doesn't know any details about the contract and can't comment.

"Transportation Commissioner Chris Clement will be present on Wednesday to answer questions from the Governor and (Executive) Council on this and any other agenda items," Boynton said in an e-mail.

Leishman said he is set to resume transporting stone for Granite State Concrete, and his employees recently participated in a training seminar. But if Pan Am gets the contract, he warns that the rail giant will have two years to negotiate a price with Granite State, meaning the company may not have access to the rail in the meantime.

VIDEO: Pan Am / High Iron Hoosac Excursion Train 2013

March '13 a Bad Month for Pan Am...

March has been a bad month for Pan Am Railways. 

First, 15 tank cars filled with crude oil derailed in Mattawamkeag, ME on March 7th.  Thankfully, only 3 gallons of oil contaminated the area, and this oil was reported to be only residue from the outside of the cars. 

Later that same day, eight loaded coal cars derailed in Nashua, NH, two of which were on a bridge.  The Bridge Street grade crossing was blocked for about 40 minutes.  This derailment interested local railfans due to the marooning of Norfolk Southern heritage unit #1070, painted in Wabash livery, in New Hampshire.  That unit finally headed back into Massachusetts on it's way home on March 14th.

Lastly, on March 12th, four boxcars derailed just south of Verso Paper Mill in Bucksport, ME.

Hopefully the rest of March will be free from any more derailments!

MORE READING:
http://bangordailynews.com/2013/03/07/news/penobscot/freight-train-pulling-oil-tankers-derails-in-mattawamkeag

http://nashua.patch.com/articles/coal-cars-derail-on-bridge-street
http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/996213-469/crews-expected-friday-to-move-derailed-coal.html

http://bangordailynews.com/2013/03/13/news/hancock/pan-am-train-goes-off-the-rails-in-bucksport/