Eastern Railroad Discussion > Some action in the last couple of days in Palmer MA

So far this Winter in Southern New England has been fairly mild (except this morning it was -2) with not a whole lot of snow.
Travel has been easy and there's been a good amount of rail activity.

#1 - Train Q426 hustles across the diamond at MP83.
1/12/2022
#2 - CSX 911, Spirit of Our First Responders, has a return engagement in New England on the point of train i022 running through the yard at MP83 in Palmer MA.
1/12/2022
#3 - CSX train Q436 hits the diamond in Palmer MA.
1/12/2022

...more...
 

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More from Palmer MA...

#4 - B740, the Springfield Local, on the siding at MP83 in Palmer MA with a long train for Springfield.
1/14/2022

#5 - As the morning evolved, B740 took the main to allow i022 to run down the siding.
1/14/2022

#6 - In a 6 second exposure, B740 holds the main as a few salt cars and empty centerbeams on Q436 run by at track speed.
1/14/2022

Enjoy -

Bob
nerrp.com



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/15/22 05:04 by bob01566.

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Neat! I’d like to fan that area in the future.

Dan

Posted from iPhone

Excellent photos, Bob!

Posted from iPhone

I'm sure there are legitimate reasons, but why would a meet be set up where the first train to arrive winds up on the main and the second one is required to negotiate the slower speed route through the siding? I know it's not uncommon but it never made a great deal of common sense to me. And especially in this case where the local was originally in the siding but needed to shift over to the main, and the hotter through intermodal was subsequently directed through the siding. 

I know the move seems odd but in this case the local had made up his train and in doing so was fouling the switch so he just had to pull up a bit and back down onto the main.
The two eastbounds were close, so the first, 022, ran through on the siding and the second,436, which always has work in Palmer came in as usual on the siding and could begin his work immediately.
As soon as 436 cleared the switch, 740 could head for Springfield.
It actually saved quite a bit of time.
I hope my explanation makes sense...

Bob
nerrp.com

Thanks for the kind words, John.
I hope you are well and staying safe through all this!

Bob
nerrp.com

pbouzide Wrote:
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> I'm sure there are legitimate reasons, but why
> would a meet be set up where the first train to
> arrive winds up on the main and the second one is
> required to negotiate the slower speed route
> through the siding? I know it's not uncommon but
> it never made a great deal of common sense to me.
> And especially in this case where the local was
> originally in the siding but needed to shift over
> to the main, and the hotter through intermodal was
> subsequently directed through the siding. 

Based on my eyeball observations of the Palmer Live cam action, there is little speed difference between the controlled siding and the mainline, perhaps due to the proximity of the NECR diamond. It looks to me that CSX speed for freights across the diamond is something like 30 mph coming down the main track and maybe slightly slower going to/from the controlled siding? And Amtrak can operate at 40mh on the main?