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Last freight locomotive leaves Allston
By adamg on Tue, 10/01/2013 - 12:15pm
Final ride chronicled as the land prepares to lie fallow for Harvard's 100-year-plan for the now former Beacon Park yards.
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Comments
Two sides to this one
The Mass Pike could be straightened out in some sort of land swap, making for more efficient use of land in Allston, and a second track will be added to the Worcester Line through the vicinity.
I do think Boston is losing it's yard space at an alarming rate, but more concerning is the yards in Somerville. The Somerville yards are easily accessible to *both* CSX and PanAm, and can be easily used by trains coming from any north-side line plus the Worcester Line, and not just the Worcester/Albany line exclusively.
I think the ideal solution would have been a common yard in the area of the Boston Engine Terminal in Somerville, where all railroads, including the MBTA, have rights to its use. At this time, there is currently no pressing need though. But things are picking up, and the GLX's proposed maintenance facility seems to be promising to be the final nail in any significant freight ops.
Bury The Pike
I think it would be a perfect opportunity to give Harvard some currently unusable land in exchange for burying the Pike and associated ramps under the old rail yard. I know there's still the sting of the Big Dig around here, but this seems like ideal time to fix the mess of overpasses & ramps in Allston.
So it goes.
I like the photos though I don't agree with the author's doom and gloom take on things. As he mentions, the yard was used for things before the railroad came to town and it will be used once it leaves. I have no love of Harvard but should they build out a new campus it will create a bigger economic benefit for the area then the railroad did. After all, if CSX thought it was valuable as a terminal they would have kept it. And for the record, there still is some freight coming to Boston -- sometimes I get lucky and catch the infrequent train going past the West Medford stop.
Boston used to be a major manufacturing hub and port city. Now what gets made needs offices and what gets shipped needs fiber optics. In 120 years Harvard might move out and assuming it hasn't become wetlands it will be repurposed for something else. Will tears be shed when the last grad student leaves?
Freight ops remaining
Freight ops remaining within 5 miles of downtown Boston:
- A customer off 3rd Ave in Somerville (twice a week?)
- Boston Sand & Gravel (as needed, 2-3/week?)
- Boston Globe by JFK/UMass (1/week or 2/month?)
- New England Produce Center in Chelsea/Everett (daily)
- Schnitzer Scrap in Everett (as needed, 3/week?)
I'm pretty sure that's it.
Houghton Chemical by the
Houghton Chemical by the hotel by Beacon Park still get cars? I remember picking up hanging beef railed to Southampton street yards , among other adventures. Still CO2 in Tewksbury last time I checked, O the humanity of it all...........
Plus...
Houghton Chemical in Allston, MS Walker in Somerville, Boston Paper Board (sporadic) in Charlestown, Independent Cement (sporadic) in Everett, Preferred Freezer in Everett, MBTA BET (materials in, scrap out). The refrigerated warehouse in the Southampton St yards may still get a car here or there.
If the market wants/needs direct freight rail, as opposed to transloaded (train-to-truck) freight, it tends to find a way. Look at the increased freight traffic (through Somerville) to Rouselot Gelatin in Peabody, the recently re-connected Tighe Warehouse in Winchester (the NIMBYs there love it), and the former Stop & Shop warehouse in Readville, thriving under a new owner. These are all examples of left-for-dead freight customers that rebounded in a big way.
Home Depot and old Star
Home Depot and old Star market siding ( whoever is in old Star is a logistics company i think ) Norwood still active ? Old S & S rail head in Readville was spawned off of Mansfield car breakers I think....
Freight
Houghton Chemical in Allston
- To be eliminated, so I'm told
MS Walker in Somerville
- That would the customer off 3rd Ave I noted
Boston Paper Board (sporadic) in Charlestown
- Pretty sure they haven't had anything in years at this point
Independent Cement (sporadic) in Everett
- Same as above, though perhaps more likely to receive shipments than Boston Paperboard
Preferred Freezer in Everett
- I kinda lumped this in with New England Produce, but yes, spot on. Seems to vary wildly, but definitely better than 1/week average.
MBTA BET (materials in, scrap out)
- Not sure how much they actually get. I'm told a depressing amount of shipments are by truck.
The refrigerated warehouse in the Southampton St yards may still get a car here or there
- No idea. Maybe so.
Allston Yards
History will not look kindly upon Harvard (nor will the regional population) if it does not develop that land with an eye toward including an expandable transportation hub.
A West Station, a high speed reail Inland Route, Commuter Rail, an RER-type intraurban train, Urban Ring, multiple bus lines...to think that much of our transportation future lies in the hands of Harvard. It's depressing.
Could be worse...
It could be in the hands of BU
DMUs?
Seems like the east end of the Worcester line will have a lot of potential for increased passenger traffic, thanks to the Harvard and New Balance developments, and potentially the new Yawkey station. If we are buying DMUs, this would be a good place to deploy them, regardless of whether the Track 61 connection to the convention center gets built.
DMUs would make too much sense
Ah, DMUs...
A transit project that would be cheap to build, cheap to run, and provide fast and frequent service? Sounds just like what *doesn't* get built around here.
The article claims that the
The article claims that the freight that had been unloaded in that yard will instead be unloaded in Worcester, and trucked to Boston.
But most of it isn't headed for Boston. Almost all of the containers that were unloaded at the Allston yard were then trucked west on the Pike, doubling back the last few miles of its rail trip.