Boston to Portland Passenger Service
The work of preparing the main track from Plaistow, New Hampshire to Portland, Maine for the operation of high speed passenger trains has accelerated during the Summer months, and this work will continue as late into the Fall season as weather permits.
As of the third week in September, more than 43,000 crossties and six track miles of welded rail have been installed. Surfacing of 26 miles of track, for at least the first pass, was completed. The surfacing will be done in phases or passes as required to place the track at the desired elevation, with the necessary superelevation on curves (that is, “banking” to allow for the train speeds), and to gain the desired drainage.
One of the major features of the track preparation is the vertical alignment correction required for high speed operation without the “thank you, ma’am”. The clearance at a bridge or other overhead obstruction is accomplished either by increasing the elevation of the bridge or decreasing the elevation of the track. At relatively low speed the depression of the track may be fairly abrupt, but at high speed, a passenger might become airborne if the track drops off or rises up too rapidly. This is being corrected by undercutting the track on both sides of the bridges for a significant distance, at 13 locations, ten of which are now completed. This even involved some relocation of the trackside signals. The undercutting process is similar to that used to enlarge the clearances from Ayer to New York State, although the machine is somewhat different.
Signals must be redesigned for the higher speed trains, particularly those at grade crossings designed to warn motorists of approaching trains. Those warnings must commence at a point further from the crossing since the faster train takes less time to reach the crossing. There are 15 grade crossings which have received new foundations for the gates, and twelve trackside signal foundations have been installed.
Two new tracks are being constructed to facilitate the operation of the passenger trains. The first is a bypass track in the Rigby Yard of South Portland, Maine. This project involved the retirement and removal of some four miles of yard trackage, followed by grading and drainage improvements. To date, some 40% of the roadbed for the bypass track has been prepared. The other track is a siding or passing track at Wells, Maine, part of which is visible from the Maine Turnpike overpass. This track is in the same location of the former second main track, but that track has been gone for many years. Now, brush has been cut, the subgrade prepared, 6,400 crossties have been placed, and two track miles of reusable (“relay”) rail have been welded and placed in the right-of-way for construction of the passing track, which should have commenced by the time the “XPRESS” is printed.
It is exciting to see this work take place. Additional Guilford Rail crews are being assigned to the upgrading work for the chill of autumn has brought the reminder that Winter is not long off, and the trackwork cannot be progressed much under Winter conditions. We will continue to bring the reader an update on this very important project.
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