Massachusetts Coastal Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Massachusetts Coastal Railroad is the successor operator of portions of Bay Colony Railroad
.
administered by the Executive Office of Transportation (EOT) expired. These railroad lines included the Cape Cod main, as well as several shorter lines. The new contract was awarded to a new company, the Massachusetts Coastal Railroad, which took over on January 1, 2008. At that time the Bay Colony ceased operation on those lines, but continues in other areas of the state.
Massachusetts Coastal Railroad is a subsidiary of Cape Rail Inc., which also operates the Cape Cod Central Railroad
.
Massachusetts Coastal Railroad also operates under the abbreviated name Mass Coastal Railroad. This shortened version is the variation currently used on all of Massachusetts Coastal's locomotives and rolling stock.
s; numbered 2006 through 2010. The 2006 is an ex-ATSF
GP7u (previously BNSF 1336), the 2007 is a similar ex-ATSF GP9
u (previously BNSF 1664), the 2008 is an ex-Canadian National GP9RM and the 2009 is an ex IC GP28. The 2007 is currently the back up engine on the Taunton line , the 2006 handles the Cape Cod Central Scenic Trains, the 2008 handles interchange with CSX. It also can be found handling the "Energy Train" (see below) generally Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings and afternoons. MC 2009 operates the Energy Train from SeaMass to Yarmouth. All MC units are to eventually be equipped with cab signals, enabling them to traverse the CSX interchange in Middleborough, MA. As of November 2009, 2008 and 2009 are so equipped. All of the locomotives are painted in an attractive Cranberry Red scheme with a black band and yellow stripes and lettering. The two exceptions to the paint scheme are engines 2006 and 2007. After a main generator failure in early 2009, the 2007 re-emerged with a new generator and yellow safety stripes on the front pilots. soon after this the unit was transferred to Taunton. It replaced 2006 which came to Hyannis and had the yellow stripes painted on both the front and rear plow. It is unknown if this will be done to the 2008 and 2009 as well. In 2009 a fourth engine was acquired numbered 2009. This is the newest engine on the roster; A GP28 built by EMD in 1964 for the Illinois Central Railroad. This engine was purchased from National Rail Equipment in Silvis, IL. In late 2010, the railroad purchased their fifth locomotive, a GP50 #2010. This engine is a former Chicago North Western unit.
The railroad operates the "trash train" hauling refuse from Yarmouth
and Falmouth
, MA to SEMASS, a waste-to-energy
plant in Rochester
, MA, as did its predecessor. However, Massachusetts Coastal operates the train under the new name, "Energy Train" using 20 former Canadian Pacific bath tub coal hopper car
s rebuilt into "Energy" cars. These "Energy Cars" are numbered 1000-1019. These cars are painted in an attractive Pullman green scheme with a black band. The first 6 cars were fully painted with "MASS COASTAL" lettering, and "ENERGY TRAIN" written along the sides and gold stripes. the remaining 14 cars are in an abbreviated scheme with no lettering or stripes. This was done to speed up the delivery process.
Along with business on the Cape Main, the railroad operates several times a week on the Dean Street industrial track in Taunton
, MA.
This railroad should not be confused with, although it is affiliated with, Mass COASTER, a proposed commuter railroad which, if formed, will operate commuter service between Cape Cod
and MBTA connecting commuter trains in Middleborough, MA. However, a June 25, 2009 capecodonline.com article entitled Falmouth on track for safety gate reported that Mass Coastal planned to add dinner and tourist passenger trains to its business, and on November 21, 2009, North Falmouth saw its first passenger train in over a decade.
Mass Coastal Took over CSX tracks from Taunton, MA to Fall River and New Bedford, MA. There are implications of this on Mass Coastal's website and at . The railroad continues to operate track south from the connectuin with CSX at Cotey Junction in Taunton to both New Bedford and Fall River.
Bay Colony Railroad
The Bay Colony Railroad is a shortline railroad operating in Massachusetts.The BCLR operates in the Millis - Milford - Needham Corridor. In addition to moving freight for its customers, Bay Colony also performs AAR-certified repairs on rolling stock and contract track construction projects for...
.
History
On December 31, 2007 the contract to operate the freight railroad lines owned by the Commonwealth of MassachusettsMassachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
administered by the Executive Office of Transportation (EOT) expired. These railroad lines included the Cape Cod main, as well as several shorter lines. The new contract was awarded to a new company, the Massachusetts Coastal Railroad, which took over on January 1, 2008. At that time the Bay Colony ceased operation on those lines, but continues in other areas of the state.
Massachusetts Coastal Railroad is a subsidiary of Cape Rail Inc., which also operates the Cape Cod Central Railroad
Cape Cod Central Railroad
The Cape Cod Central Railroad is a heritage railroad located in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.Originally founded in 1999, it operates a variety of excursion trains from downtown Hyannis to the Cape Cod Canal during spring, summer, and fall. Recently, it has expanded service in a limited capacity to offer...
.
Massachusetts Coastal Railroad also operates under the abbreviated name Mass Coastal Railroad. This shortened version is the variation currently used on all of Massachusetts Coastal's locomotives and rolling stock.
Trains and rolling stock
Mass Coastal operates with four locomotiveLocomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
s; numbered 2006 through 2010. The 2006 is an ex-ATSF
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The company was first chartered in February 1859...
GP7u (previously BNSF 1336), the 2007 is a similar ex-ATSF GP9
GP9
GP9 can refer to:* EMD GP9, a diesel locomotive* Glycoprotein IX, a human gene...
u (previously BNSF 1664), the 2008 is an ex-Canadian National GP9RM and the 2009 is an ex IC GP28. The 2007 is currently the back up engine on the Taunton line , the 2006 handles the Cape Cod Central Scenic Trains, the 2008 handles interchange with CSX. It also can be found handling the "Energy Train" (see below) generally Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings and afternoons. MC 2009 operates the Energy Train from SeaMass to Yarmouth. All MC units are to eventually be equipped with cab signals, enabling them to traverse the CSX interchange in Middleborough, MA. As of November 2009, 2008 and 2009 are so equipped. All of the locomotives are painted in an attractive Cranberry Red scheme with a black band and yellow stripes and lettering. The two exceptions to the paint scheme are engines 2006 and 2007. After a main generator failure in early 2009, the 2007 re-emerged with a new generator and yellow safety stripes on the front pilots. soon after this the unit was transferred to Taunton. It replaced 2006 which came to Hyannis and had the yellow stripes painted on both the front and rear plow. It is unknown if this will be done to the 2008 and 2009 as well. In 2009 a fourth engine was acquired numbered 2009. This is the newest engine on the roster; A GP28 built by EMD in 1964 for the Illinois Central Railroad. This engine was purchased from National Rail Equipment in Silvis, IL. In late 2010, the railroad purchased their fifth locomotive, a GP50 #2010. This engine is a former Chicago North Western unit.
The railroad operates the "trash train" hauling refuse from Yarmouth
Yarmouth, Massachusetts
Yarmouth is a New England town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States, Barnstable County being coextensive with Cape Cod. The population was 24,807 at the 2000 census....
and Falmouth
Falmouth, Massachusetts
Falmouth is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States; Barnstable County is coextensive with Cape Cod. The population was 31,531 at the 2010 census....
, MA to SEMASS, a waste-to-energy
Waste-to-energy
Waste-to-energy or energy-from-waste is the process of creating energy in the form of electricity or heat from the incineration of waste source. WtE is a form of energy recovery...
plant in Rochester
Rochester, Massachusetts
Rochester is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,232 at the 2010 census.-History:Rochester was settled in 1679 on the lands called "Sippican" by the local Wampanoags, along the coast of Buzzards Bay...
, MA, as did its predecessor. However, Massachusetts Coastal operates the train under the new name, "Energy Train" using 20 former Canadian Pacific bath tub coal hopper car
Hopper car
A hopper car is a type of railroad freight car used to transport loose bulk commodities such as coal, ore, grain, track ballast, and the like. The name originated from the coke manufacturing industry which is part of the steel industry ....
s rebuilt into "Energy" cars. These "Energy Cars" are numbered 1000-1019. These cars are painted in an attractive Pullman green scheme with a black band. The first 6 cars were fully painted with "MASS COASTAL" lettering, and "ENERGY TRAIN" written along the sides and gold stripes. the remaining 14 cars are in an abbreviated scheme with no lettering or stripes. This was done to speed up the delivery process.
Along with business on the Cape Main, the railroad operates several times a week on the Dean Street industrial track in Taunton
Taunton, Massachusetts
Taunton is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the seat of Bristol County and the hub of the Greater Taunton Area. The city is located south of Boston, east of Providence, north of Fall River and west of Plymouth. The City of Taunton is situated on the Taunton River...
, MA.
This railroad should not be confused with, although it is affiliated with, Mass COASTER, a proposed commuter railroad which, if formed, will operate commuter service between Cape Cod
Cape Cod
Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States...
and MBTA connecting commuter trains in Middleborough, MA. However, a June 25, 2009 capecodonline.com article entitled Falmouth on track for safety gate reported that Mass Coastal planned to add dinner and tourist passenger trains to its business, and on November 21, 2009, North Falmouth saw its first passenger train in over a decade.
Mass Coastal Took over CSX tracks from Taunton, MA to Fall River and New Bedford, MA. There are implications of this on Mass Coastal's website and at . The railroad continues to operate track south from the connectuin with CSX at Cotey Junction in Taunton to both New Bedford and Fall River.