[4K] Limestone Train! Chasing PWBO Across Pan Am Railways [December 2021]

My name is Dan, and I am a railfan based mainly on Pan Am Railways’ Districts 2 and 3. Enjoy a video compilation from Thursday and Friday, December 23rd and 24th, 2021 where we chase a rare Loaded Limestone Train (PWBO) from the interchange with the Providence and Worcester Railroad in Worcester, MA, across Pan Am Railways to the Merrimack Power Station in Bow, NH. The power station uses the limestone as a cleaning agent in the scrubbers for cleaner emissions, and had not received a unit train since 2016. Being used as a secondary power source, the once-busy site had only been used sparingly over the past several years with very sparse deliveries of coal and one delivery of non-unit limestone cars, with some additional shipments trucked in. With some recent rumors of a new delivery of coal trains starting soon, people had seemingly forgotten the once semi-frequent limestone trains. With the start of the rumored coal trains still not yet reality and the holiday season well underway, the last thing any of us expected was for not only limestone loads to appear for Merrimack, but multiple whole unit trains to appear, the first since 2016. On relatively short notice, we heard that P&W took the bethgons out of long-term storage in Pawtucket, RI for loading and ultimate delivery to Pan Am in Worcester for their trip up to Bow. AY-5 on duty at noon in Ayer on the 23rd to head down to Worcester to receive the train with their power, we got down to Worcester in time to see Q427 clear the property and the P&W WX-2 crew, with P&W 4001 (B40-8), P&W 3902 (B39-8E) and P&W 4004 (B40-8) bring the Limestone Train to Barbers. Fortunately for us, Pan Am provided a matching pair of corporate blue, elephant style C40-8s for the trip over their system. Quickly swapping and readying for departure, PWBO would leave Worcester for points east with MEC 7534 (C40-8) leading MEC 7523 (C40-8) and the 53-car train. A nice, smooth, slow chase up the Worcester Main later, the train would arrive in Ayer to continue east on to District 2 and the Stony Brook towards Chelmsford. Arriving in Westford at CPF-307, the train would meet their recrew that would take the train the rest of the distance to Bow. On board and ready to go, NA-2 would take the train over to CPF-303 in North Chelmsford for the next holdup. Arriving at the interlocking, the crew would end up making multiple moves at the wye so the power wouldn’t both be facing the wrong way for the eventual trip back to Worcester with the empty train. Rearranged as the 7523 leading the 7534 back-to-back, the train would finally start their trip north up the Northern Main for the last leg of the trip to the power station. Alas, at 0300 in the AM, we would watch as the NA-2 crew wrapped up their shift as they spotted the limestone cars in the power station and brought their power back down to the Perini Siding to be tied down. Definitely an awesome chase that brought back the nostalgia of the classic BOPW moves, and a great chance to see some fellow railfans trackside for the unusual move. Enjoy! This is my two hundred and sixty-seventh video of many more to come, so please feel free to like, comment, and subscribe. Time stamps: 00:00 Intro 00:30 P&W WX-2/Limestone Train Information 00:37 WX-2, the Limestone Train crosses Garden St in Worcester, MA 04:51 ST BOPW/Limestone Train Information v1 04:58 BOPW/Limestone Train departs Burncoat, across Burncoat St in Worcester, MA 09:20 BOPW/Limestone Train crosses Shrewsbury St in West Boylston, MA 12:58 BOPW/Limestone Train crosses Prescott St in West Boylston, MA 17:33 BOPW/Limestone Train crosses Sterling St in Clinton, MA 22:10 BOPW/Limestone Train crosses Neck RD South in Lancaster, MA 26:13 BOPW/Limestone Train crosses Still River Depot Rd in Harvard, MA 30:12 BOPW/Limestone Train crosses Sandy Pond Rd in Ayer, MA 34:42 BOPW/Limestone Train crosses Willow Rd in Ayer, MA 39:00 BOPW/Limestone Train crosses Gilson Rd in Littleton, MA 42:10 BOPW/Limestone Train crosses Depot St in Westford, MA 44:55 BOPW/Limestone Train pulls their power across Middlesex St in North Chelmsford, MA to reconfigure their power 45:26 ST BOPW/Limestone Train Information v2 45:33 BOPW/Limestone Train crosses Wellman Ave in North Chelmsford, MA 49:49 BOPW/Limestone Train passes Chelmsford Auto Electric Starter & Alternator in Tyngsboro, MA 53:43 BOPW/Limestone Train passes Winston ST in Manchester, NH 57:36 BOPW/Limestone Train crosses N Commercial ST in Manchester, NH 1:01:45 BOPW/Limestone Train passes behind SNHU in Hooksett, NH 1:05:39 BOPW/Limestone Train passes Robie’s Country Store in Hooksett, NH 1:09:49 BOPW/Limestone Train crosses River Rd in Bow, NH 1:13:49 BOPW/Limestone Train crosses Ferry Rd in Bow, NH as they pull their train past the switch for the power station 1:18:20 BOPW/Limestone Train shoves their train into the power station, past Ferry Rd 1:19:48 Photo Collage 1:20:05 Outro Happy Holidays!