Author: Dan Comick
Photos taken June of 2023 to Present.
M427 with CSXT 466 - CSXT 314 - CSXT 474 takes the siding at Dover, NH to meet Amtrak.
Seen on M427
M427 with CSXT 466 - CSXT 314 - CSXT 474 blasts west past the B&M depot at Rockingham Jct.
Seen at Rigby Yard
Seen at Rigby Yard
The Geometry Extra, or if you go by CSXs symbol for it; W001 heads "east" on the final leg of the Rumford Branch trip through Dixfield, Maine. They had to leave the other unit; CSXT 8052 on the east leg of the wye in Leeds Junction as six axle units are not permitted on the Rumford Branch,
Seen in Rumford, Maine
Seen on M427
Seen on M427
Seen on M427
Seen at Rigby Yard
Seen on M427
Seen on M427
CSXT 8831, CSXT 4004, MEC 7489 and some other older units sit on an out of service track at Waterville, Maine.
M427 with CSXT 8822 - CSXT 8839 - CSXT 9005 - CSXT 478 and a train of all paper and water loads for Ayer rolls west over the Salmon Falls bridge connecting Maine and New Hampshire. While PTC / ACSES requirements have restricted what can lead freight trains that travel through Keolis territory I definitely won't complain about seeing some SD40-2's as that would have been very rare in the previous era of CSX run through power of the early 2010's
M427 with CSXT 8822 - CSXT 8839 - CSXT 9005 - CSXT 478 rolls west through Biddeford, Maine past the old B&M station, now a sports bar.
M427 with CSXT 8822 - CSXT 8839 - CSXT 9005 - CSXT 478 crosses the Merrimack River in Haverhill, MA with a heavy train of paper and water loads for Ayer. The next day these units would be assigned to the empty coal train from Bow and continue west across the B&A with this same lashup and 100 empty coal hoppers.
M427 with CSXT 8822 - CSXT 8839 - CSXT 9005 - CSXT 478 passes the seasonal Amtrak Downeaster station in Old Orchard Beach, Maine as they start their way west out of Rigby Yard under a nice blue sky.
M426 with CSXT 465 - CSXT 5248 - CSXT 884 departs Lowell after a crew change and three car set out at the tower, crossing the Concord River under some ominous skies (and making it seconds before the clouds blocked the sun!) In spite of the storm light, there really was no storm and the sun was back out in a few hours.
Seen on M426
Seen on M426
Seen on M426
Seen on M427
M427 with CSXT 8365 - CSXT 485 - CSXT 11 and 73 cars knocks down CPF-273 past the classic B&M searchlight and dwarf signal. CSXT 8365 is one of at least seven CSX SD40-2's that are not former Conrail but still have ACSES based PTC installed to run in Metro North and now Keolis territory. It certainly makes for a nice mix up from the now (again) common widecab GE's in District 2.
Seen on M426
Seen on M426
Seen on M427
Seen on M427
M426 with CSXT 484 - CSXT 468 - CSXT 487 - CSXT 6229 rolls around the curve at the old Wells Depot after meeting counterpart train M427.
Seen on M426
Seen on M426
M427 with CSXT 8365 - CSXT 485 - CSXT 11 and 73 cars passes through Wells, ME.
Seen on M427's lineup as they wye their power in Portland, Maine.
Old Pan Am symbol RUPO (CSX had not yet changed Pan Am local symbols at the time of this photo) with CSXT 2548 - MEC 507 - MEC 345 rumbles over the Dead River in Leeds, Maine on the Rumford Branch.
With paper from Greene to Blake, RUPO with CSXT 2548 - MEC 507 - MEC 345 and forty cars rolls west past the old (now out of service) MEC searchlight as they exit the Rumford Branch and enter the Freight Main. They will have a 28 car pickup at Danville.
RUPO with CSXT 2548 - MEC 507 - MEC 345 starts their climb into Greene, Maine on what is now CSX's Waterville Subdivision.
M427 with CSXT 467 - CSXT 8881 - CSXT 473 starts their trip west in the last rays of sun on a mild Friday evening.
Seen on POWA
Seen on POWA
A load for Boise is seen at the yard in Portsmouth, NH.
DO-1 with CSXT 2548 - MEC 504 has worked Highliner as well as Boise and SubCom on the Newington Industrial and pauses in Portsmouth Yard before heading west to Rockingham Junction where they will tie down for the evening and make a trip to Rigby the next day. This is the first time a CSX unit has been to Portsmouth other than the Geometry extras last year. While propane has taken a recent hiatus to Sea 3 lumber and plastics have been on a nice uptick as well as frozen fish to Highliner Foods west of the yard. With a recent laying of welded rail on the branch one can hope for the return of LPG traffic at some point making the two unit consists a more common occurrence again.
CSX and Pan Am power lay over on a Thursday afternoon at CSX's Rigby Yard.
M426 with CSXT 485 - CSXT 12 - CSXT 464 and 32 general freight followed by a CWR train rumbles slowly east over the Androscoggin River from Auburn into Lewiston, Maine. CSX had just extended the destination/origin of M426 and M427 to and from Waterville rather than Rigby Yard, and by doing so has also begun sending the same power all the way that the train came out of Selkirk with, finally making active CSX power east of Rigby an everyday reality.
M426 with CSXT 485 - CSXT 12 - CSXT 464 passes through Allied Rd. in Auburn, Maine.
Seen on M426
Seen on M426
Seen on M426
Seen on M426
Seen on M426
Seen at Rigby Yard