Track for maintenance or a possible extension of the line

[John Kokas]

I seem to recall that when the Welsh Highland was under reconstruction that they bought new 60lb rail from Poland at a very good price.  Maybe one of our Welsh friends could shed some light on this.

[Mike Fox]

I think we can still buy new rail, but it is a lot more expensive than used.

[Wayne Laepple]

That's all true, of course. The trick is finding what we need at a reasonable price and close enough that it doesn't break the bank to deliver it.

I got a quote from a track materials supplier in the fall of $760 a ton for No. 1 relay quality 60 pound rail and $790 a ton for new rail. That did not include joint bars or transportation. I also found several miles of relay 60 pound rail with bars at $300 a ton, but the owner was unwilling to sell only part of what he had. And it was in southwestern Missouri, a long way from Sheepscot.

[John Kokas]

So, how much rail are we talking about?  And if we are talking a large amount, can it ship by rail in gons to Wiscasset or Rockland?  You can get a whole lot of 60 lb rail in a 100 Ton Gon.

On the other prices, if you're only talking $30/ton difference between #1 and new, I'd go with new.  If you have any defects, with new you either return or take a credit.  With used, you eat the price.

[Ed Lecuyer]

IIRC, we have considered rail delivery by rail. One issue was that we would have to get the rail out of the gondola(s) somehow. Since then, Wiscasset has (I think) lost its siding. So trucking becomes a much more feasible delivery mechanism.

How much rail?  I think the consensus is not so much how much do we need, but rather how much are we willing to pay. If we can get a fair quantity of 60# rail cheap for "someday", then I suspect we would take that opportunity. Yet we wouldn't pay market price right now, since there is no immediate need for the rail.

That said, 5-10 miles of (additional) track would probably cover the logical extent of the railroad within any of our lifetimes - if such extensions were to be adopted as official projects.

[James Patten]

No more Wiscasset siding, it got pulled up a couple of years ago when Railroad Ave was widened and parking added.  The nearest is in Newcastle, but that's not terribly accessible by road vehicle anymore (it looks like local residents have occupied the grounds).

[Graham Buxton]

If I am not mistaken, our 'long beams' vendor, Viking Lumber, gets some loads by rail. It seems something could be worked out with Viking. 

[Wayne Laepple]

There are lots of things to think about when shipping rail by rail. The first thing is that the big railroads are not interested in the onesy-twosey carload business, so if they are even willing to quote it, they will quote some outlandish number. Next, a gondola is designed to carry 80 to 100 tons these days, so the rate is based on the weight of the load. Even 80 tons of rail at $500 a ton is going to cost $40,000 just to buy it. When you are looking at as much as $750 or $800 a ton, it's pretty pricey. Then we have to add on to that the expense of loading it in the gon, the rail freight rate, the cost of unloading it from the gon and the cost of trucking it, 20 tons or so at a time, to Sheepscot. Pretty soon that adds up to real money.

[John Kokas]

What I look at is the pricing difference.  If as Wayne has stated he has quotes for 300/ton in Missouri and 760/ton from a dealer the difference is 460/ton.  If you are loading a 100 ton Gon that's a savings of $46,000 bucks.  I can move several railcars for 46 grand.  One must also take into account that no matter which way you go you have a basic shipping cost associated with the move.  So the increased distance cost is incremental, not a full expense.

Doesn't Bath Ironworks still have 1 or 2 sidings active for steel and equipment shipments?  There is also a siding at 144 Depot St. Waldoboro.