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Date: 7/1/2022
WARREN – From the Midwest to the East Coast, a variety of trains loaded with goods are being transported on the rails through West Warren and Warren. Near the West Warren Dam and the former William E. Wrights Factory, Frank Fish, a Warren resident, captures photos of the passing trains and shares them on social media to inform residents on what’s traveling through town.
For nearly 30 years, Fish has been a “railfan” - watching the trains and learning about the rail transport, he said. “A lot of my friends who work for the railroad keep me in the loop.”
Recently, Fish became a licensed drone pilot, allowing him to take aerial photos of the trains. One of his latest photos was of a tank train. Fish told Reminder Publishing that the 80-car empty tank train had just carried ethanol down to Providence, RI. He explained that the Shell corporation is responsible for offloading the ethanol and loading it into storage tanks where it is eventually used to mix with gas. This is the reason people see 10 percent ethanol on the fuel pumps at gas stations, he said.
Fish went on to say that ethanol comes from the Midwest, either from North or South Dakota. The train travels through CSX to Worcester, and then to Providence. Once it’s empty, the train goes back to Worcester, where CSX takes it to Illinois and back to the ethanol field, he said.
Aside from the tank train, Fish said they have a variety of locomotives passing through Warren. This includes freight trains, coal trains and more.
“CSX recently purchased Pan Am Railways,” said Fish. By doing so, this extends the New England reach into Maine and Canada, he added.
Fish said they transport everything from wood to propane, auto racks and more. “You name it [they transport it],” he said.