Despite the many criticisms of Guilford in their current state, just how profitable could they be under different management? I hear the rumors about how much business they’ve shrugged off, and how poorly maintained their facilities are. I’m not from New England, nor have I ever been there to see Guilford operate - I only know what I read from railfans. But despite a supposedly dieing rail industry, I would think Guilford should be raking in the money - if it were managed effectively (like P&W?). They have access to some of the largest markets, and the one of the few western gateways. I know why they got rid of D&H, but I see that as a big mistake nowadays. It simply slows their shipments and doesn’t give them the competitive edge with NS/CP that single-line CSX has into New England.
Of course this is speculation, but had they kept D&H and not driven away all the business, they could of had enough money to buy the Southern Tier during the Conrail split - it’s really an outcast line that NS and CSX could have done without, but it would have substantially helped a railroad such as Guilford. It just seems to me that despite MEC and B&M’s struggles in the 1970s, a combined system today (post Staggers Act) should be highly competitive and profitable.
Anyone else have any thoughts on this?
I think they’re biggest enemy is that they have a lot of track for the markets they serve, so high cost and low revenue. Their big consuming market is metro Boston and they dont’ go there as well or as seemlessly as CSX. The only product on the move from their service area is wood and paper and the Conrail merger put more of the product from the SE into a better position than pre-merger, so that probably hurts them, as well.
Has the railroad tried to move containers from Halifax or St. Johns to Boston and South?
They have a stack train from Halifax to Boston or Ayer (or maybe Worcester…I forget which). It’s handed off from CN to the New Brunswick Southern, then to Guilford.
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I have some Boston and Maine Railroad magazines from the '50s. Each one contains a financial report where they said the RR hadn’t made a return to stockholders since 1932.
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