Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Boston & Albany Railroad Stock Yard Receipt - Brighton MA 1889


In 1872, all slaughtering activities in Brighton MA were consolidated into a single facility, the Brighton Abattoir, situated on a 42 acre site on the banks of the Charles River.  The Abattoir closed in 1957 to make way for commercial property, the Leo M. Birmingham Parkway and Soldier's Field Road.

The stockyards had many sidings, and the Boston & Albany rail yards were close by. 

You can read about the Brighton stockyards at http://www.bahistory.org/Abattoir.html

Monday, March 28, 2011

Pan Am Southern Train MOAY - Shelburne Falls MA (2/22/11)



Pan Am Southern intermodal/autorack train MOAY heads east through Shelburne Falls MA, along the old Fitchburg/B&M. Sorry for the darkness, but it was getting late on a winter day!

Friday, March 25, 2011

MBTA Test Train w/Lease Power Ran 3/20/11

The MBTA ran a test train on 3/20/11.  In the lead was leased unit #67 (ex-MARC), followed by new T unit #011, and a full commuter train.  It ran over various lines all day.  Below is a photo was taken by David Hutchinson as the train passed under the Gilmore Bridge at Prison Point, Charlestown, MA.

Photo by David Hutchinson


Guilford/ST #71 and NEMCO #1000 at Ayer MA

Pan Am/Guilford/ST (Springfield Terminal) GP9 #71 and NEMCO switcher NW2 #1000 at Horizon Milling, Ayer MA. The 'geep has been there at least a week so far. Looks like the mill is doing some work on the property.  Word is they may be getting unit trains of grain in the future.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Used MD Locomotive Hailed as Help For Struggling MBTA

Dingy-looking but functional, one of the T's new "pre-owned" locomotives backed into North Station for the first time today, where MBTA General Manager Richard A. Davey applied a T decal and officially placed the engine in service, hailing it as needed help for the beleaguered commuter rail.........



READ ARTICLE: Used MD Locomotive Hailed as Help For Struggling MBTA

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

MBTA deal soured by lemon locomotives

Two of the five loaner locomotives the T rented from an Idaho company as back-up engines for its beleaguered commuter rail service turned out to be too beat-up for use, MBTA General Manager Richard Davey told the Herald............   READ: MBTA deal soured by lemon locomotives

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

1892 Fitchburg Railroad Ticket

New Hampshire House votes to shut down commuter line

Prime reason why so much money is wasted on "feasibility studies".  Think about how much actual WORK could have been done with the money they already had.  Instead, it goes to studies that never amount to anything. 

While I agree that there are a LOT of places where spending needs to be cut, commuter rail in NH isn't a cut I agree with.  Look at all the people who live in New Hampshire and commute to Massachusetts to work.  The highways are clogged with them.  A good commuter system would be a plus for the state.

READ: TRAINS.COM New Hampshire House votes to shut down commuter line

CONCORD, N.H. — Republicans in the New Hampshire House of Representatives have voted to shut down a rail authority that would operate commuter trains to Concord, Manchester, and Nashua, N.H., the Manchester Union Leader has reported. The bill now goes to the state Senate for action.

The authority was set up to study a commuter rail link to Boston. It’s already obtained $4.1 million in federal funds to study the economic impacts of expanded service.

“We need to tighten our belts and do more with less, but the message just isn’t getting through to rail aficionados,” said Rep. John Hikel, R-Goffstown.

Peter Burling, the authority’s chairman, called the vote “sad,” but said he’ll make the case for the authority at the state Senate.

Monday, March 21, 2011

New MBTA Commuter Line Route Chosen

READ: http://www.thebostonchannel.com/money/27266110/detail.html

BOSTON -- Transportation officials hoping to build Massachusetts' newest commuter rail line say they've decided on the best route to connect Boston to New Bedford and Fall River.
Transportation Secretary Jeffrey Mullan said Monday that the Department of Transportation has decided on a route that would take trains through Stoughton.
Officials had been weighing two other possible options for the $1.4 billion commuter rail project, including a link that would use an existing route through Attleboro and a second option that would rely on dedicated rapid bus lanes on Route 24 and portions of Interstate 93.
The commuter rail line will connect to Boston's South Station.
Mullan called the decision, which accompanied release of a key environmental impact report, a "critical step forward" in bringing commuter rail service to the South Coast.

Friday, March 18, 2011

ST GP9 #71 Spotted at NEMCO 3/17/11

1Yesterday I spotted Pan Am/Guilford/Springfield Terminal GP9 #71 parked at New England Milling (actually Horizon Milling) in Ayer MA.  It was sitting next to the plant switcher, NEMCO #1000, an NW2.  This isn't the first time an old Guilford 'geep has worked at the facility.  I couldn't get a good photo without trespassing, so I didn't get a photo... unfortunately...

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

METRO NORTH Danbury Busing Info

READ: METRO NORTH Danbury Busing Info

Bus service has replaced train service on the Danbury Branch until further notice due to extensive storm-related damage to the right-of-way in the vicinity of Bethel.

The significant washout (where the stones supporting our tracks are literally washed away leaving no foundation to support the tracks) south of Bethel was caused by the torrential rains of over four inches that hit our area on March 6-7.

Because of the heavy rainfall, we performed a special patrol of the track, and discovered at around 2 AM last Monday morning the washout was severe enough to halt Danbury train operations through the area.........

Danbury line out of service for two weeks - TRAINS Magazine

READ ARTICLE: Danbury line to be out of service for two weeks - TRAINS Magazine

NEW YORK – Buses will replace trains for at least two weeks on Metro-North Railroad’s 24-mile Danbury (Conn.) Branch until further notice due to extensive storm-related damage to the right-of-way in the vicinity of Bethel.

Torrential rains totaling more than four inches early this week caused the washout south of Bethel, Conn. Track inspectors discovered it at 3:58 a.m. March 7. The washout is 150-feet wide by 20-feet deep and will require a major reconstruction lasting up to two weeks. The washout can’t be reached by train or existing roadway, so the railroad had to build a 150-foot roadway from the nearby Bethel Department of Public Works parking area to bring equipment and riprap to the washout. Metro-North estimates that it will need 100 truckloads to fill. A local stone company started to deliver truckloads of riprap on March 7 and is continuing delivery every day.

The railroad is constructing a pyramid-shaped foundation of riprap for the 8-1/2-foot-wide track. The foundation will be 50-feet wide at the base, narrowing to 12 feet at the top where a foot of new ballast will be laid down.

Until the line is rebuilt, the railroad will run one train each during the morning and evening peaks, the 7:10 a.m. out of Branchville to Grand Central Terminal and the 6:28 p.m. train from Grand Central to Branchville. Danbury, Bethel, and Redding passengers will take connecting bus service from their home stations in the morning, and be transferred to a bus shuttle for the final leg of their evening return.

Three locomotives and 24 coaches were isolated in Danbury because of the flood. To get them out, Metro North moved the trains from Danbury to Brewster, N.Y. via the ex-New Haven Maybrook Line, now operated by the Housatonic Railroad. The line is owned by Metro-North as its Beacon Line. The Danbury-Brewster segment has been out of service for several years, but after an inspection the trains were moved over the line from Danbury to a connection with Metro North’s Harlem Line at Dykemans, just north of Brewster.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

MBTA threatens to fire MBCR

READ: Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority threatens to fire operator - TRAINS Magazine

BOSTON — Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has announced it’s considering firing the company that operates its system under contract, the Boston Herald has reported. The threat comes as the reliability of operations have plummeted amid repeated winter storms and cold weather.

“We have leverage over the MBCR [operator Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad] and we’ll use the upcoming contract to scare them to prove to us that they have credible customer service,” said Richard Davey, MBTA’s general manager. “They’ve got work to do on that.”

The latest meltdown came Monday, when a locomotive failed on an express train between the Newtonville and Newton stations Monday evening. The locomotive suffered a mechanical failure during the morning commute, but the railroad thought it’d been properly fixed. Davey called the fiasco “entirely preventable.”

If the authority fired MBCR, it would likely begin operating its own system, as numerous commuter lines around the country do

Friday, March 4, 2011

NMRA HUB Division - Spring TRAINing Show MARLBOROUGH MA

READ: NMRA HUB Division - Spring TRAINing Show

The HUB Division Inc. of the
Northeastern Region, National Model Railroad Association
Presents

2011 Spring TRAINing

At the HOLIDAY INN
265 Lakeside Avenue
; Marlborough, Massachusetts

Located off Interstate 495, at Route 128 (exit 24A)

Saturday April 2, 2011
10AM to 4PM - ADMISSION - $6.00
 

Hundreds Of MBTA Commuters Delayed Again

Hundreds Of MBTA Commuters Delayed Again - Boston News Story - WCVB Boston