Boston & Maine Railroad 99-Car Freight at Waltham MA 5/30/1928

I recently treated myself to an Ebay item... an original glass negative of a freight in Waltham Massachusetts.  The caption reads "3009  B&M  May 30, 1928  99 CARS   Waltham Mass".  

I wondered why a photographer would make a special note of the "99 cars", and tried finding newspaper accounts via the Boston Public Library e-resources.  

On May 19th a special train for then president Calvin Coolidge was run on the B&M to Andover MA.  The president spoke at Phillips Academy for their 150th anniversary.  But that event was 11 days before the "99 car train" ran.

On June 5th the B&M had a celebration to open the new hump yards at Somerville, complete with a "parade of boxcars" to demonstrate the system to over 1,000 guests.  Were those 99 cars "props" en route for that event?  

Was 99 even a lot of fright cars on one train for that era?

AND did railroads close down for Memorial Day Weekend in the 1920s?  Was this train run to get freight moved before the holiday?  

Well, in 1928, Memorial Day was also called Decoration Day, and it was celebrated on May 30th, not the last Monday in May like today.  That means the train in the photo ran ON Memorial Day!  Perhaps the photographer just plain had a day off from work and went trackside?

Unless the train was mentioned in an employee magazine, we may never know just what caused the photographer to document that particular train.  

Now, what about the location of the photo?  It seems to me if the train is on the Fitchburg mainline, then  the old Central Massachusetts line is at right.  That means the train is somewhere west of Waverley in the Clematis Brook area and traveling "eastbound" toward Boston.  

There also appears to be an overhead road bridge in the background, with some semaphore signals just visible.  That could be the Linden Street bridge BUT it should be off to the right of the Fitchburg main, so that may possibly just be a signal bridge.

A period track chart would come in useful... 

The easiest info to find is the locomotive type:  2-10-2 "Santa Fe" Alco S1-a, built in 1920.

Am I delving too much into this photograph?  YOU BET!  But HEY, it keeps me off the mean streets!

POSTCARD VIEW: B&M Fitchburg MA Station #2

Boston & Maine Fitchburg MA Station

Vintage View: B&M Steam at FitchburgMA Station

B&M Steam at Fitchburg MA Station

MBTA Commuter Train Derails in Fitchburg MA

(SOURCE:  Fitchburg Sentinel & Enterprise, by Alana Melanson)

Workers investigate after an MBTA train derailed as it was pulling into the 

Fitchburg Intermodel Stationt. 

SENTINEL & ENTERPRISE / JOHN LOVE

FITCHBURG -- A Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority commuter-rail train carrying between 50 and 60 passengers derailed at the Intermodal Station on Tuesday, just before 8 PM (12/17), after several hours of heavy snowfall. 

Police Sgt. Thomas Daoust and Deputy Fire Chief Kevin Curran said there were no injuries in the incident, and that passengers were quickly evacuated from the back of the train and left the scene. 

"Most of them were unaware there was an overshooting of the platform," Curran said. 

He said one engineer on board sought treatment by MedStar ambulance personnel but signed a release.
Curran said the engineer told officials there were 2,500 gallons of fuel on the train and not a single drop spilled during the derailment, which led to the train going about 10 feet off course but remaining upright.

Radio reports at the scene indicated that a second train was held in waiting behind the derailed train, and that angry passengers wanting to go home became rowdy and threatened the conductor.

Fitchburg police, firefighters and ambulance workers were staying on the scene until MBTA officials arrived, which occurred past press time. 

Fitchburg Railroad Station, Boston MA

Stereo view of the Fitchburg Railroad station, Boston MA. 
One of the towers was moved to Truro MA, on Cape Cod.

More MBTA Fitchburg Line Weekend Disruption Coming

(SOURCE:  Wicked Local LINCOLN MA - By Kimberly A. Hooper)

Lincoln — Joe Nolan, a community outreach official for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), confirmed Thursday that the MBTA will continue weekend commuter rail service from North Station to South Acton until Saturday, Sept. 7.

Originally, weekend commuter rail service was slated to be suspended beginning August 3 at several stops on the Fitchburg line, including Concord, West Concord and Lincoln, due to track work.

Beginning Sept. 7, weekend trains will only run from North Station to Brandeis/Roberts.

Weekend service has already been suspended along the Fitchburg line at stops including Fitchburg, North Leominster, Shirley, Littleton/Interstate 495 and South Acton, and Nolan said these stops, with the exception of South Acton, will remain closed on the weekends in August. The stretch includes a stop in Lincoln.

According to the MBTA, no weekend commuter rail service will be available in South Acton, Concord, West Concord, Lincoln, Kendall Green and at Brandeis/Roberts from Sept. 7 until Nov. 24.

No alternative transportation will be provided by the MBTA, according to the website.

Nolan said the MBTA doesn't expect the restoration of service in August to have an impact on the project's anticipated timeline.

"We were able to make efficiencies in the contract and the completion dates remain the same," he said.

The $200 million “Fitchburg Line Improvement Project” will improve reliability of service and reduce trip times for commuters. It is scheduled for completion by the end of 2015.

Nolan said the project includes construction of a second track between Acton and Ayer and two new stations in Littleton and South Acton.

In addition to these improvements, there will also be improvements to seven bridges and upgrades to the signal system and track improvements to allow maximum train speed to increase from 60 mph to 80 miles per hour.

POSTCARD VIEW: B&M Station, Fitchburg MA

MBTA Fitchburg Line Rider Slightly Upset...

The MBTA station area at Ayer MA was recently covered with chalked messages telling riders to demand a refund on their passes. Apparently, the Fitchburg line will not have service on weekends through the fall. Needless to say, someone is upset that they paid full price for a pass, and is not getting service.  The T isn't even providing bus service.

The following information is from the MBTA website:

Due to track work the following Fitchburg Line stations will be closed weekends: Fitchburg, North Leominster, Shirley, Ayer, and Littleton/495. No substitute bus service will be provided. Service will run per normal schedule between North Station and South Acton.

These closures will be every weekend from June 1 through November 24, 2013 except for Fourth of July weekend (July 6 and 7) and Labor Day weekend (August 31, September 1.)

Stops Affected: Ayer, Fitchburg, Littleton / Rte 495, North Leominster, Shirley

VIDEO: Pan Am / High Iron Hoosac Excursion Train 2013

1871 Fitchburg Railroad Pass

1871 Fitchburg Railroad Pass... an Ebay item I would have liked to have added to my collection!