 |
| B&M Depot, Haymarket Square, Boston MA (circa 1889) |
Showing posts with label maine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label maine. Show all posts
Monday, March 16, 2026
Boston & Maine Depot, Haymarket Square Boston MA - circa 1889
Thursday, May 1, 2025
New Rail Company Restarts Operations on Rockland Line
(SOURCE: Maine Public - Nicole Ogrysko)
Freight operations are resuming on the Rockland Branch railroad. The Unity-based company Maine Switching Services finalized a lease agreement with the Maine Department of Transportation earlier this week to begin using the nearly 57-mile long freight line."We are reactivating signaling systems at railroad crossings to allow for freight rail to resume," said Finn Kelly, government relations manager and spokesperson for Maine Switching Services. "We do have customers who are actively wanting to move their products now."
Customers include Dragon Cement Products in Thomaston, which will use the freight line again to move products, Finn said.
The Rockland line's previous operator, Midcoast Railservice, stopped operations in August after Dragon Cement stopped production. A subsidiary of the German company Heidelberg Materials is closing on its acquisition of Dragon Cement.
Maine Switching Services is not yet proposing to add passenger rail service on the Rockland branch, though Kelly said it remains a goal for the company. It's also exploring the possibility of offering scenic train excursions.
Midcoast Railservice had been working with Amtrack, Maine DOT and the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority, which operates the Downeaster, to add passenger service between Rockland and Brunswick. But those plans died out when Midcoast ceased operations last summer.
Maine Switching Services has, however, submitted a proposal with Maine DOT to restore rail service on the 33-mile stretch from Brunswick to Augusta, known as the Lower Road corridor. The company said the corridor is viable for passenger rail.
But the proposal is at odds with recommendations from the Lower Road Rail Use Advisory Council,
a group of nearby residents, town officials and some state lawmakers. The council wants DOT to remove the railroad track and construct a recreational trail from Brunswick to Gardiner.
Kelly said Maine Switching Services is talking with trail advocates and believes both groups could achieve their respective goals.
"They want to see economic development. They want to see environmentally friendly and accessible transportation, and those are the same things that we want," Kelly said.
The Legislature is considering a bill that would authorize DOT to remove the tracks for trail construction
Saturday, September 10, 2022
New Push for Boston-to-Montreal Passenger Trains
(SOURCE: Wilson Ring, Holly Ramer, https://apnews.com/article/travel-boston-canada-d2600621dc5fa2ce2af2a3b7825a65b7)
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Rail advocates are dusting off a proposal for passenger train service between Montreal and Boston, riding a renewed interest in train travel to bolster a concept that has been around for more than a decade.
“It’s not a hard sell at all. A lot of people want this,” said Francois Rebello, a former national assembly member in Quebec and a consultant on the project.
Hundreds of travelers would ride a privately operated, overnight train each day if obstacles can be overcome to make the service a reality in coming years, according to a ridership study.
It wouldn’t be a high-speed affair. Promoters envision a different experience — a relaxed ride with a meal and sleep before arriving bright-eyed at the destination. The 14-hour ride would travel through Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Quebec.
The proposal comes against a backdrop of a rail revival, and more than $100 billion in railway infrastructure funding approved by Congress.
Maine State Sen. Richard Bennett, a Republican who lives in a district where the train would pass, said there’s much work to be done.
“I’m both excited and skeptical,” he said. “I certainly support the concept and I think it has a lot of promise. I think this can be done.”
But the proposal is in the early stages and the obstacles are many.
The track on the Canadian side of the border requires more than $100 million in upgrades and repairs. The track is in good shape through northern New England but the speed is limited to about 35 mph (56 kph) for a long stretch, and there’s little hope of securing additional funding to boost the speed.
Operators would have to negotiate agreements with several private owners of the rail — the Saint Lawrence and Atlantic, CSX and others — and there could be multiple crews required for the train. Then there’s the question of clearing customs with people coming and going at multiple train stops, and finding scarce equipment.
The idea for restoring Montreal-to-Boston passenger rail service for the first time since the 1960s has been bounced around for more than a decade, and several different rail routes have been floated over the years.
This time, the proposed route would follow Canadian Pacific Railway track from Montreal to Sherbrooke, Quebec, and then the St. Lawrence and Atlantic across Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, where a CSX-owned rail passes through Old Orchard Beach, a popular Maine tourist destination for Canadians. The final stretch is operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority.
Carl Fowler, a member of the Vermont Rail Advisory Council, is a rail advocate who likes the idea of expanded passenger rail service. But he said people have to be realistic about the proposal’s challenges.
“There are a lot of loose ends to be resolved,” he said.
Proponents have engaged with the Canadian Pacific Railway and the corporate parent of St. Lawrence and Atlantic, and the Canadian government already has considered investing in railway upgrades, Rebello said. Montreal real estate entrepreneur Nikolai Ray has signed on an investor.
About 60 rail advocates, legislators, tourism officials and others gathered recently in Coaticook, Quebec, to discuss the vision promoted by Montreal-based Fondation Trains De Nuit, or Night Train Foundation, and view a proposed map. Notably absent were state transportation officials from Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.
But the project won’t start anytime soon. The most optimistic view is that the project would need at least two years to become a reality, he said. However, it could take longer to secure funding and rail agreements.
A motorist could get from Boston to Montreal twice as fast but rail advocates say riders would get there in style. People could have dinner, be entertained and sleep in a comfortable bed, proponents say. They’d also be spared the cost of a hotel fee, since they’d be sleeping and showering on the train, supporters said.
The project holds appeal both for older riders who are nostalgic about trains and a younger generation that’s less enthralled with cars, Rebello said.
Rail enthusiast Sarah LeBaron von Baeyer, who lives outside Boston and doesn’t drive, said she “wholeheartedly” embraces mass transit that would allow her to visit family and friends in Canada several times a year.
“I love train travel. I lived in Japan for many years. It was absolutely the best way to get around,” she said.
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Rail advocates are dusting off a proposal for passenger train service between Montreal and Boston, riding a renewed interest in train travel to bolster a concept that has been around for more than a decade.
“It’s not a hard sell at all. A lot of people want this,” said Francois Rebello, a former national assembly member in Quebec and a consultant on the project.
Hundreds of travelers would ride a privately operated, overnight train each day if obstacles can be overcome to make the service a reality in coming years, according to a ridership study.
It wouldn’t be a high-speed affair. Promoters envision a different experience — a relaxed ride with a meal and sleep before arriving bright-eyed at the destination. The 14-hour ride would travel through Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Quebec.
The proposal comes against a backdrop of a rail revival, and more than $100 billion in railway infrastructure funding approved by Congress.
Maine State Sen. Richard Bennett, a Republican who lives in a district where the train would pass, said there’s much work to be done.
“I’m both excited and skeptical,” he said. “I certainly support the concept and I think it has a lot of promise. I think this can be done.”
But the proposal is in the early stages and the obstacles are many.
The track on the Canadian side of the border requires more than $100 million in upgrades and repairs. The track is in good shape through northern New England but the speed is limited to about 35 mph (56 kph) for a long stretch, and there’s little hope of securing additional funding to boost the speed.
Operators would have to negotiate agreements with several private owners of the rail — the Saint Lawrence and Atlantic, CSX and others — and there could be multiple crews required for the train. Then there’s the question of clearing customs with people coming and going at multiple train stops, and finding scarce equipment.
The idea for restoring Montreal-to-Boston passenger rail service for the first time since the 1960s has been bounced around for more than a decade, and several different rail routes have been floated over the years.
This time, the proposed route would follow Canadian Pacific Railway track from Montreal to Sherbrooke, Quebec, and then the St. Lawrence and Atlantic across Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, where a CSX-owned rail passes through Old Orchard Beach, a popular Maine tourist destination for Canadians. The final stretch is operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority.
Carl Fowler, a member of the Vermont Rail Advisory Council, is a rail advocate who likes the idea of expanded passenger rail service. But he said people have to be realistic about the proposal’s challenges.
“There are a lot of loose ends to be resolved,” he said.
Proponents have engaged with the Canadian Pacific Railway and the corporate parent of St. Lawrence and Atlantic, and the Canadian government already has considered investing in railway upgrades, Rebello said. Montreal real estate entrepreneur Nikolai Ray has signed on an investor.
About 60 rail advocates, legislators, tourism officials and others gathered recently in Coaticook, Quebec, to discuss the vision promoted by Montreal-based Fondation Trains De Nuit, or Night Train Foundation, and view a proposed map. Notably absent were state transportation officials from Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.
But the project won’t start anytime soon. The most optimistic view is that the project would need at least two years to become a reality, he said. However, it could take longer to secure funding and rail agreements.
A motorist could get from Boston to Montreal twice as fast but rail advocates say riders would get there in style. People could have dinner, be entertained and sleep in a comfortable bed, proponents say. They’d also be spared the cost of a hotel fee, since they’d be sleeping and showering on the train, supporters said.
Rail enthusiast Sarah LeBaron von Baeyer, who lives outside Boston and doesn’t drive, said she “wholeheartedly” embraces mass transit that would allow her to visit family and friends in Canada several times a year.
“I love train travel. I lived in Japan for many years. It was absolutely the best way to get around,” she said.
Monday, January 17, 2022
Maine Potatoes Once Again Moving by Rail
(SOURCE: By Corey Bouchard https://www.wagmtv.com/2022/01/15/maine-potatoes-head-west-coast/)
Maine potato farmers had a banner year this past fall. They are now reaping the benefits by shipping to western States. Corey Bouchard takes a look at how they overcame a transportation issue to get their crop to market... ” Rail enables us to move a large quantity, although a longer transit time”... The Agricultural Bargaining Council worked with Maine Northern Railway and Union Pacific to bring Refrigerated rail car service to Lajoie Growers to transport the spuds... (READ)
Maine potato farmers had a banner year this past fall. They are now reaping the benefits by shipping to western States. Corey Bouchard takes a look at how they overcame a transportation issue to get their crop to market... ” Rail enables us to move a large quantity, although a longer transit time”... The Agricultural Bargaining Council worked with Maine Northern Railway and Union Pacific to bring Refrigerated rail car service to Lajoie Growers to transport the spuds... (READ)
Sunday, August 8, 2021
Boston & Maine Railroad 99-Car Freight at Waltham MA 5/30/1928
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!
Sunday, February 7, 2021
The Boston & Maine Railroad's Minuteman Logo - A Small History
The patriotic logo was apt for a railroad so connected to Boston, Lexington, and Concord Massachusetts. And here in Massachusetts, when someone says "The Minuteman Statue", you have to then ask "which one?". For there are TWO of them, one in Lexington and one in Concord.
The Concord statue was made by Daniel Chester French and was "unveiled for the Centennial celebration of the battle on April 19, 1875... is set near the spot where the first colonial militia men were killed in Concord... 7 foot tall bronze statue was cast from old Civil War cannons by the Ames Foundry of Chicopee Massachusetts. The pedestal base measures 7 ½ feet tall and 4 ½ feet on each side. Inscribed on the front facing is the first stanza of the poem 'The Concord Hymn' by Ralph Waldo Emerson".
The B&M logo was based in the Concord statue.
The B&M logo was based in the Concord statue.
With the takeover of the B&M by Patrick McGinnis in the 1950s came a switch of maroon/gold paint to (in general) one of blue/black/white.
To mark the United State's bicentennial in 1976, the old Minuteman was applied to various equipment, such as boxcar 77039 and locomotives 200, 1750 & 1751.
In 2021, both statues are still with us, but the Boston & Maine in Lexington is now the Minuteman bike path, and in Concord is the MBTA Fitchburg commuter line. No name passenger trains, no freight trains. The B&M name itself is set to finally die with the purchase of Pan Am Railways by CSX.
https://www.tourlexington.us/attractions/pages/minuteman-statue
https://www.nps.gov/mima/learn/historyculture/the-minute-man-statue-by-daniel-chester-french.htm
http://www.faracresfarm.com/jbvb/rr/bmrr/diesel.html
Wednesday, December 2, 2020
CSX to Acquire Pan Am Railways in New England
SOURCE: 12:19 pm ET December 1, 2020 (Globe Newswire)
CSX Corp. (NASDAQ: CSX) today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire New England's Pan Am Railways, Inc. ("Pan Am"), whose rail carrier subsidiaries comprise North America's largest regional railroad.
Headquartered in North Billerica, Massachusetts, Pan Am owns and operates a highly integrated, nearly 1,200-mile rail network and has a partial interest in the more than 600-mile Pan Am Southern system. Pan Am's network across New England has access to multiple ports and large-scale commodity producers. The transaction will expand CSX's reach in Connecticut, New York and Massachusetts while adding Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine to its existing 23-state network.
The transaction will provide significant benefits to shippers and local communities as CSX integrates Pan Am into its best-in-class network. CSX made nearly $1.5 billion in infrastructure capital expenditures in its network in 2019, supporting economic growth and ensuring the safety and efficiency of the supply chain.
James M. Foote, president and chief executive officer of CSX, said: "In Pan Am, CSX gains a strong regional rail network in one of the most densely populated markets in the U.S., creating new efficiencies and market opportunities for customers as we continue to grow. We intend to bring CSX's customer-centric focus and industry-leading operating model to shippers and industries served by Pan Am. We look forward to integrating Pan Am into CSX, with substantial benefits to the rail-served industries of the Northeast, and to working in partnership with connecting railroads to provide exceptional supply chain solutions to New England and beyond."
David A. Fink, president of Pan Am Railways, said: "Pan Am is pleased to reach this agreement with CSX, a North American leader in rail-based freight transportation. This is great news for New England shippers and the national freight network overall."
Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The transaction is subject to regulatory review and approval by the Surface Transportation Board.
Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC is acting as financial advisor and Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP is acting as legal advisor to CSX in connection with the transaction.
CSX Corp. (NASDAQ: CSX) today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire New England's Pan Am Railways, Inc. ("Pan Am"), whose rail carrier subsidiaries comprise North America's largest regional railroad.
Headquartered in North Billerica, Massachusetts, Pan Am owns and operates a highly integrated, nearly 1,200-mile rail network and has a partial interest in the more than 600-mile Pan Am Southern system. Pan Am's network across New England has access to multiple ports and large-scale commodity producers. The transaction will expand CSX's reach in Connecticut, New York and Massachusetts while adding Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine to its existing 23-state network.
The transaction will provide significant benefits to shippers and local communities as CSX integrates Pan Am into its best-in-class network. CSX made nearly $1.5 billion in infrastructure capital expenditures in its network in 2019, supporting economic growth and ensuring the safety and efficiency of the supply chain.
James M. Foote, president and chief executive officer of CSX, said: "In Pan Am, CSX gains a strong regional rail network in one of the most densely populated markets in the U.S., creating new efficiencies and market opportunities for customers as we continue to grow. We intend to bring CSX's customer-centric focus and industry-leading operating model to shippers and industries served by Pan Am. We look forward to integrating Pan Am into CSX, with substantial benefits to the rail-served industries of the Northeast, and to working in partnership with connecting railroads to provide exceptional supply chain solutions to New England and beyond."
David A. Fink, president of Pan Am Railways, said: "Pan Am is pleased to reach this agreement with CSX, a North American leader in rail-based freight transportation. This is great news for New England shippers and the national freight network overall."
Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The transaction is subject to regulatory review and approval by the Surface Transportation Board.
Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC is acting as financial advisor and Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP is acting as legal advisor to CSX in connection with the transaction.
Wednesday, February 19, 2020
Thursday, February 13, 2020
West End Hoosac Tunnel Liner Collapse
There has been a failure of the liner on the west end of Hoosac Tunnel, causing debris to partly cover the track.
Norfolk Southern has issued the following press release:
Feb 12, 2020
Norfolk Southern’s partner, Pan Am Railways, has reported a partial wall collapse in the Hoosac Tunnel which affects all trains operating between Mechanicsville, New York, and Ayer, Massachusetts. Pan Am Railway’s engineering department is evaluating the situation and Norfolk Southern will provide updates as they are available. Customers with traffic in the affected area should expect delays of at least 48 hours.
LINKS:
https://www.wwlp.com/news/hoosac-tunnel-out-of-service-for-structural-evaluation/
https://www.rtands.com/freight/norfolk-southern-short-line-partner-suffers-partial-tunnel-wall-collapse/
https://www.news10.com/news/local-news/partially-collapsed-hoosac-tunnel-was-an-1800s-engineering-feat/
https://www.wwlp.com/news/local-news/berkshire-county/hoosac-tunnel-out-of-service-for-structural-evaluation/
UPDATE:
Videos are starting to be posted of the collapse
Norfolk Southern has issued the following press release:
Feb 12, 2020
Norfolk Southern’s partner, Pan Am Railways, has reported a partial wall collapse in the Hoosac Tunnel which affects all trains operating between Mechanicsville, New York, and Ayer, Massachusetts. Pan Am Railway’s engineering department is evaluating the situation and Norfolk Southern will provide updates as they are available. Customers with traffic in the affected area should expect delays of at least 48 hours.
https://www.wwlp.com/news/hoosac-tunnel-out-of-service-for-structural-evaluation/
https://www.rtands.com/freight/norfolk-southern-short-line-partner-suffers-partial-tunnel-wall-collapse/
https://www.news10.com/news/local-news/partially-collapsed-hoosac-tunnel-was-an-1800s-engineering-feat/
https://www.wwlp.com/news/local-news/berkshire-county/hoosac-tunnel-out-of-service-for-structural-evaluation/
UPDATE:
Videos are starting to be posted of the collapse
Monday, September 16, 2019
Recent New England Model Railroad Announcements SEPT 2019
Friday, September 13, 2019
Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes Railroad Sues Maine Narrow Gauge Museum Over Investment in Steam Locomotive
READ: Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes Railroad Sues Maine Narrow Gauge Museum Over Investment in Steam LocomotiveIt wants compensation for its investment of over $144,000 connected to restoration of a Narrow Gauge steam engine.
Tuesday, August 6, 2019
Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad staying in Portland ME
SOURCE: Portland Press Herald - Randy Billings
The
Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad is changing tracks. Instead of building a new museum
and rail line in Gray, the nonprofit railroad company that has operated on the
eastern waterfront since 1993 with popular events like the Polar Express is
staying in Portland
The
group recently received zoning approvals to build a new storage facility at the
eastern terminus of the 2-foot-wide railway, near the East End Treatment Plant,
and is seeking approvals to build a new ticketing booth and passenger center
near Ocean Gateway.
The
nonprofit plans to pay for the $2 million project with a capital campaign.
Executive
Director Wesley Heinz said the nonprofit is finalizing site plans, which he
said would only need administrative approval because of the project size and
status as an accessory use to the rail line. He hopes to break ground on the
new buildings this fall.
“It
was all there,” Heinz said of the opportunity to stay in Portland
The
Narrow Gauge Railroad needs to be out of its current location at 58 Fore St.
The
nonprofit originally planned to move its museum to Gray, where it hoped to
build a new rail line, but those plans were abandoned this year.
Heinz
said a lack of funding played a small role, but the “show-stopper” was the
inability to develop the property located next to a strip mall because it was a
wetland.
The
new plans emerge at a time of growth for the small rail company. Heinz said
ridership has more than doubled in the past five years. Last year, over 60,000
people rode the Narrow Gauge, including the popular Polar Express train in the
days leading up to Christmas, compared to 23,000 passengers in 2013, he said.
The
nonprofit also is hosting more corporate events, in addition to new family
events, including ice cream train rides and a Friday family fun night, which
includes music, lights, juice and cookies.
“The
business model really supported us staying here,” Heinz said in an interview
aboard the train as it rattled along the eastern waterfront Monday. “As
ridership grew, it became very apparent that we have a home here.”
Stephanie
and Bob Holmes of New York took their
22-month-old granddaughter, Heidi, for her first trip on the train and were
pleased to hear it would remain in Portland
“She
loved it,” Bob Holmes said. “She was waving to everyone.”
Plans
call for a 1,000-square-foot passenger center and ticketing booth within the
railroad right of way along Thames
Street
Heinz
said the new buildings are being considered an accessory use to the rail line. Portland
Heinz
said that the nonprofit will probably have to use a temporary trailer, or
simply sell tickets aboard the train, until the new passenger facility, which
will have a waiting area and restrooms, is ready.
The
new plan does not call for a museum. Instead, Heinz said a Narrow Gauge exhibit
is being established at the Wiscasset, Waterville
and Farmington Railway Museum
Jerry
Angier, a trustee who is leading the fundraising effort, said the railroad is
determined to get the project built.
“We’ll
do it as long as we need to do it until we have the funds to make this a
success,” Angier said. “We’ll leave no stone unturned. And anyone who will
listen will get the sales pitch.”
Friday, May 17, 2019
Looking South Along the Old Worcester & Nashua Railroad
 |
Looking south along the old Worcester & Nashua Railroad in Groton MA. The line is now part of the Nashua River Rail Trail. At left is a 1935 US Geodetic Survey marker.
|
Monday, January 21, 2019
Recent New England Model Railroad Announcements JAN 2019
It
had been a while since I sifted through my model railroad new-release
emails, so I finally sat down and put together this update:
HO SCALE
ATLAS: EMD GP7 Diesel Locomotive – Bangor
& Aroostook
RAPIDO: Stainless Steel Dining Car – New Haven
TANGENT: GATC 4180 Airslide Covered Hopper - B&M/Prince Spaghetti
TANGENT: GATC 4180 Airslide Covered Hopper - B&M/Prince Spaghetti
N SCALE
ATLAS: EMD GP38 Diesel Locomotive – Bangor
& Aroostook
MICRO
TRAINS: Weathered 2-Boxcar Set – Boston
& Maine (#020 44 696)
O SCALE
Monday, July 23, 2018
McGinnis Scheme B&M Boxcars at West Cambridge MA
Don't quote me on this, but if my memory serves me correctly, the parking lot they are next to was once a US Postal building. It is now home to a bread baking company.
The entire area once had a yard and many spurs. There was an iron works on the north side of the tracks, and a brick manufacturer just east of the main yard. But they are all gone now... victim to Cambridge's desire to cram as many condo, apartment, and retail buildings into a small space as possible. You can see some of that growth in the background of the top photo, behind the boxcars. They are on the north side of the Fitchburg main. The south side still has a gritty, commercial feel to it, but it is nothing like the old days.The boxcar on the left is numbered 76500. The other had its number painted over.
Monday, March 5, 2018
Name That Photo Location: 1947 Ayer MA Boston & Maine Photo Location FOUND!
 |
| The Photo. |
I was doing some organizing of my digital
railroad photo files, then noticed an Ayer postcard that seemed very familiar. It showed a NYNH&HRR boxcar on a siding. All of a sudden, a lightbulb went off in my head.
"That looks like the building in the background of that Ayer photo I have!"
 |
| Postcard view of the Chandler Machine building |
Knowing this, the rail siding in the photo was off of the Worcester & Nashua line, which is now a paved rail trail north of Ayer Center.
Newspaper articles in 2002 stated that Chandler's closing was due to the proliferation of cheaper machinery being sold by countries like China. This is a story repeated over and over in America.
Sunday, March 4, 2018
WW&F Spring Photographic Excursions 2018
Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington Railway Museum
Spring Photographic Excursions
Saturdays, April 14 & 21 2018
All of our original and replica equipment will be used to demonstrate mixed and freight trains commonly operated on the old WW&F.
April 14th runs 6 a.m. to 4.30 p.m., and April 21st runs 6 a.m. into the evening. Both days will include the firing of No. 9 starting at 6 a.m. and day session photo train operating 9 a.m. to 4.30 p.m.
April 21st
will also feature a staged and lit night scene starting at 6 p.m.
Several unique photo opportunities will be provided both days. Price is
$150 per person April 14th, and $225 April 21st.
Maximum attendance will be 25 people April 14th and 20 people on April 21st. Reserve your seat online at wwfrytickets.simpletix.com!
Wednesday, December 27, 2017
Recent New England Model Railroad Announcements
It has been a long time since I posted an update of New England model railroad releases, so here goes!
N SCALE:
HO SCALE:
ATLAS: Alco RS-32
Locomotive – Central VermontATLAS: Bombardier multi-level control/standard
coaches – MBTA (multiple #s) (2nd Quarter 2018)
N SCALE:
MODEL POWER: 2-6-0 Mogul Locomotive – Boston & Maine,
New Haven,
MODEL POWER: 4-4-0 American Locomotive – Boston & Maine
O SCALE:
Z SCALE:
Wednesday, December 13, 2017
Parts Salvaged from 1939 Portsmouth NH B&M Wreck
(SOURCE: http://www.fosters.com/news/20171210/pieces-of-lost-train-salvaged-from-piscataqua-river)
PORTSMOUTH — Even after
lying deep beneath the surface of the Piscataqua River
for nearly 80 years, the rusted and decaying axles of a long lost iron horse,
still give off a smell of industrial oil.
On the evening of Sept. 10, 1939, Boston
and Maine passenger train No. 2024 left North
Berwick en route to Boston
with only 12 passengers and a crew of five. The train would never arrive.
According to author William Brooke writing in Volume 18
edition 1 of the “B & M Bulletin,” the train was crossing over a 100-year-old
wooden trestle known as the “Portsmouth Bridge” and was 40 feet above the
river. Brooke said barges used for the ongoing construction of the original Sarah Mildred
Long Bridge
were anchored to the bridge, which had already been weakened following a
collision with a freighter in 1937.
“While crossing the old wooden bridge [...] a section of
the structure collapsed. Engine 3666 and the first car – a wooden coach with
open ends – disappeared beneath the swirling tide, drowning both the engineer
and fireman,” Brooke wrote. “The train’s two remaining cars were abruptly and
miraculously halted at the shattered brink when the brakes were automatically
applied by the bursting air hose. Fortunately, no passengers or trainmen
occupied the first car.”
The Portsmouth Herald reported in the Sept. 11, 1939,
evening edition, “The train was traveling at about 3 miles per hour, officials
said, which was the order for trains during the past several years because of
the condition of the bridge. Only a few moments after the front section of the
passenger train plunged into the water as though thrown from a catapult, the
fireman was heard screaming for help as the incoming tide swept him upstream.
Automobile lights were directed across the water in the direction of the screams
but all witnesses said they could see was the splintered debris if the wooden
bridge being swept towards Great
Bay.”
The body of fireman Charles D. Towle, an Exeter resident,
was recovered the next day around Dover Point and Somerville, Massachusetts,
native and engineer John Beattie’s body was not found until 10 days later when
it was found floating near the Back Channel.
Engine 3666, resting in its watery Piscataqua River
grave, has captured the imaginations of history buffs all over the city, and
now its story is being brought to a little more closure as a result of the new
Sarah Mildred Long Bridge’s construction.
During routine dredging in March and mid-October this
year for the construction of piers 17 and 18, which make up the center draw
span on the bridge, wheels from Engine 3666 were dug up from among the debris.
Listen: This Day In History
Ron Taylor, Maine Department of Transportation resident
engineer running the SML
Bridge project, said in
March construction crews dug up what was 3666′s pilot wheels and in October
trucks from the locomotive’s coal tender were recovered.
“We were digging to meet the permitting requirements for
the center piers and we discovered the wheels among the debris,” Taylor said. “There was
no intentional effort by us to recover part of the train.”
Taylor said all of the
train parts were being left on the New Hampshire State Pier and as the project
continued along, the pier asked MDOT to consolidate their materials and the
wheels were moved to nearby Albacore
Park.
According to Taylor,
the 18-foot tall Engine 3666 was moved in the 1960s to better clear the
navigational channel and in the mid-1990s the train had to be moved again for
the New Hampshire Port Authority’s pier expansion, but efforts to raise the
locomotive to the surface were too costly.
However, now that pieces have been recovered, Taylor said the wheel sets will be donated to the Kittery
Historical and Naval Museum and the other set will be stored at the Albacore Park through the winter.
“I would have loved to display them here but there isn’t
much synergy between submarines and trains,” said Ken Herrick, president of the
Portsmouth Submarine Memorial Association, which operates Albacore Park.
“But, it’s a really interesting part of our history and I hope the city can
find a way to showcase these wheels.”
Herrick said he offered the wheels at Albacore Park to
the city and Economic Development Program Manager Nancy Carmer said she was in
favor of incorporating the train artifacts into the new park being built along
Market Street near the new Sarah Mildred Long Bridge, which is in “phase two”
of the project and is included in the city’s capital plan.
“The pieces are certainly appropriate there, and we’re
willing to learn more about the event and incorporate it into the future
plans,” Carmer said. “It will be in addition to the natural and maritime
features of the Great
Bay estuary we are
looking to showcase down there.”
The Kittery Historical and Naval Museum’s
director Kim Sanborn said when the museum opens for the spring season visitors
will get to see the wheels set up on a small rail spur local railroad buffs
constructed for the display outside the museum facing Town Hall.
“Before the Sarah
Mildred Long
Bridge, this was the main source of
transportation across the river when the only alternative was to wait for a
ferry in the days before the Memorial
Bridge,” Sanborn said.
“I’m very excited to be able to tell this story and it really puts the history
into perspective when you have the visual component to the story you’re trying
to tell.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)