All That's Left
This single GP40 and one car sit beside a nondescript parking lot in the Granite State's capital city...a parking lot that once was a major classification yard where lines radiated in 5 directions including one of New England's most important north south thru routes. Now the Northern Mainline is a dead end industrial track that sees this lonely local come up from Nashua two days a week on a long slogging 10 mph trip.
Prior to 1959 the train shed and imposing granite Concord Union Station stood just off to the left. But that year it was demolished in favor of 1500 parking spots and a new shopping center and grocery that don't quite seem so modern 60 year later.
This is Pan Am local NA-1 with MEC 316 (blt. Nov. 1968 as PC 3209) and amazingly this crew started their day just a few miles south of here after being taxied up from Nashua, and in their 8 hr shift will traverse little more than 10 miles of railroad. They ran north to Concord and worked a couple customers, ran around, and then started back south working Ciment Quebec before tying up for the day at Ferry Street in Bow to taxi back to Nashua.
Oh and in case you're like me and have long wondered about that building providing the backdrop (yes the same one you see prominently when driving north on I93 toward the White Mountains) well here is a little article about it that I found to quench my curiosity: www.concordmonitor.com/Ralph-Billl-building-history-recen...
Concord, New Hampshire
Thursday July 2, 2020
All That's Left
This single GP40 and one car sit beside a nondescript parking lot in the Granite State's capital city...a parking lot that once was a major classification yard where lines radiated in 5 directions including one of New England's most important north south thru routes. Now the Northern Mainline is a dead end industrial track that sees this lonely local come up from Nashua two days a week on a long slogging 10 mph trip.
Prior to 1959 the train shed and imposing granite Concord Union Station stood just off to the left. But that year it was demolished in favor of 1500 parking spots and a new shopping center and grocery that don't quite seem so modern 60 year later.
This is Pan Am local NA-1 with MEC 316 (blt. Nov. 1968 as PC 3209) and amazingly this crew started their day just a few miles south of here after being taxied up from Nashua, and in their 8 hr shift will traverse little more than 10 miles of railroad. They ran north to Concord and worked a couple customers, ran around, and then started back south working Ciment Quebec before tying up for the day at Ferry Street in Bow to taxi back to Nashua.
Oh and in case you're like me and have long wondered about that building providing the backdrop (yes the same one you see prominently when driving north on I93 toward the White Mountains) well here is a little article about it that I found to quench my curiosity: www.concordmonitor.com/Ralph-Billl-building-history-recen...
Concord, New Hampshire
Thursday July 2, 2020