Still Relevant
Modern Railroading On Ancient Infrastructure
Here's a Freight Car Friday offering that offers a nice contrast in eras. Surely the builders of this railroad could never have imagined that what they built would still be in use, relevant, and profitable going on two centuries later. I'm also sure they never could have envisioned the sheer size of trains today in length, height, and pure tonnage!
But here is the proof as we see TTX well cars loaded with colorfol double stacked domestic containers entrained in CSXT's daily hotshot Syracuse to Worcester intermodal train I022 is running late as it sails over the West Branch of the Westfield River (which is a designated National Wild and Scenic river) at MP 129.2 on modern day CSXT's Berkshire Subdivision. This double arch bridge dates from 1866 when it replaced an earlier structure dating from the Western Railroad's construction in 1841.
Three of the original bridges remain nearby, albeit bypassed over a century ago, and if you ever find yourself in the area I highly recommend you take a hike along the 5 mile out and back Keystone Arch Bridges (KAB) trail. It is a true gem of scenic and historic beauty following the river and parallel to the railroad which is never out of earshot and mostly in sight when the leaves are gone. For the student of railroad history it is the chance to walk through and over some remarkable infrastructure including a deep rock cut and two Keystone Arch Bridges that give the trail its name. I won't go into to much detail here and will instead direct you to these two links if you care to learn more: keystonearches.com/
lostnewengland.com/2022/07/boston-and-albany-railroad-arc...
Chester, Massachusetts
Saturday November 19, 2022
Still Relevant
Modern Railroading On Ancient Infrastructure
Here's a Freight Car Friday offering that offers a nice contrast in eras. Surely the builders of this railroad could never have imagined that what they built would still be in use, relevant, and profitable going on two centuries later. I'm also sure they never could have envisioned the sheer size of trains today in length, height, and pure tonnage!
But here is the proof as we see TTX well cars loaded with colorfol double stacked domestic containers entrained in CSXT's daily hotshot Syracuse to Worcester intermodal train I022 is running late as it sails over the West Branch of the Westfield River (which is a designated National Wild and Scenic river) at MP 129.2 on modern day CSXT's Berkshire Subdivision. This double arch bridge dates from 1866 when it replaced an earlier structure dating from the Western Railroad's construction in 1841.
Three of the original bridges remain nearby, albeit bypassed over a century ago, and if you ever find yourself in the area I highly recommend you take a hike along the 5 mile out and back Keystone Arch Bridges (KAB) trail. It is a true gem of scenic and historic beauty following the river and parallel to the railroad which is never out of earshot and mostly in sight when the leaves are gone. For the student of railroad history it is the chance to walk through and over some remarkable infrastructure including a deep rock cut and two Keystone Arch Bridges that give the trail its name. I won't go into to much detail here and will instead direct you to these two links if you care to learn more: keystonearches.com/
lostnewengland.com/2022/07/boston-and-albany-railroad-arc...
Chester, Massachusetts
Saturday November 19, 2022