Tim Stockwell
Terminal Tuesday
With Christmas season in full swing and work starting to wind down for the year, my mind is starting to turn to "The North Country" as my wife, my son, and I get ready to visit her family in Potsdam, NY over the holidays. I really enjoy heading up to Potsdam for Christmas. For one, there's a better chance of snow being on the ground for the big day than here at home. Also, our typically lengthier stay often means free babysitting and a date with my wife at one of the restaurants in town, visits to the cozy Jernabi Coffehouse, and maybe catching a movie at the low-key Roxy theater. But, with each visit, there's more and more talk of my wife's parents potentially moving elsewhere once her dad retires, so we never quite know for sure whether our next visit to Potsdam will be our last.
So, just as I've done any time we've visited for an extended period, I plan on getting trackside at least a couple times.
Increasingly, my favorite shortline to visit up there is the Massena Terminal. Though the Massena Terminal doesn't have a lot of mileage, it's unique, especially considering the fact that it's a G&W-owned road whose engines still remain in their pre-G&W paint scheme. Add to that the friendly crews (unlike nearby "Welfare Road"-owned NYOG), and it's just a good, fun, relaxing time. I always find myself the only one trackside when I'm up there, too, which--while never a prerequisite--is certainly better than the mobs on roads like the Batten Kill. It's a throwback to my early years in the hobby, before Facebook revealed to everyone where everything was at any time.
Oddly enough, there wasn't any snow on the ground when I paid a visit to the Massena Terminal on a VERY cold Tuesday, December 29, 2020. However, it was a blue dome, and the cold temperatures led the crew to keep the normally-open radiator shutters on the engine closed, revealing the nice chevron striping on the nose. Here, MP15DC #14 has a healthy cut of covered hoppers in tow as it gives it everything it's got and rounds a curve just outside the Alcoa aluminum plant--the railroad's only customer and sole reason for its existence.
Massena Terminal Railroad
Massena, NY
Tuesday, December 29, 2020
Terminal Tuesday
With Christmas season in full swing and work starting to wind down for the year, my mind is starting to turn to "The North Country" as my wife, my son, and I get ready to visit her family in Potsdam, NY over the holidays. I really enjoy heading up to Potsdam for Christmas. For one, there's a better chance of snow being on the ground for the big day than here at home. Also, our typically lengthier stay often means free babysitting and a date with my wife at one of the restaurants in town, visits to the cozy Jernabi Coffehouse, and maybe catching a movie at the low-key Roxy theater. But, with each visit, there's more and more talk of my wife's parents potentially moving elsewhere once her dad retires, so we never quite know for sure whether our next visit to Potsdam will be our last.
So, just as I've done any time we've visited for an extended period, I plan on getting trackside at least a couple times.
Increasingly, my favorite shortline to visit up there is the Massena Terminal. Though the Massena Terminal doesn't have a lot of mileage, it's unique, especially considering the fact that it's a G&W-owned road whose engines still remain in their pre-G&W paint scheme. Add to that the friendly crews (unlike nearby "Welfare Road"-owned NYOG), and it's just a good, fun, relaxing time. I always find myself the only one trackside when I'm up there, too, which--while never a prerequisite--is certainly better than the mobs on roads like the Batten Kill. It's a throwback to my early years in the hobby, before Facebook revealed to everyone where everything was at any time.
Oddly enough, there wasn't any snow on the ground when I paid a visit to the Massena Terminal on a VERY cold Tuesday, December 29, 2020. However, it was a blue dome, and the cold temperatures led the crew to keep the normally-open radiator shutters on the engine closed, revealing the nice chevron striping on the nose. Here, MP15DC #14 has a healthy cut of covered hoppers in tow as it gives it everything it's got and rounds a curve just outside the Alcoa aluminum plant--the railroad's only customer and sole reason for its existence.
Massena Terminal Railroad
Massena, NY
Tuesday, December 29, 2020