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Recently rebuilt and repainted F40PH-3C 1030 has quickly become a favorite of railfans as the newest and quite possibly prettiest 'heritage' unit to be found just about anywhere on rails!
After shooting her at West Concord I raced west and literally made it to Shirley 23 minutes later with seconds to spare just in time to see her pass Berkshire and Eastern train B101 right at the Benjamin Road crossing. She is seen leading Wachusett bound outbound Keolis/MBTA train 5427 slowing for a flag stop here on Main 1 of modern day the Keolis/MBTA Fitchburg Line main at MP 39.5 (measured from Boston North Station) which is also MP 319.5 (measured from Mattawamkeag, ME) on the ex Pan Am Freight Mainline.
Berkshire and Eastern is a Genesee and Wyoming owned company which was created to serve as the neutral third party operator of the former Pan Am Southern property as a condition of the sale of Pan Am Railways to CSX in 2022. B101 is the symbol B&E uses for this to Ayer to Park Manor Yard in Chicago intermodal which turns into Norfolk Southern train 263 at Mechanicville and used to be known as 23K. The train is led by the standard SD60E which is necessary due to it being one of a small fleet of this model equipped with ACSES for operation on the MBTA property between Ayer and Westminster.
This train is on borrowed time here because another condition of the sale of Pan Am was the granting of trakage rights to NS for the operation of one daily pair of premium trains (this one and its eastbound counterpart) over CSXT's former Boston and Albany route. These trains will leave their current routing via the Boston and Maine Fitchburg Route and instead depart Ayer south on the Worcester Main then utilize CSXT's, Boston, Berkshire and Castleton Subs to Selkirk then west to Voorheesville where they will hop onto NS's old Delaware and Hudson Albany main to Delanson where they will rejoin their current route to Binghamton and points west. Allegedly, that routing will commence anytime, so if you want shots of 'the pig train' on the old B&M the time is now.
Shirley, Massachusetts
Saturday September 27, 2025
Despite autumn being long in the tooth the foliage was still spectacular with the gold leaves and blue sky nicely complementing the train.
CSXT local L020 has 17 cars trailing two ACSES equipped ex Chessie GP40-2s as they roll south down the Troy Industrial Track at about MP QCT4. They are parallelling the Hudson River and River Road and are passing beneath one of the four trusses of the Troy-Menands Bridge which dates from 1933. The train is headed toward Rensselaer where they will pause for a bit before getting permission from Amtrak's Hudson North dispatcher to head out onto the Hudson Line and cross the Livingston Avenue Bridge and make the climb up West Albany hill enroute back west to they're home bass in South Schenectady via the Amtrak main and CSXT's Carmen Branch. See my earlier posts for a long form caption with the history of this line.
Troy, New York
Friday October 25, 2024
Another wider take on this scene cause I just love fall color, branchlines, and geeps!
Despite autumn being long in the tooth the foliage was still spectacular with the gold leaves and blue sky nicely complementing the train.
CSXT local L020 has 17 cars trailing two ACSES equipped ex Chessie GP40-2s as they south down the Troy Industrial Track at about MP QCT3.3. They are parallelling River Road in the town of East Greenbush which dead ends up ahead at the Rensselaer County water treatment plant where I'll have to turn around and backtrack up to troy. The train is headed toward Rensselaer where they will pause for a bit before getting permission from Amtrak's Hudson North dispatcher to head out onto the Hudson Line and cross the Livingston Avenue Bridge and make the climb up West Albany hill enroute back west to their home base in South Schenectady via the Amtrak main and CSXT's Carmen Branch. See my earlier posts for a long form caption with the history of this line.
East Greenbush, New York
Friday October 25, 2024
Connecticut Southern's non ACSES equipped power is seen bringing up the rear of CSO5 as they cross the Farmington River in Windsor, CT.
Just a low angle frame I like of this scene because it was sooo good and worthy of multiple angles!
CSXT local L020 has 17 cars trailing two ACSES equipped ex Chessie GP40-2s as they pull up to MP QC1 on Troy Industrial Track after a four mile run down from their namesake city. They will pause here holding off crossing for a bit before awaiting permission from Amtrak's Hudson North dispatcher to head out onto the Hudson Line and cross the Livingston Avenue Bridge so they can make the climb up West Albany hill enroute back west to their home base in South Schenectady via the Amtrak main and CSXT's Carmen Branch. Refer to my earlier posts for a long form caption with the history of this line.
Rensselaer, New York
Friday October 25, 2024
Another from this gloomy day chase out on the old west end. This is nothing special by any means, but I wanted to document the vintage intermediate searchlight signals remaining in service here as a distinct link to the past.
Berkshire and Eastern Railroad train EDMO (East Deerfield to Mohawk) is westbound crossing VT Route 346 in North Pownal at MP 434.2 on the B&E operated Pan Am Southern Freight Mainline, the one time Boston and Maine Fitchburg Division. The old B&M main is only in the Green Mountain state for a scant six miles as it cuts through the extreme southwest corner near the meeting point of Massachusetts and New York which this train will enter in about 30 seconds when they cross the Hoosic River only 0.2 miles behind me. Rising to 1100 ft beyond is an unnamed snow dusted hill in the southern edge of the Green Mountain National Forest.
This train originated in Ayer as train SAED and will turn into Norfolk Southern train 11R at Mechanicville for continuation down the old Delaware and Hudson to East Binghamton Yard. Berkshire and Eastern is a Genesee and Wyoming owned company which was created to serve as the neutral third party operator of the former Pan Am Southern property as a condition of the sale of Pan Am Railways to CSX in 2022. The train is led by the standard SD60E which is necessary due to it being one of a small fleet of this model equipped with ACSES for operation on the MBTA property east of Westminster.
Pownal, Vermont
Saturday April 12, 2025
The Erie Heritage Unit is seen leading Pan Am Southern Train 23K thru Orange, MA on the afternoon of April 27, 2016. With PTC in full effect on Keolis between Wachusett and Ayer, non ACSES equipped power leading is a thing of the past.
With only five cars for Browns Yard, Conrail OI-16 crosses the Raritan River Draw over the namesake river. Multiple aspects of this seen have changed since the taking of this photo. The two SD45-2’s are no longer able to lead over NJ Transits North Jersey Coast Line due to lacking ACSES and this vantage point is no longer available as of the result of construction of a new bridge.
A friend was up visiting from New Jersey and wanted to take in a bit of the New England rail scene. His main goal was to shoot some Providence and Worcester trains led by locomotives still wearing the independent pre GW orange and brown paint.
Train NRWO arrived from Plainfield with a pair of B39-8s one each in orange and original. While waiting to see whether they would eye the power or not (in order to keep the desired leader) we picked up some other nearby action.
Hearing P&W WX-1 on the radio as well we knew they were close by and a drive down Cambridge Street revealed them working in the yard on the mainline side. In short order the pair of original GP38-2s pulled up with a cut offering a nice view in the warm morning light. While I'm sad these beauties have been banished from work in Rhode Island due to ACSES issues they sure look good here working in the the yard that is the beating heart of the operation.
Worcester, Massachusetts
Friday January 22, 2020
Berkshire & Eastern train B100 (aka NS 264) splits the searchlight signals guarding the siding at Florida, Massachusetts shortly after exiting the Hoosac Tunnel and crossing the Deerfield River. I long for a future where either this train gets swapped with B&E power at Mechanicville, or at the very least doesn't require an ACSES PTC leader. The region deserves much better than daily 60Es being fed through it.
In the prior photo I posted you may have noticed an old blue high nosed first generation geep lurking in the background beyond the main focus of that image. Well here is a closer look. This unit will need no introduction if you're from New England but if not here you go.
MBTA 904 is an EMD GP18 which was originally built for the Grand Trunk Western in Mar. 1960 as number 4952. Delivered in classic CN green and yellow maple leaf colors she powered commuter trains in Detroit for GTW and then SEMTA until that service ended in the 1983. She then moved on to Boston with four siblings who she long outlasted to become the last of her breed on the MBTA, relegated to switching and work train duties. Alas in 2019 she was retired from active service and stricken from the Keolis contract and shipped to the MBTA/MassDOT contract shop in Wareham where she has languished ever since awaiting a possible rebuild and return to service as a switcher that may or may not ever come to fruition.
At the time this was taken she was parked here behind the small Seaview Railroad shop for ACSES equipment upgrades.
To learn more about the Seaview, Rhode Island's own railroad check out the caption with this shot: flic.kr/p/2ndaWTG
North Kingstown, Rhode Island
Sunday June 10, 2018
Berkshire and Eastern train B100 exits the East Portal of the famed Hoosac Tunnel after traveling 4.75 miles and 1000 ft beneath its namesake mountain deep in the heart of the Berkshire Range. A light coating of spring snow brightens this gray afternoon here at MP 415.7 on B&E's former Pan Am Freight Main, the former Boston and Maine Fitchburg Division.
Berkshire and Eastern is a Genesee and Wyoming owned company which was created to serve as the neutral third party operator of the former Pan Am Southern property as a condition of the sale of Pan Am Railways to CSX in 2022. B100 is the symbol B&E uses for the continuation to Ayer of Norfolk Southern train 264 (intermodal 63rd Street Yard in Chicago to Mechanicville) that used to be known as 22K. The train is led by the standard SD60E which is necessary due to it being one of a small fleet of this model equipped with ACSES for operation on the MBTA property east of Westminster.
This train is on borrowed time here on the west end because another condition of the sale of Pan Am was the granting of trakage rights to NS for the operation of one daily pair of premium trains (this one and its westbound counterpart) over CSXT's former Boston and Albany route. These trains will leave their current routing at Delanson, NY and take the old Delaware and Hudson Albany main to Voorheesville, where they will utilize the rebuilt connection on to the Selkirk Branch. From there they will travel east via Selkirk Yard, the Castleton Bridge and the Berkshire and Boston Subs to Worcester and on up to Ayer. Allegedly, that routing will commence sometime later this spring or summer, so if you want shots of 'the pig train' on the old Boston and Maine the time is now.
Florida, Massachusetts
Saturday April 12, 2025
The MBTA recently leased this pair of attractive units painted in this pseudo Rio Grande scheme. They will allegedly be on the property for three of four months and used by the contractor engaged to bury the PTC wires which were initially installed above ground on a new pole line. Having just arrived the day before they are are resting on the 'Conrail westbound' track outside the MBTA Commuter Rail Maintenance Facility better known as BET (Boston Engine Terminal) while at right a house crew moves a revenue train set off the Fourth Iron.
PNLX 9619 is a GMDD GP40-2LW originally blt. Aug. 1975 for the CN with the same number. Coupled behind is PNLX 2107 a Wabtec/MPI MP20GP acquired from the Union Pacific where it was their UPY 2107. Rebuilt in August 2006 as a low emissions unit for service in Texas it was originally an EMD GP50 blt. Nov. 1980 as Missouri Pacific 3504.
Interestingly these units spent time in the area a few years ago while being set up with ACSES for work doing similar cable laying along Metro North Railroad's property. If you missed that back then here is a shot of the last time I saw them:
Somerville, Massachusetts
Thursday June 29, 2023
An overcast afternoon finds Berkshire and Eastern train B101 accelerating west after Keolis/MBTA train 5427 passed. They are crossing Main Street on Main 2 of modern day the Keolis/MBTA Fitchburg Line main at MP 39.5 (measured from Boston North Station) which is also MP 319.5 (measured from Mattawamkeag, ME) on the ex Pan Am Freight Mainline.
Berkshire and Eastern is a Genesee and Wyoming owned company which was created to serve as the neutral third party operator of the former Pan Am Southern property as a condition of the sale of Pan Am Railways to CSX in 2022. B101 is the symbol B&E uses for this to Ayer to Park Manor Yard in Chicago intermodal which turns into Norfolk Southern train 263 at Mechanicville and used to be known as 23K. The train is led by the standard SD60E which is necessary due to it being one of a small fleet of this model equipped with ACSES for operation on the MBTA property between Ayer and Westminster.
This train is on borrowed time here because another condition of the sale of Pan Am was the granting of trakage rights to NS for the operation of one daily pair of premium trains (this one and its eastbound counterpart) over CSXT's former Boston and Albany route. These trains will leave their current routing via the Boston and Maine Fitchburg Route and instead depart Ayer south on the Worcester Main then utilize CSXT's, Boston, Berkshire and Castleton Subs to Selkirk then west to Voorheesville where they will hop onto NS's old Delaware and Hudson Albany main to Delanson where they will rejoin their current route to Binghamton and points west. Allegedly, that routing will commence anytime, so if you want shots of 'the pig train' on the old B&M the time is now.
At left stands the landmark Davis Block building built in 1885 as a hotel with a commercial store front. During Word War I it served as a Red Cross office and today it is residential apartments.
Shirley, Massachusetts
Saturday September 27, 2025
Despite autumn being long in the tooth the foliage was still spectacular with the gold leaves and blue sky nicely complementing the train.
CSXT local L020 has 17 cars trailing two ACSES equipped ex Chessie GP40-2s as they south down the Troy Industrial Track at about MP 4.3. They are parallelling the Hudson River and River Road and are passing beneath one of the four trusses of the Troy-Menabds Bridge which dates from 1933. The train is headed toward Rensselaer where they will pause for a bit before getting permission from Amtrak's Hudson North dispatcher to head out onto the Hudson Line and cross the Livingston Avenue Bridge and make the climb up West Albany hill enroute back west to they're home bass in South Schenectady via the Amtrak main and CSXT's Carmen Branch. See my earlier posts for a long form caption with the history of this line.
Troy, New York
Friday October 25, 2024
Just another frame of this odd couple...something I never thought I'd see!
The Keolis work train crew has cleared Andover Street and is shoving down into Lawrence yard to set out the CSXT geometry train on the scale track before cutting off light with their locomotive and scooting back to BET.
The three car train consists of CSXT 994366 (Geometry/theater car TGC3), 994365 (support car Hocking Valley), and 994369 (crew car Grand Rapids) with its assigned one of a kind unit, CSXT 9969, an ex MARC GP40WH-2. Double headed on the east end is MBTA GP40MC1129 in the 'cranberry' heritage scheme and on the west end is MBTA F40PH-3C 1033. The train had to be capped with MBTA locomotives due to the fact that 9969 is not equipped with ACSES PTC equipment necessary to lead on the MBTA lines.
The T measures and tests its lines quarterly, but with no equipment of its own has always relied on Amtrak's Corridor Clipper car for this work. For whatever reason Amtrak is no longer able to support this so other arrangements were made. An Ensco truck tested all South Side lines except the Worcester Mainline and the MBTA/Keolis contracted with CSXT to borrow their train which was handed off in Worcester. It was used to test east from Worcester, the Grand Junction Branch, and the eastern route on Wednesday then later this morning will head out and test the New Hampshire and Fitchburg Routes. Finally on this morning it tested the Western Route to as far as this point before wrapping up. With the T in the process of building two GEO cars of its own it seems unlikely that this will ever happen again but around here you just never know!
The brick building at left was built in 1887 by J.H. Home and Sons, paper machine manufacturers. The one-story brick factory, 64 feet by 300 feet, with monitor roof, at 109 Blanchard St. was extended to 64 feet by 410 feet in 1892. Then in 1900 a one-story brick foundry, 75 feet by 50 feet was added and was later enlarged as well.
In the background is yet another ubiquitous brick mill building. This particular one dates from 1900 and was once home to the Monomac Spinning Company, producers worsted yarns for weaving and knitting. Today it is known as Heritage Place and has been beautifully restored as residential and office space.
And down in the yard is CSXT's local power in the form of a pair of former Pan Am GP40-2Ws of CN heritage, MEC 516 in PAR blue and MEC 507 in its retro 'heritage' Guilford scheme which it was repainted into in 2020, the last unit ever freshly painted as such.
Lawrence, Massachusetts
Friday May 23, 2025
Man how time flies. Coming up on a decade ago, I made the hour-ish drive out to "Pan Am Land" to see what was running. Weekends are always tough in Southern New England as far as freight traffic goes. But, you could always count on the pig trains from NS; 22K and 23K. Sometimes the occasional Pan Am local or road job from East Deerfield to Portland and vice versa. Having a monday-friday job kinda kills all your chances of getting out on the "busy" days. While other people are afforded the ability to call out of work whenever they wanted, I was not that lucky. So with that said, I tried to appreciate whatever I could lens.
However, I remember I was kinda bummed this day. The only moving train I saw (aside from a few MBTA commuter trains) was 22K backing into the Hill Yard in Ayer. That was strike one. Strike two was NS's Conrail heritage unit #8098 buried fourth out, and strike three was the excellent foliage being wasted on a run of the mill Dash 9. But I grabbed a few shots anyway and went home.
Fast forward nearly 10 years and I look back on what's become of the former Pan Am Railways. I always wondered how long it would take for me to say "damn, really wish that was a Dash 9 leading instead of..." and here we are. Leaders must be equipped with ACSES, which nothing on NS has except for some SD60E's - gross. And with CSX being the new owner from Portland, ME, to Ayer and the Berkshire and Eastern (a G&W subsidiary) owning from Ayer to Mechanicville, NY, cool power is dwindling away. Pan Am and Guilford units are becoming more scarce by the day, being replaced with CSX power and orange G&W mutts. Sigh...oh well.
Too long, didn't read: appreciate what you're photographing now. Because it can be gone in the blink of an eye.
October 2015
Ayer, MA.
It was nice when CSX was running M427 out of Rigby Yard in the late morning, and it was even nicer when the ACSES-equipped SD40-2s were leading. This is M427 at what was then MP-240 (now "PLD-55" in CSX-ese) in Rollinsford, NH passing an old B&M code line pole that would probably have some great stories to tell.
CSXT's M426/M427 trains to and from Portland always offer the best chance to see older units still dressed in the classy YN2 'bright future' livery which was phased out in 2002. The reason these are the best chance to see this scheme is that these trains require lead locomotives equipped with ACSES PTC for operation over the MBTA commuter rail territory in eastern Mass. It just so happens that a group of older AC400CWs are so equipped and among these many have yet to be rebuilt or repainted making them regulars on these trains, often in multiples.
I caught both trains here only 10 minutes apart each led by a 24 yr old unit built by GE in late summer 2000. Second was eastbound Selkirk to Portland manifest 426 led by CSXT 482 seeing crossing the West Branch of the Westfield River on Main 2 of CSXT's Berkshire Sub at about MP QB124.5.
This is the legendary former Boston and Albany Railroad mainline, the world's first mountain railroad which opened in 1841. The train has just descended the dozen mile long grade as steep as 1.65% that lowered them some 900 ft from the crest of the Berkshires at the 1459 ft top of Washington Hill.
Chester, Massachusetts
Sunday November 10, 2024
CSXT's geometry train is seen parked at Boston Engine Terminal (officially the MBTA's Commuter Rail Maintenance Facility) on Track L3E in Yard 14 mingling with stored equipment and MBTA train sets tripped and ready for revenue service
The three car train consists of CSXT 994366 (Geometry/theater car TGC3), 994365 (support car Hocking Valley), and 994369 (crew car Grand Rapids) with its assigned one of a kind unit, CSXT 9969, an ex MARC GP40WH-2. Double headed on the east end is MBTA GP40MC1129 in the 'cranberry' heritage scheme and on the west end is MBTA F40PH-3C 1033. The train had to be capped with MBTA locomotives due to the fact that 9969 is not equipped with ACSES PTC equipment necessary to lead on the MBTA lines.
The T measures and tests its lines quarterly, but with no equipment of its own has always relied on Amtrak's Corridor Clipper car for this work. For whatever reason Amtrak is no longer able to support this so other arrangements were made. An Ensco truck tested all South Side lines except the Worcester Mainline and the MBTA/Keolis contracted with CSXT to borrow their train which was handed off in Worcester. It was used to test east from Worcester, the Grand Junction Branch, and the eastern route on Wednesday then later this morning will head out and test the New Hampshire and Fitchburg Routes. Finally on Friday it would test the Western Route to Lawrence then be dropped off and returned to CSXT in their yard there. With the T in the process of building two GEO cars of its own it is unsure if this will ever happen again or if this was a strictly one off occurrence.
Somerville, Massachusetts
Thursday May 22, 2025
With the western visitors on this train I really wanted more of a side view and where better than this classic location. With the double mainline passing through a wide parklike strip between Ayer Rd and Front Street lined with homes on either side it is a rather bucolic and very popular photo location.
With the recrew on board Pan Am Southern train 22K (NS 47th Street Yard Chicago to PAS Ayer Yard) is only three miles from its destination as it approaches Benjamin Crossing on Main 2 at MP 39.3/313.3 on the Keolis/MBTA Fitchburg Line and Pan Am's Freight main.
Cab signal and ACSES equipped NS SD60E 6953 leads BNSF ET44C4 3842 and UP C44ACM 7211 over former Boston and Maine rails. Once the CSXT acquisition is consummated and NS begins to exercise its trackage rights from Voorheesville over the Berkshire and Boston Subs (ex Boston and Albany) this intermodal traffic will arrive in Ayer via the Worcester main instead of the Freight main meaning scenes like this will soon be a thing of the past.
Shirley, Massachusetts
Friday April 15, 2022
A pair of New Hampshire Northcoast Railroad units look a bit out of place sitting on the east end of the wheel machine track at the Commuter Rail Maintenance Facility more commonly known by its historic name BET (short for Boston Engine Terminal as the former Boston and Maine roundhouse and shop that once stood on this site was called). While you may think it is the the fact that they are freight units in passenger land that makes them look out of place, the real truth is that it is how spotlessly clean they are compared to anything else to be found around here that really makes them stand out!
The GP38-2 due of NHN 3825 (blt. Sept. 1978 as CR 8244) and FURX 5509 (blt. Mar. 1970 as high nosed straight GP38 SOU 2801) had been dropped off a couple nights prior to test their newly installed cab signal system and updated ACSES PTC software. Due to problems on Tuesday they spent the night here for further testing the next morning. I hung around despite the gloomy weather, and drove to Waltham to shoot these rare visitors on the normally passenger only Fitchburg Line. Alas further problems required some software to have to be driven down from Ossipee so the run didn't happen before I had to go home for bed. Alas all I have to show for my time staying over after work is this....oh well, that's how it goes sometimes.
Sitting at right is MBTA F40PH-2C 1071 with a blown turbo. It is slated not to be repaired and will be next in line to head to Wabtec in Erie for rebuild into a 3C.
Somerville, Massachusetts
Wednesday September 22, 2021
After running east up to CPF FR the Keolis work train car is now shoving back west on Track 17 approaching the Andover Street crossing now that L080 has cleared up. They will line themselves down into the yard and set out the CSXT geometry train on the scale track before cutting off light with their locomotive and scooting back to BET.
The three car train consists of CSXT 994366 (Geometry/theater car TGC3), 994365 (support car Hocking Valley), and 994369 (crew car Grand Rapids) with its assigned one of a kind unit, CSXT 9969, an ex MARC GP40WH-2. Double headed on the east end is MBTA GP40MC1129 in the 'cranberry' heritage scheme and on the west end is MBTA F40PH-3C 1033. The train had to be capped with MBTA locomotives due to the fact that 9969 is not equipped with ACSES PTC equipment necessary to lead on the MBTA lines.
The T measures and tests its lines quarterly, but with no equipment of its own has always relied on Amtrak's Corridor Clipper car for this work. For whatever reason Amtrak is no longer able to support this so other arrangements were made. An Ensco truck tested all South Side lines except the Worcester Mainline and the MBTA/Keolis contracted with CSXT to borrow their train which was handed off in Worcester. It was used to test east from Worcester, the Grand Junction Branch, and the eastern route on Wednesday then later this morning will head out and test the New Hampshire and Fitchburg Routes. Finally on this morning it tested the Western Route to as far as this point before wrapping up. With the T in the process of building two GEO cars of its own it seems unlikely that this will ever happen again but around here you just never know!
The long brick building that which been the backdrop for many train photos was built in 1887 by J.H. Home and Sons, paper machine manufacturers. The one-story brick factory, 64 feet by 300 feet, with monitor roof, at 109 Blanchard St. was extended to 64 feet by 410 feet in 1892. Then in 1900 a one-story brick foundry, 75 feet by 50 feet was added and was later enlarged as well.
Lawrence, Massachusetts
Friday May 23, 2025
I headed to Ayer right after work on Friday in hopes of catching that M427 with the epic EMD consist that was all the rage coming down from Rigby on Thursday. Normally they bring them down the Worcester main to Barber first thing in the morning, but not this day. Due to two extra eastbounds up from Worcester (a loaded grain train then a welded rail train) there was no crew nor no place to send the 427 west. So they left it parked out at Graniteville deep in the shadows where I couldn't even get a stationary shot. Strike 1!
But then I heard that the G954 grain train was in the Hill Yard and getting ready to be taken over to Ardent Mills east of the Willows so I figured that would be somewhat of a consolation. Even though the power wasn't cool, just standard GEVOs, at least the light was amazing. But the leader didn't have ACSES for the short trip from AY to the Willows so the Ayer yard crew had to cap it with a yard engine for the short trip. And what should they find, nothing but the finest in terms of MEC 5933, a rat bag patched B40-8. But just for good measure, as if that wasn't enough, they ran it out lhf, Strike 2. Pan Am may be gone but it's spirit lives on in Ayer where you can still get a good and proper 'Pan Aming'!
Anyway, here is the AY3 crew with CSXT G954 on CSXT's ex Pan Am Freight Main at CPF WL at MP 313.77 diverging onto the old Boston and Maine Stony Brook Branch away from the MBTA/Keolis Fitchburg Route mainline.
Ayer, Massachusetts
Friday December 9, 2022
New Hampshire Northcoast 3823 looks a little lost running east on the MBTA Newburyport/Rockport Line in Everett, MA on one of the last days of 2020. The former Conrail GP38-2 received ACSES PTC equipment and required a test before being allowed to operate on MBTA trackage. This test train allowed for a rare opportunity to shoot NHN power on the former Boston & Maine Eastern Route.
With this train on borrowed time I decided to make the long trip west to capture it one of the most iconic spots on the 'west end' where you can get a sweeping view of the train itself and not just the power. Berkshire and Eastern Railroad train B100 curls thru Pownal Curve beside the frozen Hoosic River near MP 433.5 on the B&E operated Pan Am Southern Freight Mainline, the one time Boston and Maine Fitchburg Division.
B100 is the symbol B&E uses for the continuation to Ayer of Norfolk Southern train 264 (intermodal 63rd Street Yard in Chicago to Mechanicville) that used to be known as 22K. The train is led by the standard SD60E which is necessary due to it being one of a small fleet of this model equipped with ACSES for operation on the MBTA property east of Westminster. This train is on borrowed time here because one condition of the sale of Pan Am to CSXT in 2022 was the granting of trakage rights to NS for the operation of one daily pair of premium trains (this one and its westbound counterpart) over CSXT's former Boston and Albany route. These trains will then take the old Delaware and Hudson Albany main to Voorheesville, NY and utilize the connection on to Selkirk Branch which has been rebuilt there. From there they will travel east via Selkirk Yard, the Castelton Bridge and the Berkshire and Boston Subs to Worcester and on up to Ayer. Allegedly that routing will commence June 1, so if you want shots of 'the pig train' on the old Boston and Maine the time is now!
Pownal, Vermont
Friday January 17, 2025
Just the next spot in this short but very high yield chase for my first time photographing this line. Despite autumn being long in the tooth the foliage was still spectacular with the gold leaves and blue sky nicely complementing the train.
CSXT local L020 has 17 cars trailing two ACSES equipped ex Chessie GP40-2s as they south down the Troy Industrial Track at about MP QCT3.6. They are parallelling the Hudson River and River Road and have just crossed the line from the city of Troy into the town of East Greenbush. The train is headed toward Rensselaer where they will pause for a bit before getting permission from Amtrak's Hudson North dispatcher to head out onto the Hudson Line and cross the Livingston Avenue Bridge and make the climb up West Albany hill enroute back west to they're home bass in South Schenectady via the Amtrak main and CSXT's Carmen Branch. See my earlier posts for a long form caption with the history of this line.
East Greenbush, New York
Friday October 25, 2024
On a gorgeous Friday afternoon in the waning days of summer Berkshire and Eastern train EDMO (East Deerfield to Mohawk) is westbound on Main 1 of Pan Am Southern's Freight Mainline as they cross Lake Pleasant Rd. and split the vintage Boston and Maine era searchlights at MP 379.5 (as measured from Mattawamkeag, ME). This train originated in Ayer as train SAED and will turn into Norfolk Southern train 11R at Mechanicville for continuation down the old Delaware and Hudson to East Binghamton Yard.
Berkshire and Eastern is a Genesee and Wyoming owned company which was created to serve as the neutral third party operator of the former Pan Am Southern property as a condition of the sale of Pan Am Railways to CSX in 2022. The train is led by the standard SD60E which is necessary due to it being one of a small fleet of this model equipped with ACSES for operation on the MBTA property east of Westminster.
Montague, Massachusetts
Friday September 19, 2025
Norfolk Southern intermodal train 265 rounds the bend at White House Crossing outside of Worcester, New York just as the sun finds an opening in the clouds. In the lead is an ACSES equipped SD60E, used to traverse MBTA trackage on the Pan Am Southern east of the handoff point in Mechanicville.
====Info====
NS Freight Line
Worcester, NY
NS 265 (Intermodal; PAS - Mechanicville, NY to 47th Street Yard - Chicago, IL)
NS 6958 SD60E Ex. NS 6594 SD60 Blt. 1985
NS 1227 SD70ACe Blt. 2019
NS 4122 AC44C6M Ex. NS 8829 C40-9 Blt. 1995
Probably the most photographed train on the East Coast in 2010, Pan Am train AYMO (Ayer - Mohawk) rips through Shirley with the first pair of BNSF locomotives to lead on Pan Am property.
From 2010 to late 2019, BNSF and other "foreign" power would be seen leading the pig trains and auto rack trains in and out of Ayer. Anything that came off of Norfolk Southern could lead until late 2019 when the MBTA, whom owns the trackage between Ayer and Westminster, upgraded the line with PTC and ACSES/CABS requirements. Since then, only Norfolk Southern applicable units (unfortunately only the SD60E's) and Pan Am's own can lead.
Now, with the sale to CSX in the books, who knows what we'll see out here. One thing is still for sure, you won't be seeing these leading anymore!
February 2010
Shirley, MA.
One more frame of this combo that if you ran it on your model railroad you'd get laughed at for it not being prototypical.
Having been serviced overnight at BET the 0500 work train crew is on board and has just arrived here at Hill Crossing at MP 5.6 on the MBTA Fitchburg Line. They just cleared up off Main 1 and are backing down to the partially loaded rail train parked on the West Cambridge Yard lead. Keolis borrowed the Pan Am unit due to a shortage of ACSES equipped work engines to assist with the unloading of this train for several days creating the opportunity to capture this truly weird scene of MBTA MPI HSP46 2027 (blt. 2014) MUed to MEC GE B40-8 5933 (blt. Apr. 1988 as NYSW 4016) working together temporarily on this special duty.
Until 1980 this was the the place where heavy duty east-west freight traffic left the Fitchburg Line to take the three mile Freight Cut Off through Davis Square to Somerville Junction on the New Hampshire Route main to access Mystic Junction and the Yard 8 hump and Somerville freight yard complex. East Cambridge itself maintained a bustling little local yard well into the Guilford era but now not a trace of either remain. You can ride your bike on the cut off but you won't ever again see scenes like these in the two links below taken in basically this same spot but looking the opposite direction as both of these show eastbound freights while the rail train power faces west:
photos.nerail.org/showpic/?201903260839098851.jpg
photos.nerail.org/showpic/?2019040607243528047.jpg
Belmont, Massachusetts
Monday August 9, 2021
Berkshire & Eastern B100 is seen passing through the well known reverse S-curve at Zoar, MA with the usual NS SD60E in the lead on a cold winter morning. Several of these engines are equipped with ACSES PTC and used solely for operating on MBTA Fitchburg Line between Wachusett and Ayer, MA.
PAS B100/NS 264
NS SD60E 6953
NS SD70ACe 1054
NS ES44AC 8164
Another from this unexpected visit back in the spring.
CSX1 and CSX2, two of the roads three F40PH-2s dressed in Baltimore and Ohio inspired paint for their office car train bracket Technical and Research Car sitting in Support 3 with a string of road power. The special units have been in town testing overnight on the Keolis Worcester Mainline alellegedly to confirm the functionality of the ACSES PTC system in advance of a supposed May OCS tour across CSXT's former Pan Am property acquired last year.
CSX1 and CSX2 were built as Amtrak 280 and 395 in Apr. 1978 and Aug. 1985 respectively. CSX1 was originally numbered CSXT 9998 was acquired in trade from the Ohio Central in 2005 along with CSXT 9999 (ex AMTK 280) in trade for five units. CSX2 was originally numbered CSXT 9993 and was leased from Amtrak in 1999 and outright acquired in trade for several switch engines in 2002. Interestingly this unit was one of the group built as trade in and with components from Amtrak's SDP40Fs that were retired early due to myriad issues, and this particular locomotive was built was with parts from Amtrak 621.
Sharp eyes will note a YN2 painted AC4400CW and a Pan Am blue C40-8 tucked in behind the modern GEVO making for an unusual bit of variety here at the east end of CSXT's system in New England.
Worcester, Massachusetts
Friday April 7, 2023
Just a simple shot I had laying around that was shared on FB a while ago but figured was worth dropping into the Flickr albums.
Here we see Pan Am Railways GP40 MEC 345 a mainstay in Boston for the BO-1 and BO-2 crews at the time. It's parked on the other side of 3rd Ave. on what was called the 3rd Iron Extension. Behind her looking toward FX interlocking is one of the few remaining relics from the Boston & Maine's massive early 1930s rebuilding and terminal modernization, the New Hampshire Route "High Line" truss bridge. Sailing overhead is an inbound train from Lowell with venerable F40PH-2C 1029 pushing on the rear.
Since the date of this photo Pan Am has been sold to CSXT and while Pan Am locomotives are still assigned to BO-1 MEC 345 is now longer able to work the job account it does not have ACSES and ATC. MBTA 1029 has since left the property for Erie, and upon return will be a 3C wearing the new scheme. Lastly while the high line bridge remains its replacement is now actively under construction and soon enough it too will be gone....everything changes....so shoot it now whenever you can.
Somerville, Massachusetts
Thursday September 12, 2019
GP40-2 #6249 as seen at Grafton WV on November 11th 1990. This unit was a fairly early yn2 repaint is and still very fresh in this photo. This unit was equipped with cab signals and later ACSES, making it far more likely to be seen working in the North East than in B&O's coal country. Terry E Arbogast photo, JL Sessa collection.
Here's a rather poor photo from a mini impromptu opportunistic chase since I was in the area anyway for non train reasons when this showed up.
Berkshire and Eastern Railroad train EDMO (East Deerfiels to Mohawk) is westbound on the B&E operated Pan Am Southern Freight Mainline, the one time Boston and Maine Fitchburg Division. They are winding through an s-curve beside the Deerfield River (out of sight obscured by thick summer foliage) at about MP 406.2 as measured from Mattawamkeag, ME which was once the eastern most point on the Freight Main after then Guilford Transportation renumbered the mileposts after combining the Maine Central, Boston and Maine, and Delaware and Hudson Railroad's into a contiguous route from that obscure eastern point to the equally obscure western end of the line in Sunbury, PA.
This train originated in Ayer as train SAED and will turn into Norfolk Southern train 11R at Mechanicville for continuation down the old Delaware and Hudson to East Binghamton Yard. Berkshire and Eastern is a Genesee and Wyoming owned company which was created to serve as the neutral third party operator of the former Pan Am Southern property as a condition of the sale of Pan Am Railways to CSX in 2022. The train is led by the standard SD60E which is necessary due to it being one of a small fleet of this model equipped with ACSES for operation on the MBTA property east of Westminster.
Charlemont, Massachusetts
Sunday July 6, 2025
Another from this ongoing series.
CSXT local L020 has 17 cars trailing two ACSES equipped ex Chessie GP40-2s as they pull up to MP QC1 on Troy Industrial Track after a four mile run down from their namesake city. They will pause here holding off crossing for a bit before awaiting permission from Amtrak's Hudson North dispatcher to head out onto the Hudson Line and cross the Livingston Avenue Bridge so they can make the climb up West Albany hill enroute back west to their home base in South Schenectady via the Amtrak main and CSXT's Carmen Branch. Refer to my earlier posts for a long form caption with the history of this line.
Rensselaer, New York
Friday October 25, 2024
Norfolk Southern intermodal train 265 eases to a stop as it approaches a farm crossing in the siding just outside of Afton, New York where the crew will tie the train down and get picked up by a cab. In the lead is an ACSES equipped SD60E, used to traverse MBTA trackage on the Pan Am Southern east of the handoff point in Mechanicville.
====Info====
NS Freight Line
Afton, NY
NS 265 (Intermodal; PAS - Mechanicville, NY to 47th Street Yard - Chicago, IL)
NS 6958 SD60E Ex. NS 6594 SD60 Blt. 1985
NS 1227 SD70ACe Blt. 2019
NS 4122 AC44C6M Ex. NS 8829 C40-9 Blt. 1995
Having been tied down only a dozen miles to the west for hours, Pan Am Southern train 22K (NS 47th Street Yard Chicago to PAS Ayer Yard) has finally reached its destination as a recrew leads the train east down main 2 passing the T passenger platforms approaching CPF AY on Pan Am's Freight Mainline at Pan Am milepost 315.75 (measured from Mattawamkeag, ME) and milepost 35.75 (measured from Boston North Station on the Keolis/MBTA Fitchburg Line). They will clear the east leg of the wye then back their train south into the yard to start cutting it up to spot the intermodal ramp. At right stands the surviving former B&M interlocking tower dating from 1928 that closed in 1980.
Cab signal and ACSES equipped NS SD60E 6953 has led BNSF ET44C4 3842 and UP C44ACM 7211 over the length of the former Boston and Maine Fitchburg Division from Mechanicville. Once the CSXT acquisition is consummated and NS begins to exercise its trackage rights from Voorheesville over the Berkshire and Boston Subs (ex Boston and Albany) this intermodal traffic will arrive in Ayer via the Worcester main instead of the Freight main meaning scenes like this will soon be a thing of the past.
Ayer, Massachusetts
Friday April 15, 2022
Berkshire and Eastern Railroad train EDMO (East Deerfield to Mohawk) heads west past the historic former passenger station here at MP 427 on the B&E operated Pan Am Southern Freight Mainline, the one time Boston and Maine Fitchburg Division. This train originated in Ayer as train SAED and will turn into Norfolk Southern train 11R at Mechanicville for continuation down the old Delaware and Hudson to East Binghamton Yard.
Berkshire and Eastern is a Genesee and Wyoming owned company which was created to serve as the neutral third party operator of the former Pan Am Southern property as a condition of the sale of Pan Am Railways to CSX in 2022. The train is led by the standard SD60E which is necessary due to it being one of a small fleet of this model equipped with ACSES for operation on the MBTA property east of Westminster.
Built in 1898 by the Fitchburg Railroad, this station saw its last scheduled passenger train call on November 30, 1958 when the final train headed east to Boston via the Hoosac Tunnel. Sold into private hands the following year it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.
To learn a bit more see below:
www.historic-structures.com/ma/williamstown/train_station...
Williamstown, Massachusetts
Saturday April 12, 2025
Canadian National C40-8 #2110 and Norfolk Southern SD70ACu #7283 lay over at the Worcester engine facility along side P&W B39-8E #3905 and a handful of other Providence and Worcester power. Oddly enough, these two locomotives were used later in the day to rescue a loaded limestone train that stalled in Northbridge.
During the short period of time where the Providence and Worcester had a run-through power agreement with Norfolk Southern on the unit ethanol trains, a ton of wild power made its way to New England and places you'd never in a million years expect to see it. Some trains ran all the way to Cumberland with foreign leaders before being capped by a P&W unit with Cabs and ACSES for the NEC, or being set out entirely. For some reason, this pair of 6 axles were set out in Worcester and waited for the empty train to return from Providence before being sent back to their respective owners. Sadly, all good things must come to an end and with the sale of the P&W to Genesee and Wyoming, the run-through power agreement and NS contract went in the trash.
August 2016
Worcester, MA.
After making its regular overnight turn trip to Attleboro, CSXT Framingham based local L005 is back home. After yarding as much of their train as they could in Nevins Yard (ex Boston and Albany) the yard master instructed them to shove the balance here into the ex New Haven North Yard side.
Here the three EMD SD40-2s shove back on the Northbound track while a brace of five GE widecabs wait tied down on the south end of Track 1 hanging back up the ladder of the busy dozen track yard that serves as the hub for all of CSXT's pre Pan Am purchase eastern Massachusetts carload traffic network.
The motive power based here is all captive and varies little thanks to the requirement that they all be equipped with cab signals and ACSES for operation over MBTA property. SD40-2 CSXT 8840 is on home rails here having been blt. Oct. 1978 as CR 6465. Meanwhile AC440CW CSXT 486 was blt. Sep. 2000 and still wears its as delivered YN2 'bright future' livery.
Framingham, Massachusetts
Friday December 2, 2022
Berkshire and Eastern train EDMO (East Deerfield to Mohawk splits the vintage US&S searchlights guarding CPF415 at the west end of a 9286 ft stretch of remaining two main track on B&E's former Pan Am Freight Main, the former Boston and Maine Fitchburg Division. This train originated in Ayer as train SAED and will turn into Norfolk Southern train 11R at Mechanicville for continuation down the old Delaware and Hudson to East Binghamton Yard. They just meet train B100 at the east end of this stretch at CPF 414 and are about to cross the bridge over the Deerfield River and then head into 4.74 miles of darkness through the Hoosac Tunnel. The flat area to the left of the locomotives was once the site of a depot and small yard where the B&M interchanged with the Hoosac Tunnel and Wilmington Railroad. The 25 mile long pike opened as 11 miles of three foot narrow narrow gauge rails to Readsboro, VT in 1885 then was extended north to its namesake Vermont town in 1892 and ultimately standard gauged in 1913. In 1937 it retrenched to Readsboro but the southern half soldered on until it was finally abandoned in 1971.
Berkshire and Eastern is a Genesee and Wyoming owned company which was created to serve as the neutral third party operator of the former Pan Am Southern property as a condition of the sale of Pan Am Railways to CSX in 2022. The train is led by the standard SD60E which is necessary due to it being one of a small fleet of this model equipped with ACSES for operation on the MBTA property east of Westminster.
Rowe, Massachusetts
Saturday April 12, 2025
Since PTC/ACSES is necessary and these are virtually the only NS units that lead out here now, I'd ignored the pig the past couple years until this particular morning on November 22, 2022. PAS/NS 264 lights the lamp at Otter River with a ubiquitous SD60E leading the charge, and a pair of Uncle Petes trailing. This would be my final shot with my 70-200 F4, as less than an hour later at Wachusett, I'd experience the most awkward trip I've ever had and snap my lens not quite in half. The day would get worse before it got better, as I would go on to back into a Mercedes in Ayer while experiencing car issues... At any rate, I am happy to report that I've since replaced my lens, and my car experienced no real damage.
This one is kind of cool because the CSXT unit is almost completely blocked so it looks like an MBTA train with classic old school 'heritage' cars for a consist.
But of course this is just another frame of this rare catch as the Keolis work train crew has cleared Andover Street and is shoving down into Lawrence yard to set out the CSXT geometry train on the scale track before cutting off light with their locomotive and scooting back to BET.
The three car train consists of CSXT 994366 (Geometry/theater car TGC3), 994365 (support car Hocking Valley), and 994369 (crew car Grand Rapids) with its assigned one of a kind unit, CSXT 9969, an ex MARC GP40WH-2. Double headed on the east end is MBTA GP40MC1129 in the 'cranberry' heritage scheme and on the west end is MBTA F40PH-3C 1033. The train had to be capped with MBTA locomotives due to the fact that 9969 is not equipped with ACSES PTC equipment necessary to lead on the MBTA lines.
The T measures and tests its lines quarterly, but with no equipment of its own has always relied on Amtrak's Corridor Clipper car for this work. For whatever reason Amtrak is no longer able to support this so other arrangements were made. An Ensco truck tested all South Side lines except the Worcester Mainline and the MBTA/Keolis contracted with CSXT to borrow their train which was handed off in Worcester. It was used to test east from Worcester, the Grand Junction Branch, and the eastern route on Wednesday then later this morning will head out and test the New Hampshire and Fitchburg Routes. Finally on this morning it tested the Western Route to as far as this point before wrapping up. With the T in the process of building two GEO cars of its own it seems unlikely that this will ever happen again but around here you just never know!
Lawrence, Massachusetts
Friday May 23, 2025
Just another frame of this train on borrowed time.
Berkshire and Eastern train B100 exits the East Portal of the famed Hoosac Tunnel after traveling 4.75 miles and 1000 ft beneath its namesake mountain deep in the heart of the Berkshire Range. A light coating of spring snow brightens this gray afternoon here at MP 415.7 on B&E's former Pan Am Freight Main, the former Boston and Maine Fitchburg Division.
Berkshire and Eastern is a Genesee and Wyoming owned company which was created to serve as the neutral third party operator of the former Pan Am Southern property as a condition of the sale of Pan Am Railways to CSX in 2022. B100 is the symbol B&E uses for the continuation to Ayer of Norfolk Southern train 264 (intermodal 63rd Street Yard in Chicago to Mechanicville) that used to be known as 22K. The train is led by the standard SD60E which is necessary due to it being one of a small fleet of this model equipped with ACSES for operation on the MBTA property east of Westminster.
This train is on borrowed time here on the west end because another condition of the sale of Pan Am was the granting of trakage rights to NS for the operation of one daily pair of premium trains (this one and its westbound counterpart) over CSXT's former Boston and Albany route. These trains will leave their current routing at Delanson, NY and take the old Delaware and Hudson Albany main to Voorheesville, where they will utilize the rebuilt connection on to the Selkirk Branch. From there they will travel east via Selkirk Yard, the Castleton Bridge and the Berkshire and Boston Subs to Worcester and on up to Ayer. Allegedly, that routing will commence sometime later this spring or summer, so if you want shots of 'the pig train' on the old Boston and Maine the time is now.
Florida, Massachusetts
Saturday April 12, 2025
Having been tied down only a dozen miles to the west for hours, Pan Am Southern train 22K (NS 47th Street Yard Chicago to PAS Ayer Yard) has finally reached its destination as a recrew leads the train east down main 2 passing the T passenger platforms approaching CPF AY on Pan Am's Freight Mainline at Pan Am milepost 315.75 (measured from Mattawamkeag, ME) and milepost 35.75 (measured from Boston North Station on the Keolis/MBTA Fitchburg Line). They will clear the east leg of the wye then back their train south into the yard to start cutting it up to spot the intermodal ramp. At right stands the surviving former B&M interlocking tower dating from 1928 that closed in 1980. And poking skyward to the right of the brick tower can be seen the wooden steeple of Saint Mary's Catholic Church whose parish was founded in 1858, thirteen years after the Fitchburg Railroad first reached town.
Cab signal and ACSES equipped NS SD60E 6953 has led BNSF ET44C4 3842 and UP C44ACM 7211 over the length of the former Boston and Maine Fitchburg Division from Mechanicville. Once the CSXT acquisition is consummated and NS begins to exercise its trackage rights from Voorheesville over the Berkshire and Boston Subs (ex Boston and Albany) this intermodal traffic will arrive in Ayer via the Worcester main instead of the Freight main meaning scenes like this will soon be a thing of the past.
Ayer, Massachusetts
Friday April 15, 2022
With the recent approval of the CSX acquisition of Pan Am's east end, looking back at old photos that otherwise would be "ehhh..." made me realize how good we had it without even knowing. For starters, in recent years, the MBTA requiring ACSES on the eastern portion of Pan Am between Ayer and Gardner has forced Norfolk Southern's homely looking SD60E's to lead every 22K and 23K in and out of Ayer. In 2016, this SD70M-2 wouldn't have gotten me to drive two hours from home (not sure why I made the drive this day to begin with) but looking back I'm glad I did. I always liked the big M-2's and their ACe brethren, but back then it wasn't uncommon to see them and you could almost guarantee one of the big EMD's to lead this train at least a few times a month depending on where they were in the pool. Not to mention any other power that might be in the power pool, and I mean any.
Secondly, the power in the background is mostly all gone from the property. I counted eight of the twenty 600 series SD40 variants they purchased in 2010. They've since been sold off and scrapped (for the most part). Three ex. VRS/Green Mountain GP40's also sit on the service tracks, just to the right of the old Guilford sand towers, destination unknown. To the far left is MEC GP40 #306 and an unknown high-hood GP40. The high-hoods are also all gone, although the #306 is still out there roaming the rails on the Maine portion of the railroad. And in the middle, bracketing two NS GE's is MEC #3403 and #3404. Two of five ex. QNSL SD40-2's with extended capacity fuel tanks. They, along with the other three, still remain on the property on the New York end of the property assigned to Rotterdam Junction last I knew.
Once CSX takes over the east end, one can only assume what we'll see leading trains. Same goes for the Berkshire Eastern, once the G&W begins operations on the west end.
C'est la vie!
June 2016
East Deerfield, MA.