Since I'm gonna be in Augusta, ME for a while (until mid-February), I'm eager to check out any and all railfan spots. So far I've been up the I-road to Waterville to shoot Guilford action (as well as MEC 4-6-2 470), and pace a train north to just south of SKowhegan. What else is there for a railfan far from home to shoot in & around the Pine Tree State? I'm open to suggestions.
What about taking the Downeaster from Portland to Boston, taking a subway to South Station and checking out all the Northeast Corridor stuff going on.
I have thought of that, but since I don't know when I'll ever be in these parts again, I was most interested in Maine, New Hampshire & Vermont, with perhaps a side trip along the former Boston & Albany and Boston & Maine lines.
Bob, You could give the Conway Scenic Railway a shot. CSR's home base is North Conway, NH, which is about 80 miles west of Augusta on Route 302.
Funny you should mention them.......they have a Winter Run this Thanksgiving weekend. The steamer is still out of commission (dangit!), but I'm looking forward to driving over early Saturday morning & riding the train, and hopefully shooting some pics of the other equipment they may have. Green Mountain......Alcos......yep, that's on my list. Too bad the St. J. is no more- I woulda liked to have shot their trains passing thru the covered bridges. The ex-MEC line north of Augusta to Waterville is all gone (still intact south to Portland, but inactive), but the so-called "Back Road" is still used by Guilford, and runs just 9 miles west of where I live. And of course, I've got the Maine 2-footers on the must-capture- the Boothbay Harbor and WW&F museums are not far away. BAR, MEC, St.J&LC, CV, GT, B&M, and Rutland- may they rest in peace.
Actually, quite well for us, thanks for asking. Unfortunately, many folks (~80,000) on the Coast have no place to live, let alone to fix up. However, the majority say they will rebuild when insurance and finances get straightened out...just a matter of time. Camilla and I finally finished repairing the interior of the house on Tuesday, i.e. sheetrock, baseboard, painting, water stains, etc. Now we tackle the yard and stuff. CSX (NO&M) is coming back to life. An MOW train came through yesterday with a load of rail for the Biloxi area. They had to come down from Hattiesburg on KCS because both the Bay St. Louis and Biloxi Bay bridges are still out. CSX is still saying March/April for through trains. I miss seeing the trains, but the silence is nice too...
I can only fill you in on CSX Boston. Depending on if you are driving or want to take the train. If you take the early Downeaster, once you get to Boston hop the orange line over to Back-bay Station. Then grab a MBTA commuter train out to Worcester. At Worcester you can sit on the platform and watch some Guilford, Providence and Worcester and of course CSX freight action. This is in addition to a couple of Amtrak trains and several MBTA commuter rail trains. If you are driving and want to avoid Boston, take 128(I-95 for you out of staters) to the Mass Pike. Get off the Mass Pike at exit 13, bear right, take route 30 west to route 126 (about your fourth traffic light). Put up with the traffic and take 126 south (left) towards Holliston and Ashland. Once you get into the old downtown of Framingham you will cross the tracks. Take a right and you will find the new commuter station (about 100 yards west of the old station). Saturdays are best for parking. You can sit there and watch trains. If you want take route 135(the road in front of station) west towards Ashland. This will be your first chance to get a good look at Q437, which is made up in Nevins Yard west of the station. You said you were going to be in New England until February. Don't forget to mark your calendar for the last weekend in January. This is when they have the huge Amherst Railway Society Train Show in Springfield, Mass. This is the hobby show of the year. When compared to most train shows, except for maybe Tinomunn(sp?) in Md, it would be like comparing in size Z scale to G scale. This show has it all in 3 huge buildings. Bring your wallet and put it in your front pocke. I have gone to this show every year for the past 10 years, and never have got out of there spending less than $150.
Check out the Mt. Washington Cog Railroad in New Hampshire. Unique little steamers push a car up as much as a 37% grade. I'm not sure they run all year though.
Here is The Cog's Website. They haven't published their 2006 schedule yet, but they list "Ski Runs" during December. It's a real experience to ride it...each loco pushes one car up the mountain. Then they coast back down while the entire crew works mechanical(!) brakes to keep the car from pushing the loco off the tracks.... BTW, The Cog boasts the last commercial steam locomotive to be built in the US. It was built in 1967 in the Cog's own shops. [ November 25, 2005, 07:46 AM: Message edited by: Hytec ]
Bob, When you come up to visit I'll try to take you to McAdam, New Brunswick and maybe we can go to St. John. Quite a bit of action there. http://www.villageofmcadam.com/Mstation.htm Charlie
Don't forget to stop over at Portland for the Mine Narrow Gauge Museum. Is the Conway Scenic still running some (painted B&M?) F units? Boxcab E50
