3/27/04 (?) -This morning while washing up, I heard something funny coming from the direction of the MBTA tracks down by Belmont Center. I decided that it was worth a look, and drove down to the station. Just as I got up to the platform, this big, loud, yellow thing appeared from around the bend. It was the LORAM rail grinder! Despite the fact it started to rain, and my camera was for some reason on a low quality setting, I managed to get a few shots of the machine. After it passed, I got to see it at the West Cambridge Amtrak facility, thanks to the rt2 bridge in Fresh Pond.
LORAM rail grinder passes Belmont Center station
LORAM rail grinder heads east towards West Cambridge MA
LORAM sits at West Cambridge Amtrak facility.
4/21/04 - On the way home from work tonight, I ran a quick errand which took me under the MBTA overpass in Belmont. I noticed a commuter train stopped, which was nothing unusual. But about 15 minutes later when I returned, the train was still sitting there, not running. So I drove home, grabbed my camera, and went to see what was up.
There were commuters hanging around, looking a bit put out. Turns out the engine had stalled, and a work engine was on it's way from Boston. While this was nothing special to the commuters, to me it meant I could snap some pics of an old MBTA 'geep! Sure enough, not long after I showed up, engine #902 arrived, hooked up to the cab unit of the train, and pushed the whole lot on towards Waltham and points west.
12/19/04 - My boyfriend Todd and I heard something on the scanner about Guilford being stuck in Cambridge MA. That could only mean one thing: the Watertown line got the better of them while serving Newlywed Foods, the last customer on the line! So we headed for home to find the afflicted train.
Engine #305 was idling at the Sunoco station by the Fresh Pond rotary. But he wasn't stuck, so we looked a bit further down the line, and sure enough, there was engine #354 extremely stuck. The ground had been wet for some time, and ice had turned to mud. It appears the tracks gave way enough to make the engine and two tank cars it was hauling sink so much that they got stuck! Thing is, Newlyweds doesn't use tankers. As far as we know, they only get covered hoppers. So why where corn syrup cars in this train? Doesn't matter, I finally got to see some action, if you can use the word, on the Watertown Branch!
Idling by the Fresh Pond Sunoco station
Very stuck on the Watertown Branch
This page was last updated on: November 23, 2006
8/8/04 - Today the Ayer Railfan Club was treated by a glimpse of the Guilford wreck train. It headed west into Ayer, then down the wye into Hill Yard. Everyone clamored to get photos! Here are a few of the shots I took.
BM 249 MWT
BM 304 MWT
BM 3288
BM 3917 MWT
MEC 7589 & 165(?)
4/3/04 - Todd and I caught MBTA work engine #902 at Ayer Station tonight with a MOW consist. #902 detached from the train, then switched direction via the wye. Note the yellow hopper and bright orange caboose.
