Ever since I was a child, I have been a huge fan of model and life size trains. I remember going to A & D Toy Train Museum in Middleboro, MA. I would be in awe watching the model trains moving throughout amazing layouts.
(Photos below was taken in the Middleboro, MA rail yard late 80’s early 90’s)
I remember spending a lot of time walking with my dad along the tracks in Middleboro, MA. If we were lucky we could watch a Conrail locomotive coupling cars and getting ready to head out of the yard. Not too far away from the Middleboro Freight Yard was the Wye, I can’t tell you how many times we walked all three legs of the Wye. When I was communing to college some years later, I had the opportunity to be on a train using the Middleboro wye. Long story short, the Morning Middleboro/Lakeville Commuter Rail train was having problems with the control cab. We traveled on the wye so we could “Switch end” so the locomotive would lead us into Boston. What is a wye? It’s basically railroad version of a “three point turn”, swapping around the direction of a locomotive and cars.
I remember watching Amtrak’s “Cape Codder” rolling through Middleboro heading back to New York/Washington DC on Sunday’s late afternoons. My dad and I would have the camera ready to get that perfect photo. I think we spend hours waiting for it, and it would go by in less than a minute. Sadly, now-a-days you can’t walk along the right-of-way or in the rail yards without getting in trouble. (Above photo taken on the Middleboro wye leg facing Lakeville, MA early 90’s)
Now I live in Attleboro, MA. only minutes away from the Northeast Corridor where dozens of trains travel through daily. Once the weather gets better I hope to take some photos of the trains along the Corridor.
With my love of trains I’m also a scanner buff. Not only do I listen to police and fire communications I also listen to railroad communications. I’m able to hear Amtrak, Amtrak Police, MBCR, Providence & Worcester, and CSX, just to name a few. You can eavesdrop in on my railroad scanner, it’s streaming online! – Listen online
I think I will wrap it up for now, more blog entries to come.
