rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

When we moved to Western Massachusetts in 2006, the Vermont-sponsored Amtrak train ran up the East side of the Connecticut River: east Springfield MA to Palmer MA on CSX tracks, then North to Amherst MA and onto Vermont itself on former Vermont Central tracks.

By the time we left in 2013, they were using Stimulus Money to rehab the GRS (*) tracks on the West side of the river: straight north from Springfield MA to Holyoke MA to Northampton MA and onto Vermont itself. My wife and I spent the past week in Northampton, and as I waited for her to return from breakfast with a friend in the area, I realized it would be going up the down the tracks across the street, so I ran out and got a photo. I didn't count cars, but I believe it is longer than ten years ago - they certainly benefit from not needing the second locomotive - but in general the consist is roughly the same.

(*) these days Guilford Rail Systems does business as "Pan American Railroad", but I refuse to use the name of a failed airline to denote them even if they did pay money to a bankruptcy trustee for the name and insignia.
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March 2008 in Palmer MA. The train sat on the mainline while the engineer walked from the locomotive on the far end of the train to the one on the near end. The was necessary because of awkward connection between the two sets of tracks.


August 2019 in Northampton MA. By taking a more direct route, and not having to stop to reverse direction while switching, roughly half an hour is shaved off the overall schedule

Big Yankee Fan

Palmer, MA used to be the best place to take pix of trains, what with the reverse move of the Vermonter that you describe; the Lake Shore Limited coming and going Boston-Chicago; plenty of CSX and Vermont Central now New England Central (NEC) freight traffic; the NEC yard (where trespassing laws are seldom enforced); and last but not least the chili at the Steaming Tender Restaurant. Now I think I prefer Springfield , MA and its newly restored station which includes much of the above plus the new Amtrak / CT Rail traffic from New Haven and Hartford, CT.

Big Yankee Fan

Almost forgot....I think that both the Vermonter and Amtrak / CT Rail traffic do a reverse move in and out of Springfield, MA.

Jay Pat Loc: Round Rock, Texas, USA

Enjoyed the commentary and the images!!
Pat

GrayGhost

Ah, to have passenger trains.....Normally they come thru the Land of Oz @ Zero-Dark Thirty. Nice.

73
GG

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

We have the same problem here. My hometown is just east of Chicago, so we see a lot of rail traffic between Chicago and the East Coast, but that is almost exclusively freight. Passenger traffic is scheduled for the benefit of business travelers; we have two eastbound trains through here - both scheduled close to, or after, sunset at this time of year - and two westbound trains - both scheduled close to sunrise at this time of year {fortunately for me, some are late, so I need to get in the habit of checking their status when I first get up }