I work two jobs and do not have a great amount of time to train watch. I live on the South Shore of Boston. Can anyone suggest a place I can go to train watch? I would like to observe Freights if I can. How do I get freight schedules?
Gypsy
The best spot for watching mainline freight operations in the Boston area is Worcester Union Station where you can see CSX,Amtrak,MBTA,Providence & Worcester, and Pan Am rail trains. I would google “CSX” & “Boston line” & “timetable” to search for train info…
Yes, I would also recommend Worcester Union Station. You can take the MBTA to Worcester, just a bit over an hour assuming CSX doesn’t delay you. Here’s some links to reference material I’ve created on Worcester.
Some examples of the stuff you’ll see
CSX, MBTA, and Amtrak Schedules Through Worcester
If you have any specific questions about Worcester, feel free to send me a private message or ask on this thread, and I’ll answer them to the best of my knowledge.
Gypsy,
According to our own hosts here, the two Massachusetts “Hot Spots” are in Palmer and Readville.
Palmer is out west of Worcester, and it’s where the New England Central (the old Central Vermont) crosses CSX’s Boston Line (ex-CR, ex-PC, ex-NYC, nee-B&A) and meets the Massachusetts Central RR. The old train station is now a nice restaurant called “The Steaming Tender” and is railfan friendly. There is outdoor dining on the platforms, and there is a Porter 0-6-0 and an ex-NH coach on display. The food is good, and the work the owners Robin and Blake have done to restore the place is mind boggling. http://www.steamingtender.com
Readville is a busy, busy place and is one of the few rail-bridge-over-rail-line crossovers in the state. It’s the ex-Boston & Providence going under the ex-New York & New England (and both were bought by the New Haven). Last I checked, during the morning and afternoon rush, there are around 17 passenger trains per hour through Readville from all 4 points of the compass. You have Amtrak’s NEC service and MBTA Providence, Stoughton, Franklin and Fairmount lines running through. All platforms are connected to each other, and it’s a lot of fun running from one to the other to take pics of all the trains that enter or pass the station. You also have some CSX action in the adjacent freight yard, but you won’t see much freight action.
About the only place I know of to find CSX freight schedules is here: http://www.bullsheet.com/news/freights.html
If you want to talk trains with some fellow railfans, stop by the South Shore Model Railway Club in Hingham, MA. www.ssmrc.org We’re there every Monday and Thursday night from 7:30pm to 11:00pm, and we welcome