An Hour Or So At Readville.

Most New England railfans get to the Northeast Corridor enough that seeing the same old stuff is not news at all. But, those of us from the northern part of the region are somewhat deprived in that department.

DT&I Fan and I were on an express visit to Mass. on Sunday 12/6 to go to the Marlboro train show, Readville and Ikea. It turned out to be a pleasant day despite the prior night's snow. The snow did slow our departure enough to kill any chance of having coffee with Skull, who had to work. After spending a fortune at the show we drove to Readville for a fix of "speed".

Upon arrival we spied a green signal outbound on the center track. Something was on the way. The audible warnings on the platforms spoke up next. It wasn't long before the HHP on the top of the page showed up. The end of the inbound platform was the right place to be for this guy. Unfortunately I did not bring my monopod and I could have ventured a bit farther down to clear the fence. I had to use the full 300mm to get past most of the clutter.

While this was going on, I thought I saw a headlight inbound. It wasn't long before the signal turned green and the headlight became apparent. Again the audible warnings and whoosh! Standing across the platform from a speeding AEM7, or anything else, is a nearly religious experience.

The W.F.P.T. will never forget Joey's first summit visit to Worcester a few years ago. I had to include a "Purple Train" for the benefit of those who recall the episode. Sorry Joey. I actually put this shot onto Facebook without a thought about Joey because I don't have that many shots of the latest paint scheme on the F40's. This paint scheme was not seen yet the last time I spent time at Readville. The third track showed a blinking green center light well before this guy showed and Sunday is an off day at Readville, so I assumed it wouldn't stop. Not exactly a "woosh" but fun to watch nonetheless.

The last train was a guess. The 4-5 year old timetable in the truck indicated a train out of Boston at 1510 or so. We hoped it was still true. Not long after we figured that out the outbound center track signal changed to high green. Okay, we'll stick around. I was beginning to get chilled to the bone but a sure thing would be worth the wait. It was a longish wait and the sun was getting low. But, no clouds and the sun should last long enough. This last shot was the result.

Three "religious experiences" with "speed" for a couple of northerners. It was good for the soul.



BC