Watertown branch action

My grandfather worked at BF Goodrich in Watertown which I believe was at the site now occupied by Target, Best Buy, et al. According to legend, when they tried to implode it, the building just sat there and didn't budge. Can anybody confirm these reports. Also, if anyone knows where to find info on rail operations at this place (and arsenal), I'd appreciate it. Thanks.
O

I'd sure like to see photos of rail action in that area as well!!!

Hey I don’t post here often but I saw Guilford delivering either flower and/or maybe corn syrup to Newlyweds. If you check out nerail.org someone posted some pictures of MEC 354 stuck on the 19th of December. http://photos.nerail.org/showpic/?photo ... ydate%3A16

I stopped by Newlyweds today, the 21st, and to my surprise saw MEC 354 and MEC 305 with at least 12 freight cars, of all assortments. Guilford also had a hi-rail truck parked to the side of the track. The train was so long that they had 354 run farther than usual down the abandoned mainline section of the track behind the Tufts Building (former Western Electric factory). 305 was working on the Newlyweds siding. I left and came back an hour later and they were still there, this time 305 was pulling out. I left and the last I saw 305 had 10 of the cars and was pulling across the grade crossing and 354 (now out of the brush) was sitting on the mainline past the siding with 2 corn syrup cars.

Before I left for college there was no sign of action, wow have things changed! I have a lot of photos but no where to upload them to.
-Mike

Mike, you almost answered your own question. You can upload them to NERail. I (and probably more than a few others here) would love ot see them.

I uploaded what I thought were five of my best photographs to nerail.org. I was shocked to the see that Guilford hadn’t repaired the tracks by Fresh Pond where the train got stuck the other day. I know the condition of the rest of the track is pretty poor, and there is only one customer but I wish they could do something to stop the tracks from sinking instead of just plowing the frozen mud to the side.
-Mike

boy, am i confused...
i thought that once the lumber customer near alewife left for ayer, this line was going to be embargoed.
now not only is Newlywed active, they're getting tankers and other cars, AND guilford is working on the line?!?

can someone point me in the right direction? what's going on up there?

I am almost sure the Newlywed bakery is the only customer left. I don't think the other frieght cars (other than the flour and maybe corn syrup) had anything to do with the watertown branch. The line is abandoned and overgrown after newlyweds, so train couldn't have gone farther down the line. I read somewhere, maybe here, that the lumber company no longer got stuff via rail.
There hadn't been service down to newlyweds for about a year, there were trees down on the line back in August. It seemed as though the bakery was trucking flour in. I live a block or two away and would see the flour trucks comming all the time.

Thanks for the pics!

Why were there so many cars on the train? That seems like a lot for Newlyweds or a lot to carry down that line for no reason.

Anyone have any idea on how many cars Newlyweds gets in every month? Do they receive corn syrup as well as flour? Anything else?

I was under the impression that Newlywed's had enough business to warrant service once or twice a week, but I don't know how many cars. Since they used to serve them via the local on the Fitchburg Line, they almost always came during the day when I'm at work. This was the first time I've ever seen tank cars of anything on the branch (let alone that many cars).

I don't think Newlyweds had gone a year with no service. I drive by that area about 5 times a day during work and would see the train quite often.

Yea it probally wasn't that long, the only reason i assumed that they weren't getting rail deliveries for sometime was that i walked the tracks durring the summer and they were pretty overgrown.

I still don't get why they need corn syrup!! Maybe something special for the holidays?

It is not just a simple bakery;
http://www.newlywedsfoods.com/newlywedsfoods4.html

TPR37777 wrote:It is not just a simple bakery;
http://www.newlywedsfoods.com/newlywedsfoods4.html

Gee, THANKS!! Now I am hungry!!! Not to worry, though, a huge mess of Christmas Ravioli is waiting for our family down in the kitchen!

But their site does show products I could see needing corn syrup to make.