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The book I use for track work at Seashore is the FRA's, because they give it out. I doubt the FTA differs much.

Tie plates have to be enough wider than the rail to have spike holes - at least one inch on each side. Pandrol clip plates extend a minimum of 2 inches beyond the rail base on each side. I suppose you could make them much narrower than the tie, but that would be conspicuous. For trolley axle loads t...

Guessing you mean the locomotives they were able to salvage from the island in the Hudson River? Looking at their donations page, that's probably "NYCS Electrics".

I don't have B&M Employee Timetables after 1977, but it appears they replaced the automatic block signaling between Reading and Wilmington Jct. for Haverhill service restoration. The section of track through Reading station remained unsignaled for many years, and Reading had a Train Register.

It's been many, many years since I connected at CUS in coach, long enough that I recall using 25 cent lockers to stash my backpack while railfanning. Amtrak could probably make many friends by either making CUS connections tighter (dream on) or offering more support to all customers with multi-hour ...

West Point: 1. I haven't heard/read what the actual gauge error is. The FRA gives 56" as absolute minimum for Class 1-5 track. 2/3. Rail/wheel interaction is designed around canted tie plates. Poor quality control at the pre-plating site might have missed backwards plates. Backwards plates woul...

Gleaned from several different low-fact articles in the Globe, I'm guessing defective ties or defective components attaching the rail to the ties. It's said that the gauge was tight from the beginning (but no measurement given). It's also said that somehow over time the gauge crept tighter. My FRA T...

The "Boston & Maine Railway Corporation" and "Boston & Maine, Depots and Structures" groups on FB include some station picture fans. There's also the "BM-RR at groups.io" email group. BM-RR's archives are public and can be viewed on the groups.io site - they go ...

In the first few years after delivery (1947), the P-S lightweight fleet (16 coaches, 2 combines) were normally assigned to Boston-Portland-Bangor trains, with some trips to Rockland ME on the MEC connection. As traffic declined they drew other assignments, including Boston - Montreal via CP and poss...

I always had the idea they relocated the Green Line's Haymarket platforms to make space for parking garage supports - the one whose demolition has been screwing up the area for years. I was young, but I think I recall Lechmere cars using the old Haymarket's outer tracks, and Canal St. Loop (North St...

I was away during the August trips. Looking at the site:

[url]https://www.coastlinerexcursions.com/excursions.html[/url]

I only see excursions Oct. 7 and 8, with "Check Back Soon" instead of details or a way to purchase tickets.

Yes, track inspection by people who don't know what they're looking for or don't have time to look/test is a waste of time, money and effort. Particularly at transit traffic levels, there's a lot of wear on rails, especially in curves, and on turnouts points, frogs and guardrails. Some defects, like...

And now the project3713.com website is gone, the domain parked. The Lackawanna & Wyoming Valley NRHS has posted a "closing statement" dated Aug. 31, 2023 saying the National Park Service and Steamtown have been given the funds raised for 3713 and the L&WV chapter is no longer invol...

I started using the Haverhill Line in 1988; at that time there were several active freight customers between North Wilmington and Reading. Between 1959 and the construction of the new Orange Line in the 1970s, I believe local freight service ran from East Somerville up to Reading/North Wilmington. A...

I never rode the Watertown line when it was in passenger service (that ended before I was a teenager), but I rode it a couple of times on BSRA fan trips in the '70s and '80s.