track work at rigby

[wolfmom69]

Nells; "tear down the roundhouse"? It is amazing it is still standing! Close to 2 years ago,the City of S.Portland & Maine D.E.P,condemned it,and ordered it torn down. Still there,and even if one doesn't like Guilford,you gotta appreciate there "stonewalling" the Govts. I guess the place is loaded with asbestos(pipe covering,and 80 years of "other nasty stuff",that the "beautiful people" are afraid of. Of course,men worked around this "stuff",soot,smoke,they smoked cigars,butts,pipes for 50 years or more,and the only time most heard the word cancer,was an astrological sign! Me thinks,the govts. now realize,that to tear down the roundhouse(or the few stalls that remain) might get that "stuff" into the atmosphere! Couldnt be too bad in there,as there has never been any yellow tape,blocking off access to any of it! Bud

[NellsChoo]

I'm not 100% sure I am reading your post correctly... I just think it is a shame so many obsolete structures are not put to good use. Perhaps if the roundhouse had been upgraded through the years, it wouldn't have to be torn down.

There's a little building at Ayer MA with a B&M blue door and lock on it. I can't imagine how old it is. Its companion fell down a while back. But does anyone care it is a little part of railroad lore? Nope. Then there's the old "Stan's Hobby Shop" in West Chelmsford. What a cool depot/freight house! And yet it sits, a great candidate for a restoration next to an active line, yet left to rot.

My point is even our railroads don't care about their railroading past. I myself feel that is rather sad.

JD

PS: I am not trying to be snippy, I'm just sick of seeing things dissapear

[Steam]

Most of today's railroads are products of mergers and their history got lost along the way to becoming "big business" entities. The old railroaders (both management and operating) are pretty much gone. So few care about the hisory of the company.

Where once there was pride in the railroad's past, now you have ignorance at best or a deliberate attempt to dissassociate from the past, at worst.

To ignore their heritage is a mistake, but most railroads have opted out... emphasizing only the here and now and of course, "the future". Sad but true.

[railfancurtis]

why don't railroads care about these obsolete structures? they're a business and roundhouses such as the one at rigby is such a major liability to them. if they put time and effort in to each little nook and crany on their railroad they probably wouldn't be one. financially, i'm sure its a lot safer to rip down the roundhouse whether we like it or not.

[CVRA7]

It is sad that so few railroads celebrate their history - a few years ago when Guilford resurrected the Pan-Am airline name they made a big deal out of the "proud, distinguished airline name" being returned to life - while totally ignoring the older proud names under their control from their railroad holdings - Boston and Maine and Maine Central.
Years ago, the Baltimore & Ohio and Pennsylvania railroads did a fine job of preserving their heritage, saving equipment that formed the basis of the B&O and Pennsylvania State railroad museums. But where were the New York Central, Erie and Lehigh Valley back then? Even the often maligned Patrick McGinnis saved one or two B&M steamers for future generations. I heard the New Haven also tried to give away its last few locomotives as well. Steamwise, what is left from the large New England systems? (please correct me if I'm wrong) Bangor & Aroostook 0, extinct; Boston & Albany 1: 4-4-0; Boston & Maine 5: 2 0-6-0, 1 2-6-0, 1 4-4-0, 1 4-6-2 (plus 1 4-6-2 under water near Portsmouth, NH); Central Vermont 1: 4-6-0?; Maine Central 3: 2 2-8-0, 1 4-6-2; New Haven 1: 4-4-0 (Boston & Providence); Rutland 0, extinct. Six of those remain in the region, and F. Nelson Blount had a hand in saving 6 of the 11 survivors. Of course some Canadian engines ran on the CV, Grand Trunk and the CP lines in Vermont and Maine that survived.
We have done better at saving diesels from the region, but few were saved by the railroad companies and donated for preservation. Private railroad museums in the region have saved a number of the region's diesels, most by purchase but some were donated. The Connecticut Dept of Transportation has been particularly generous, providing 4 retired FL9s on long term loans to the Railroad Museum of New England, Connecticut Eastern and Danbury collections.
Most railroads see historical preservation as an unnecessary expense,
so they won't spend on buildings and equipment that is not adding to the bottom line. And this has not been helped by the fact that our region's railroads have not been the most profitable in the nation.