Interesting Consist Discussion for the South Side

the 1056 and the 1062 are the 2 units painted in MassDOT paint currently. The 1062 needs its HEP unit completely replaced, believe it went down to Area 52 Tuesday

I'm on the MassDOT consist right now. Its the 4:47 Needham Heights train out of South Station. What a shame it's all MBB cars. I hate these things. So uncomfortable.

Mbtagp40mc wrote:I'm on the MassDOT consist right now. Its the 4:47 Needham Heights train out of South Station. What a shame it's all MBB cars. I hate these things. So uncomfortable.

Cheap foam cushioning breaks down after 10-15 years even when lightly used. I'm assuming that's what happened because the MBBs were very comfortable when new.

Providence train 821 (4:30PM outbound) had 7 doubles with a locomotive on each end, an HSP and a GP. Looks like there was no control car on the set.

Is #1120 owned by MassDoT too? It had a MassDot Logo on the side of it when it stopped at West Natick headed towards Worcester at around 3:10 today. Is this on all the engines and I'm just really obvlivious, or is this something else?

Pretty sure this isn't too surprising but Providence train 803 (6:31AM outbound) (and I believe turns to 812) had two control cars in its set, I believe 1712 and 1705 (1705 being the primary one). They were right next to one other.

some of the recent refurb K cars have been problem childs and have not been in the lead, just filling a spot in the consist

I rode on an all-MBB set today on the Franklin line. I didn't think that was still possible!

Not consist related, but can't think of where else to put it. . .

Users of Kingston station may have noticed the very large collection of retired T-logoed NABI CNG buses that have been piling up in the lot the last couple weeks. Now 30-strong and increasing by couple buses per day as more fresh retirees get yanked from revenue service and sent down Route 3 for storage. Those are awaiting their maker on a huge 300-bus scrap contract currently 125+ buses into its meal. The scrappers are working Southampton, Cabot, and Arborway yards right now at a rate of a dozen buses per week, with 120 retired buses left to go in the intra-city yards. After those dead lines are cleared out the scrappers will be descending on a filled-up Kingston and start putting on a daily demolition show in full view of the platform for commuters' entertainment. Should be some good photo ops of the action this September-ish when the heavy equipment decamps to Kingston.

Frode wrote:I rode on an all-MBB set today on the Franklin line. I didn't think that was still possible!

a set of 5 it is, as of Tuesday, had a HSP as the power

Dont know where else to put this really, buy today I just noticed that the old spur just after the Holbrook/Randolph station has a huge boiler or pump or something on a center depressed flat car. Its quite a good size piece too. Always figured that spur has been spike off for like 10 years now

There is a set of 8 doubles running around with 2 HSPs in top/tail configuration - 2010 on the outer end and either 2011 or 2017 on the inner end. It was working 521 yesterday afternoon.

The past two days, 521 from SS has had GP40 1134 on the end, behind cab car 1826.

Was at the Attleboro station today and saw an outbound train with 5 double decker cars zip through on track 1, ahead of the 1:05PM outbound train. Might've had control car 1721. Is this a test/rescue train or something?

sonicdoommario wrote:Was at the Attleboro station today and saw an outbound train with 5 double decker cars zip through on track 1, ahead of the 1:05PM outbound train. Might've had control car 1721. Is this a test/rescue train or something?

Been a busy summer, but what you probably saw was a set returning from dropping off an engine at Davisville, RI