Milford-Bennington Railroad (MBRX) Discussion

Per http://www.faracresfarm.com/jbvb/rr/bmrr/diesel.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and with attribution to earlier sources, the B&M had 4 BL2s -- 1550-1553. They were built in 1948 and had steam generators, but no MU, confirmed also on pp. EMD-51 - 52 of Jerry Pinkepank's The Second Diesel Spotter's Guide, 1974, Kalmbach. Local passenger trains were the primary assignments, the change to RDCs and passenger cutbacks limiting their longevity.

jbvb-
Sorry if I jumped on your spot.

eustis22 wrote:The B&M had a BL2????

Yes, and I don't know how many, but I thought they were ugly. I saw only one in service: a northbound passenger train going through Danbury, NH on its way to White River Jct.

They had 4 BL2's 1550 - 1553 they were traded in along with F7A 4267 (after derailment) for the GP18's

This is the only photo of a B&M BL-2 that I could find on the net.
This photo was actually taken August 1948 at Boston Engine Terminal by the B&M's official photographer
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... x?id=18437" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks to David Hutchinson for the photo details.

I am sorry but the BL2 is a beautiful machine and we love her.

Thank you for the B&M BL2 info. And the pic.

A merchant in Wilton, NH has weighed in at the STB re: his opinion of Pan Am forcing adverse abandonment of MBRX operations:

https://www.stb.gov/filings/all.nsf/ba7 ... 245557.pdf

Excerpt:

May I humbly inquire what shred of evidence is there to indicate that a revival such as Pan Am so boldly puts forth is anything more than pure fiction. I would further
submit that if permission for such revival were granted, enforcement would need to be so strict as to require oversight by a third party on a near-daily basis. It is ludicrous to
imagine that Pan Am would dedicate a locomotive and crew five days a week to service a three-mile stretch of track for one customer; plus who would be available to make sure
they did.

It is my opinion that Pan Am and good rail service cannot exist in the same sentence. In the name of common sense and good judgment, do not rule in favor of Pan
Am Railways in this proceeding

Hear, hear !

As this business has no relation to rail service it likely will not be considered testimony, no matter how true it is!

15 minute video of Wilton Scenic RR running in 2004 by the late Richard Quellette
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wfr8YlKndc0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

STB tells Pan Am “no” regarding its attempt at adverse abandonment of M&B

Digest:[1] In this decision, the Board denies an application filed by Boston and Maine Corporation and the Springfield Terminal Railway Company for third‑party, or “adverse,” discontinuance of the operating authority of Milford‑Bennington Railroad Company, Inc. over approximately 5.36 miles of rail line between Wilton and Milford, N.H.

https://www.stb.gov/decisions/readingro ... enDocument

If NS takes over the west end of PAR, including the NH main line, maybe a deal
could be worked out where the state would lease or buy the Hillsborough branch
and select the M&B as operator. Even Monadnock Paper might start shipping again.

NS doesn't want anything to do with the NH Division north of NC, if they did they would have pushed to include it in the PAS transaction. There's nothing left.

So, what happens next? They still don't have a trackage rights agreement.
Does this tarnish PAR's reputation with the STB?
Looks like the right decision.
Is PAR repairing the line to keep it up to "excepted" standard? I'm assuming MBRR costs they talk about were for brush cutting or emergency repairs.

From the Monadnock Ledger

The Milford-Bennington Railroad will be allowed to continue operating, after the Surface Transportation Board denied an application Thursday by the owners of the track to discontinue the railroad’s right to operate on the line.

“Obviously, I’m very pleased by the decision,” said Milford-Bennington Railroad owner Peter Leishman of Peterborough on Monday.

The portion of the track that runs from Wilton to Milford is owned by Pan Am. In the past, Milford-Bennington Railroad held rights to the use of the track. That agreement has since expired, and the Milford-Bennington Railroad and Pan Am have yet to come to terms on a new agreement, but despite that, Milford-Bennington continues to use the tracks.

The Milford-Bennington Railroad makes multiple trips daily to truck loads of gravel from Granite State Concrete to a facility in Milford. On its busiest days, the train can make as many as three trips, hauling ten cars, the equivalent of 180 round-trips by truck.

and

Milford-Bennington has expressed interest in re-starting a tourist train that would bring passengers through a tour of Wilton, Bennington and Greenfield.

Milford-Bennington ran a tourist train in the early 2000 during the weekends, but when Stewart Draper, who operated the passenger train, died, the service was discontinued.

Leishman has looked at purchasing equipment to re-instate a passenger train, and entered into a tentative agreement with the current owner of the equipment. Currently, he said, he is waiting on the state Department of Transportation to conclude a review of the tracks and the state’s Attorney General’s Office to decide whether the state should require proposals from Pan Am, Milford-Bennington and any other potential competitors to start a passenger line.

Full article https://www.ledgertranscript.com/State- ... n-20884294" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I'm sure PAR will want to bid on the tourist train!