by cpf354
Stmtrolleyguy wrote:This may be a little OT here, but. . .Ah memories
Until 1997, the crossing just North of the Reading depot didn't even have gates. The conductor would still stand in the middle of Wouburn street, holding a flare to stop traffic. You'd hear the f40 rev up a bit, get the train rolling north, then when the second to last car was in the road, they'd just open the throttle up all the way, and the locos would just scream. . . very fun for a 5-year-old to watchNot nearly as fun anymore with the gates installed. . .Also fun was the old wooden bridge about 1/2 mile North of the crossing. It was an original 1900-ish structure, all wood, that got tared in the 60's, which pretty much rotted the deck out. When the train went under that thing, the throttle still open wide, the whole bridge shook. The new concrete bridge doesn't shake as much
but it echoes better
I should qualify my last statement about the use of the single iron east of Ash Street by local freights only. Actually the passenger trains used it as far as Woburn Street, and the locals had it all to themselves from Woburn Street to Wilmington Jct.
