Railfan's Guide to the Fitchburg Division

Does anybody know of any online guides to the Fitchburg Division? I only know the area from North Adams to East Deerfield, but I'd like to get to some other locations such as Wachusett, Gardner, Ashburnham, and Shirley. Any help would be great thanks.

Josh

Yahoo group Guilford Rail Sightings covers the area with sighting reports and news, but I don't know of any on line guides to railfanning the route, now known as the Freight Main Line, Districts 3 and 4. Generally most of the action is centered around Ayer and East Deerfield.

This might help:

http://home.comcast.net/~petlick/grs.htm

In Gardner, get off Route 2 East at the first Gardner exit, go under the RR bridge past Dunkin donuts. (Sometimes trains stop behind DD for coffee). Continue on the main road, go straight at the light you come to where the old T platform was, you can usually park there and that is a good spot to watch. It is at the East end of the yard.

Particularly if P&W is there dropping coal or picking up empties and/or interchange, that is the end they are usually working.

Another spot is off Route 31 in West fitchburg there is a curve there which might be a good spot to get pix although I have not tried it.

Another good spot besides Gardner is Ayer where you can park near the T station and there is usually activity in the Yard plus the MBTA locals, as well as the through freights. If you are lucky you might see one of the CSX trains such as SEPO or the autoracks.

I've been to that Area of Rt. 31, it's known as Wachusett. Thanks for the directions to Gardner by the way, i'll have to check it out next time.

Yet another good spot: take Route 2A from Westminster to Fitchburg, and adjacent to the B&M underpass on 2A turn onto Depot Road. (There's a convenience store on the corner.) Go up the hill, around the corner, and you'll be at the tracks. It's the site of the old Westminster depot, now long gone. The road makes a curve at that point and heads toward the woods. You can safely park there and watch trains all day, maintaining sufficient distance from the tracks so you won't be cited for trespassing.

Speaking of trespassing, I was recently taking pictures in Gardner from the old T platform, and the Gardner police stopped by and told me that Guilford had sent them a letter asking them to keep people off the tracks in this area. It loooks like they now consider the old T platform as being on their property and therefore trespassing. Be advised.

You can actually get a good view and shots from the parking lot there at Union Square which is off RR property so it's not the end of the world.

Jon

jonnhrr wrote:Speaking of trespassing, I was recently taking pictures in Gardner from the old T platform, and the Gardner police stopped by and told me that Guilford had sent them a letter asking them to keep people off the tracks in this area. It loooks like they now consider the old T platform as being on their property and therefore trespassing. Be advised.

You can actually get a good view and shots from the parking lot there at Union Square which is off RR property so it's not the end of the world.

Jon

Parked there the other day for a couple of hours. People of all ages were using the yard to cut through to go the other side of Rt 2, all this while a westbound road job was working. The conductor even advised the engineer to stay put untill "some kids" had crossed the tracks. Seems like the crews are used to trespassers and can deal with it.
The police have little chance catching anyone who crosses the tracks, but can find and advise stationary targets like railfans. Go fiqure.

Going further west there is Baldwinville, where the RR crosses Route 68. Trains sometimes stop for lunch there.

Next there is South Royalston where Route 68 crosses the RR at grade and there is a parking lot on Birch Hill Dam road where it looks like you could get good shots. Only drawback is it is in the middle of nowhere and if you were chasing it is a ways to the next location either east or west.

In Athol the old train station is just off of Route 2A. Note it still has the Railway Express sign over the door at the East end. Just west of there is Tyters where the line goes to single track and trains often meet or are parked when crews outlaw.

There's a little park, complete with benches (if memory serves), next to the tracks in downtown Orange (just off the intersection of Routes 2A and 122). Have a seat and watch trains to your heart's content. Perfectly legal --- and you can see up and down the tracks for a good distance.

I was in North Adams the other day and got my first good look at the short tunnel beneath Route 2. As you come into town on 2, turn at the lights by Mass MoCA (the new modern art museum that's in an old mill), head toward downtown, then take your first right. That will take you to a nice new footbridge that overlooks the southeast end of the tunnel.

There is a trick to knowing when a west bound train will be going through Orange shortly. Listen to the dispatcher. When he tells a train crew what they will be doing in E Deerfield, the train is 5 minutes away from Orange.

I believe there is also a hot box detector at Wendell which is about 3 mi. east of Orange which would warn you of a Westbound.

If you are railfanning at Gardner there is a detector at Parkers (CPF346) about a mile from the Union Sq. area which tips you off that an eastbound is coming.

I don't mean to be picky :wink: , but Wendell is three miles west of Orange, not east. The old site of Wendell Depot is just off the intersection of Routes 2 and 2A, next to the Millers River (it can be seen from the Route 2 bridge over the river. There's a crossing there).

Come to think of it, the B&M also has a bridge over the Millers right next to Route 2, just west of Erving. Another good spot for train watching. There are some good parking sites in Erving village, too.

Whoops, Orange is MP 366.34, Wendell is 369.12, you're right

Jon,
Excuse my ignorance (I should know the answer to this): Exactly what do those numbers refer to? My immediate guess is mileage from Mattawamkeag, but that can't be right.