Abandoned loco? (Bay Colony GP9 #1701)

[trainsinmaine]

I had a phone conversation yesterday with a friend who lives in Medfield, MA. The guy knows that I love trains, and as we wound around to that subject he told me that there is (or, until fairly recently, was) an abandoned diesel locomotive sitting on the embargoed CSX Bay Colony line between Medfield and Millis. He said it is located in a spot near the town line, and that the last time he saw it it had been quite thoroughly vandalized. He can't fathom why it is there, and having not known of its existence I couldn't give him an answer.

Does anyone know if the engine is still parked at that spot? How come the railroad simply parked it and left it?

[F-line to Dudley via Park]

That's Bay Colony GP9 1701, sitting in Millis. That line is still active, and in fact got its first delivery in 3 years a little less than a month ago. No idea what engine they used to fetch that load...whether 1701 was repaired or if they swapped over one of their Wattupa Branch engines to do the job. 1701 was smashed up pretty good by vandals. Lots of pics on NERail of it.

Bay Colony filed for abandonment of all its unused Medfield-Newton territory a few months ago to make way for the rail trail, but they explicitly stated in the STB filing that they're holding on to Medfield-Millis. Not sure why as they've shed so much staff they hardly have anyone left to make a sales pitch for Millis Yard, but they don't seem to want to throw in the towel just yet.

[Narrowgauger]

I just happened to go past the interchange a few hours ago...about 5-6 hoppers sitting by the the curve just past the interchange. Im betting CSX is spotting the cars for cement unloading right there.

[GP40MC1118]

The 1701 was left down near Tresca, but like the previous posts, it was vandalized.
BCLR then moved it into the former GAF plant just inside the gate. Whether its operable,
I don't know...

D

[MEC407]

Can the locomotive be seen on the satellite view of Google Maps?

[Narrowgauger]

Yup...type in Millis ma. Head north untill you see it. Its sitting at the old location. You cant miss it. The line is only 4 miles so just keep heading north untill you bump into it.
Ted

[craven]

I saw it last weekend. It is now parked by the entrance to the Medfield Waste water Treatment Plant. At least someone drives by it each day.

Vandals have tagged it and broken ditch lights and glass in the cab.

There is a lot of work being done next to the spur. Tearing down an old foundation and there are large piles of gravel.

Stay tunes as I'll check back in a couple of weeks.

[Narrowgauger]

Thats where it was for quite a long time. Thats also where it was trashed so it isnt safe there by any means. Does it look like its been moved? I heard it was in Millis at the distribution wearhouse. Did you notice the hoppers down by the jct?

[v8interceptor]

IINM,that same locomotive used to reside on the branch line in Taunton,Ma. that serves Ventura Grain. Bay Colony always kept a locomotive there when they serviced the feed elevator.

[F-line to Dudley via Park]

Thats where it was for quite a long time. Thats also where it was trashed so it isnt safe there by any means. Does it look like its been moved? I heard it was in Millis at the distribution wearhouse. Did you notice the hoppers down by the jct?

1705 was pulled out and swapped out to Dartmouth in late '09 when Bay Colony cleared out of the GAF yard. 1701 was brought over in March 2010 along with a brush cutter to do some maintenance work. Got moved around a couple times. Was parked by the runaround track near the Route 115 bridge for most of 2010, then moved up to its present spot by the private crossing off West St. Medfield in 2011 where it's remained. Why there of all places...who knows. It would've been safer at the yard or on the Medfield Jct. runaround. But there's no logic to how that FAILroad operates, so that's not overly surprising.

Tresca Brothers is probably now an official CSX customer just picking up on a makeshift team track. That leg of the wye is easily accessible from a dirt driveway off W. Mill St. Much easier than the siding of the Framingham Sec. that leads to the Needham half of the junction. And the division post between BC and CSX may not be at the start of the wye; it could be at the end of it. So CSX may not be required to get BC's consent to serve its own customer pickups there.

[fl9m2004]

Anybody know how old 1701 is and can it be rebuilt for another railroad in need of a new engine
Plus does it have hep

[railman616]

Four cement car for Med Junction just arrived in Framingham today. B731 will deliver them next week on the trip up to Framingham after they get a little trip to Readville.

[Dick H]

Bay Colony 1701 is ex Bay Colony 1501, former Detroit and
Toledo Shoreline Railroad #50 built in February, 1953 as a
GP7. At some point, it was rebuilt as a GP8 in the Illinois
Central Paducah shops, which gave it the GP8 description,
as EMD never had such a model...Here's a photo of the #50
in 1979 on the Detroit and Toledo Shoreline. Thanks to Jim
Sinclair for the photo.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.p ... 568&nseq=6" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[fl9m2004]

So how much would it have in horse power for moving freight
Plus could it be operational again

[GP40MC1118]

That's incorrect...

The 1701 was rebuilt by BCLR at East Wareham using a block and parts from one of the
MBTA/BN GP9's (1920, I think). I got photos of the transplant. This unit never went to Paducah.
BCLR called it a GP8 and it was actually named for "Gordan Fay" for a brief time.
One of my photos appears in Extra 2200 South in fresh paint at East Wareham.

Dave