You brought back some memories for me, thank you! I lived in Andover and used to railfan at the Lawrence yard in the 1980s and 90s. The yard throat has changed a bit since this video with the new double track and the new signal gantry instead of the venerable searchlights. The rails were in pretty bad shape there from what I can remember. Being a fixture down there, I got a cook's tour one day and got the inside scoop on the poor maintenance. The freight cars there used to fall over on their own, a la Penn Central!
Thanks for recording and posting these vids! Great captures, including some close ups of the locos, cars, trackside, MOW/company vehicles, etc... all immensely helpful to a modeler of this era and area. If u happen to have specific dates (or at least year) of the captures and can note, that would be much appreciated; but regardless Thank You for sharing/posting these vids.
@@rogerhagopian4275 thank you so much, this is helpful. And as I watch more of your videos, I am noticing that for many clips there are indeed dates timestamped/shown, so those are of course helpful. Again much appreciate your posts! Great job capturing these moments in time
Excellent video of some essential rail activity. I am impressed with the clarity of the sound as well as the variety of power. Thank you for your efforts and sharing.
I had to send this to my good friend Bruce Penttinen, that’s him with the green shirt and ponytail in Lawrence starting at the 13:32 mark. He thought that this MAY have been the Portsmouth switcher, bringing empties down to Lawrence (double-door boxcars could be from Hampton Lumber). Would you happen to have any still photos from this day of Bruce (green shirt and ponytail) in the shot? It’s a long shot, but worth a try.
That's great! I'm sorry I don't have other scenes of your friend, but thank you for personalizing this video. I know that one time at Lawrence, I was approached by a yardworker asking if I was from the Federal Railroad Administration. I said no. No hassle. It's happened twice before, at Clinton and the huge former Selkirk Yard south of Albany. Thanks for watching and your comments. Roger
Thank you. All the Lawrence scenes are from Andover St. (which I should have written is at the north end of the South Lawrence Yard) and at the South Union St. overpass located at the south end of the yard.
They sure were. It's sad too what they did to the three railroads they bought. I look at maps of these railroads and weep as I look at the lines they allowed to rot as customers were driven away by their poor business practices, or as someone else I know said this was a real estate grab for them more than running a railroad.
To be fair, at the time Maine Central was still using 3-5 man crews. Among other things there was a lot of buddy fucking going on in the rank in file. Managers would intentionally create jobs for family members at the companies expense. Management was gutless to do anything about it because the union was always threatening to strike. Even in the 80's, B&M and MEC were being run and staffed like a railroad out of the 30's and it just wasn't sustainable.
@@newpylong it would have been 100 times worse under Conrail. Its not really Guilfords fault that B&M and MEC held onto so many redundant and low volume lines. B&M was on the brink of bankruptcy, and MEC had so much dead weight along with the fact that the execs bent over to any demand the unions made. If they hadn't been put out of their misery, they would have gone bankrupt in the 90's when the paper industry fell out. Probably would have been a lot messier had that happened, vs. how Pan Am/Guilford played out.
You brought back some memories for me, thank you!
I lived in Andover and used to railfan at the Lawrence yard in the 1980s and 90s. The yard throat has changed a bit since this video with the new double track and the new signal gantry instead of the venerable searchlights. The rails were in pretty bad shape there from what I can remember. Being a fixture down there, I got a cook's tour one day and got the inside scoop on the poor maintenance. The freight cars there used to fall over on their own, a la Penn Central!
Beautiful footage!! I grew up in the Lawrence/North Andover area as well as near Portland
Seeing Lawrence and Rigby yards takes me back! Thank you.
Thanks for recording and posting these vids! Great captures, including some close ups of the locos, cars, trackside, MOW/company vehicles, etc... all immensely helpful to a modeler of this era and area. If u happen to have specific dates (or at least year) of the captures and can note, that would be much appreciated; but regardless Thank You for sharing/posting these vids.
The Rigby Yard video was September 24, 1996. The best I can do for Lawrence is between 1994-1998.
@@rogerhagopian4275 thank you so much, this is helpful. And as I watch more of your videos, I am noticing that for many clips there are indeed dates timestamped/shown, so those are of course helpful. Again much appreciate your posts! Great job capturing these moments in time
If you follow my series feel free to ask if you need a date or approximate date for any scenes. Thanks
I have fond memories going into Ken’s store in Sudbury. He got me into N gauge model railroading!
Ken was a good friend. He kept my hobby going by bartering with me as I was his rug cleaner.
I used to go to Ken's as well
Excellent video of some essential rail activity. I am impressed with the clarity of the sound as well as the variety of power. Thank you for your efforts and sharing.
Thank you, Charlie !
I had to send this to my good friend Bruce Penttinen, that’s him with the green shirt and ponytail in Lawrence starting at the 13:32 mark. He thought that this MAY have been the Portsmouth switcher, bringing empties down to Lawrence (double-door boxcars could be from Hampton Lumber). Would you happen to have any still photos from this day of Bruce (green shirt and ponytail) in the shot? It’s a long shot, but worth a try.
That's great! I'm sorry I don't have other scenes of your friend, but thank you for personalizing this video. I know that one time at Lawrence, I was approached by a yardworker asking if I was from the Federal Railroad Administration. I said no. No hassle. It's happened twice before, at Clinton and the huge former Selkirk Yard south of Albany. Thanks for watching and your comments. Roger
cool vid... always liked the B&M and that new england railroad landscape... do you have vids of any yard action in lawrence mass?
Thank you. All the Lawrence scenes are from Andover St. (which I should have written is at the north end of the South Lawrence Yard) and at the South Union St. overpass located at the south end of the yard.
Union-busters as I understood it.
They sure were. It's sad too what they did to the three railroads they bought. I look at maps of these railroads and weep as I look at the lines they allowed to rot as customers were driven away by their poor business practices, or as someone else I know said this was a real estate grab for them more than running a railroad.
To be fair, at the time Maine Central was still using 3-5 man crews. Among other things there was a lot of buddy fucking going on in the rank in file. Managers would intentionally create jobs for family members at the companies expense. Management was gutless to do anything about it because the union was always threatening to strike. Even in the 80's, B&M and MEC were being run and staffed like a railroad out of the 30's and it just wasn't sustainable.
GUILFORD-- the compny that trashed railroading in New England.
It sure did, unfortunately. No love affair so to speak with that sewer outfit...
Both of you are not aware how bad off ALL the railroads were pre GUILFORD. We owe thanks to them for keeping it going another 40 years.
@@tropicalties3806 You're out of your mind. They raped and pillaged 3 railroads for all they were worth and then some.
@@newpylong it would have been 100 times worse under Conrail. Its not really Guilfords fault that B&M and MEC held onto so many redundant and low volume lines. B&M was on the brink of bankruptcy, and MEC had so much dead weight along with the fact that the execs bent over to any demand the unions made. If they hadn't been put out of their misery, they would have gone bankrupt in the 90's when the paper industry fell out. Probably would have been a lot messier had that happened, vs. how Pan Am/Guilford played out.
@@tropicalties3806I assume david fink sr’s rotting corpse or timothy mellon runs this UA-cam account