Conrail's rugged Boston line stretches from Selkirk Yard, near Albany NY east to Boston Mass. The former NYC Boston & Albany route features rugged mountain scenery as it crosses the Berkshire mountains, and was home to serious railroading. For a long time it was home to most of Conrail's GE fleet, but toward the end of the era also served as a proving ground for the SD80mac.
You can also view this gallery on an interactive map.
31
GP15-1 1666 leads a ballast train, BAL300, approaching Ballou's/MP 135 in Washington, MA. on March 23, 1990.
32
C30-7 6604 has the trail in BAL-300 in Washington, MA. on March 23, 1990.
33
GP15-1 1689 has the point on RESE coming into Bancroft (Middlefield station), MA. on April 17, 1982. The "baby tunnel motors" could often be seen as part of a lash-up on the Boston line, but rarely in the lead.
34
SPSE-0 passes over Factory Brook and Town Hill Rd. coming into Bancroft (Middlefield station), MA. on Dec. 30, 1982. B23-7 1901 leads three 2800 series B23-7's. Can you recognize the difference between the two in this photo? There is a minor feature visible in any view looking down the sides of the locomotives.
35
CR 1904 leads RESE past MP 129 in Becket, MA. on July 1, 1982. With the start-up of Metro-North in Jan., 1983, the 1904 was one of seven B23-7's (1903-1909) which were transferred to the commuter agency along with 71 other locomotives, about half of which were FL-9's.
36
SD40-2 6432 shoves RESE past MP 129 in Becket, MA. on July 1, 1982
37
CR 1931 leads a 5 unit set of B23-7's on eastbound tonnage crossing the townline from Hinsdale into Washington, MA. along the north end of Muddy Pond on New Year's Eve 1979.
38
Track geometry train TEST731 westbound through East Brookfield, MA. on Jan. 25, 1988.
39
Track geometry train, led by "the usual suspect", rounds the curve just east of the summit of Washington hill in Hinsdale, MA. on March 19, 1987.
40
Track geometry train crossing the town line from Hinsdale into Washington, MA. along Muddy Pond on March 19, 1987.
41
Track geometry train, symboled TEST300, eastbound behind the "usual suspect", 1933, in Huntington, MA. on May 20,1991.
42
The "usual suspect" has TEST731 in tow near MP 81 in Palmer, MA. on Jan. 24, 1988.
43
B23-7 1950 has SPSE in tow passing MP 129 in Becket, MA. on Nov. 28, 1981. We can tell it's SPSE by the healthy string of CN/CV boxcars loaded with newsprint which came off the B&M at Springfield from Canada.
44
B23-7 1979 has a short military extra, MIL302, in tow through Chester, MA. on Sept. 5, 1992.
45
Conrail B23-7 1983 leads the James E. Strates circus train west through the Berkshire ledges at Middlefield, MA on the Boston Line at 0940 hrs, 13 July 1990.
46
CR 2002 leading eastbound tonnage along MASS Rt. 20 in Huntington, MA. on Jan. 28, 1980.
48
TV80W at Highbridge, a couple of miles west of Chatham, NY. on Aug. 19, 1988.
51
Ex-PC(RDG) GP30 2197 leads an eastbound on the Boston Line at MP98 during the morning in the winter of 1977-78.
52
GP35 2278 is at the head of RISE passing MP 129 in Becket, MA. on Halloween, 1981.
53
Conrail N5C 23089 on the tail end of an eastbound at Bancroft, MA on the Boston Line in 1978.
54
GP 35 2327 leads RESE out of the big cut at Washington depot, MA. on Feb. 20, 1982.
55
GP35 2358 at the head end of an eastbound coming into the station in Springfield, MA. on May 5, 1979.
56
Westbound exiting the 1840 bore at State Line Tunnel near Canaan Center, NY on the Boston Line on 22 September 1979.
57
U25B 2530 leads eastbound tonnage near MP 122 in Chester, MA. in June, 1979.
58
Conrail U25B 2548 at the Springfield Station on the Boston Line early in 1978.
59
U25B 2555 ex-PC(NYC) is the lead unit on a Boston Line westbound at at Springfield, MA., November 1977.
60
U25B 2562 leads an eastbound downgrade at MP 130 in Becket, MA. in Aug., 1979.
