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Once again, Mass Bay Railroad Enthusiasts outdid themselves with another excellent rail excursion, including some “rare mileage”. I ordered my tickets online at the last minute and I’m glad I was able to participate.
I left home base at Sugarbush Resort at 5:20AM on Saturday morning, June 18. I had conflicting trip lengths from Google Maps and Delorme, with Google saying nearly 4 hours while DeLorme saying 3 Hours 20 Minutes. Well, I had made it to Rutland in 1 Hour 10 Minutes, took a brief break just south of Rutland at a rest area, another hour later was in Bennington, and took a break to get a coffee in Lanesborough, MA. I arrived at the Lenox station of the Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum at about 8:40. So the trip took about 3 Hours 20 Minutes.
I had plenty of time to photograph the equipment in the yard and the beautifully restored station. The last time I was here (c 1993), the station was closed and no trains were running. Inside the station houses various artifacts and exhibits, and in an old B&O coach-baggage combine outside, an exhibit tells the story of the various mansions built early in the 20th century in the Berkshires.
Our train, a 5-car consist bracketed by Housatonic Railroad GP35 #3601 at the south end and Berkshire Scenic’s SW-8 #8619 at the north end. The coaches, north to south were: 328, 310 (where I sat), 3204, 341, 329. After the Berkshire Scenic’s regular excursion train, led by SW-9 #9128 departed south, our train moved to the platform/main to board, then we departed at about 10:40AM, 10 minutes late.
We first headed north through New Lenox to Pittsfield, stopping parallel to the CSX Boston & Albany Line, just as an autorack train was speeding east towards Boston. After a moment, we headed south back to New Lenox for a photo runby, then back south to Lenox for a bathroom break. At this time, the locomotives were rearranged so that they were all on the south end, with #3601 leading.
What amazed me, especially between Lenox and Stockbridge, was the fact that Housatonic Railroad has laid welded rail in sections, giving a nice smooth ride. There’s still plenty of “clickety clack” and some 10 mph slow orders, but a good amount of 25 mph running as well.
Photo Runbys at New Lenox (left) and South Lee (right)
Heading south, we had a photo stop at the US 20 crossing in downtown Lee, then another in South Lee, before our arrival at Stockbridge. It was here we learned that former New Haven Railroad employee Peter Lynch had passed away within the past week. He was a long supporter of the BSRM, and our conductor gave a brief speech about him, then had the locomotive #3601 perform a horn memorial, “calling in the flagman”. After another runaround at Stockbridge, we continued south to Great Barrington, where the locomotives changed ends and another runby was performed. We then headed back north, with a stop in Stockbridge at 4:20, then arriving back at Lenox at 5:05pm, completing the trip.
(left): Locomotives are repositioned at north end of train at Great Barrington.
(right): Heading back north through the Glendale curves
There is a good deal of scenery along this line, from boggy marshes to historic villages, old stations, industry, the Housatonic River, waterfalls, and other scenic highlights. Mass Bay RRE, the Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum, and Housatonic Railroad should all be commended for a job well done!
BE SURE TO VIEW THE COMPLETE PHOTO GALLERY AND THE PHOTO RUNBY VIDEOS ON MY YOUTUBE PAGE
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