Days around Lawrence Yard...
I used to hang out around the South Lawrence (Lawrence, MA) freight yard quite a number of years ago. There is a level crossing right at the east-end throat of the yard, so it was a great place to watch trains as there was plenty of viewing area, and with the curve towards the west (east/northeast by compass) it was quite a sight to see as the freights and commuter trains would round the bend under Salem Street, blasting their horns for the crossing and for the M&L wye.
With the Guilford merger of the B&M, MEC, and D&H, the yard became quite a railfan's mecca with all the different foreign power, and for me Lawrence became a frequent place for me to watch trains until the big strikes in 1986 and 1987. Up to that time, the yard was quite busy and so was the mainline. It wasn't uncommon then to see through freights being pulled by old Delaware and Hudson Alco C420s, or a Maine Central U25B or two, or perhaps a big mix of everything. Some of the old D&H units still had the red flags from the Lehigh Valley logo peaking through the quickly slapped over blue and gold. There were also still cabooses on the trains at this time, and with the D&H, they usually had Norfolk and Western on them, as that was a controlling company in their scheme of things. Other times, it was the big blue-dipped GP40s and a few MEC Geeps as well.
This was all just around the time of the big Guilford merger before they busted the unions and drove away the business. Combine this big throng of freights, cars being switched by the little SW9s, and the locals being readied behind the old B&M GP9s, still in blue-dip paint with the big McGuiness B&M crossed logo, ready to go off to Salem NH on the M&L, or down the Andover Street industrial track. In amongst all this freight activity, we'd see a some Easter Eggs pulling old depowered B&M RDCs, plus those from various roads. This was a model railroader's dream with all this activity. Sadly, it all ended once Guilford became Springfield Terminal, manipulated the rules, and busted the unions, which drove the railroad into a strike in 1987 after the fatality in the yard. After the strike, the feelings changed from a buzzing busy place to one of an empty lifeless. It's not just that the yard was empty, it's also the crew too had changed from their friendly outgoing nature to one of seriously deep sadness. On one of my visits many months after the strikes, I ran into one of the older guys that I recognized from my visits down there. He too said it was not a happy place anymore. He told me how the railroad didn't bother with the maintenance anymore, and showed me where there were recent derailments in the yard. These were those standing derailments where the tracks spread and the cars fall over into the ground. A bit after that I moved away and only recently visited again. The place isn't the same as it once was. Those busy times are long gone.
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On one particularly hot summer day, I rode my bike down to the yard to do rail fanning. Usually I'd head the other way to Ballardvale and have an ice cream sundae or raspberry lime Rickey at the Rose Glen ice cream stand which was situated next to the tracks, but this time I headed north instead. I as sitting next to the crossing, perhaps a couple of houses in when I heard an elderly woman's voice. She called out again and I realized she was asking me if I wanted a cold drink! She offered me some iced tea and some cookies and I stayed on her porch in the shade, enjoyed my treat and she enjoyed the company. We talked about all kinds of stuff. She and her husband (late husband) had bought the house back in the early 1950s, and he too once worked for the railroad as a clerk. She told me about the big B&M steam engines, and all the passenger trains that would pass by the house. She once worked over in the big Ayer's Mill located in North Lawrence next to the North Canal, and took the trolley car to Canobie Lake, which my grandmother had done. These were fascinating stories to hear and the time wore on when it was time for me to head home as I still had a 5 mile bike ride up hill no less to my house. I kept thinking about these memories on my long ride up hill from Lawrence back to Andover.
Sadly when I returned to the same area again a few weeks later, she was gone. Her house was now occupied by a young family. I'm glad I had that opportunity to share her stories and to have met her.
John
I used to hang out around the South Lawrence (Lawrence, MA) freight yard quite a number of years ago. There is a level crossing right at the east-end throat of the yard, so it was a great place to watch trains as there was plenty of viewing area, and with the curve towards the west (east/northeast by compass) it was quite a sight to see as the freights and commuter trains would round the bend under Salem Street, blasting their horns for the crossing and for the M&L wye.
With the Guilford merger of the B&M, MEC, and D&H, the yard became quite a railfan's mecca with all the different foreign power, and for me Lawrence became a frequent place for me to watch trains until the big strikes in 1986 and 1987. Up to that time, the yard was quite busy and so was the mainline. It wasn't uncommon then to see through freights being pulled by old Delaware and Hudson Alco C420s, or a Maine Central U25B or two, or perhaps a big mix of everything. Some of the old D&H units still had the red flags from the Lehigh Valley logo peaking through the quickly slapped over blue and gold. There were also still cabooses on the trains at this time, and with the D&H, they usually had Norfolk and Western on them, as that was a controlling company in their scheme of things. Other times, it was the big blue-dipped GP40s and a few MEC Geeps as well.
This was all just around the time of the big Guilford merger before they busted the unions and drove away the business. Combine this big throng of freights, cars being switched by the little SW9s, and the locals being readied behind the old B&M GP9s, still in blue-dip paint with the big McGuiness B&M crossed logo, ready to go off to Salem NH on the M&L, or down the Andover Street industrial track. In amongst all this freight activity, we'd see a some Easter Eggs pulling old depowered B&M RDCs, plus those from various roads. This was a model railroader's dream with all this activity. Sadly, it all ended once Guilford became Springfield Terminal, manipulated the rules, and busted the unions, which drove the railroad into a strike in 1987 after the fatality in the yard. After the strike, the feelings changed from a buzzing busy place to one of an empty lifeless. It's not just that the yard was empty, it's also the crew too had changed from their friendly outgoing nature to one of seriously deep sadness. On one of my visits many months after the strikes, I ran into one of the older guys that I recognized from my visits down there. He too said it was not a happy place anymore. He told me how the railroad didn't bother with the maintenance anymore, and showed me where there were recent derailments in the yard. These were those standing derailments where the tracks spread and the cars fall over into the ground. A bit after that I moved away and only recently visited again. The place isn't the same as it once was. Those busy times are long gone.
------
On one particularly hot summer day, I rode my bike down to the yard to do rail fanning. Usually I'd head the other way to Ballardvale and have an ice cream sundae or raspberry lime Rickey at the Rose Glen ice cream stand which was situated next to the tracks, but this time I headed north instead. I as sitting next to the crossing, perhaps a couple of houses in when I heard an elderly woman's voice. She called out again and I realized she was asking me if I wanted a cold drink! She offered me some iced tea and some cookies and I stayed on her porch in the shade, enjoyed my treat and she enjoyed the company. We talked about all kinds of stuff. She and her husband (late husband) had bought the house back in the early 1950s, and he too once worked for the railroad as a clerk. She told me about the big B&M steam engines, and all the passenger trains that would pass by the house. She once worked over in the big Ayer's Mill located in North Lawrence next to the North Canal, and took the trolley car to Canobie Lake, which my grandmother had done. These were fascinating stories to hear and the time wore on when it was time for me to head home as I still had a 5 mile bike ride up hill no less to my house. I kept thinking about these memories on my long ride up hill from Lawrence back to Andover.
Sadly when I returned to the same area again a few weeks later, she was gone. Her house was now occupied by a young family. I'm glad I had that opportunity to share her stories and to have met her.
John