Mass Central northbound through Palmer MA 12.16.09

[acelaboy123]

holy shit that train was shaking

[guilford681]

wow I thought I knew every rail line in New England.....Never heard of Mass Central!

[jph0917]

Mass Central is the line that goes past skyman2002's house in Hardwick at the River Run Crossing.

[CPManJoe]

Nice shots, that was some rough track around 2:35.

[atholfam]

Yeah, and how about that first shot. They're taking a run at the grade after the 181 crossing. That track is pretty rough too.

I give them a lot of credit though, for such a small operation, they keep most of their 20 something miles of track at 25mph.

[murjax]

That's an intersting sign at the 181 crossing. I've never seen a sign anywhere warning cyclists of the crossing.

[TNT314159]

I ride my bike over that crossing all the time with no problems, but I have thick 1.75" and 1.95" tires. I think the sign is mainly for road bikes with the super thin 1.5" tires.

[murjax]

Yeah agreed. I used to bike over a crossing everyday. The only way you're tripping on it is if you start biking parallel to it, which you obviously wouldn't do.

[TNT314159]

I always go over the Rt. 181 crossing when I ride my bike from Belchertown to Palmer but have never actually seen a train go over it. Where exactly does MCER branch off from NECR's main line?

[jph0917]

When the NCER Main Line goes under the Mass Pike in Palmer, that's where the MCER Line separates.

[TNT314159]

But isn't the Mass Pike in Palmer south of the Rte 181 crossing?

[jph0917]

According to all the on line maps, No, the crossing is North of the Mass Pike less then a quarter mile.

[atholfam]

I'm about 90% sure that they have their own tracks right up to CSX. They only share the CSX interchange track with the NECR.

[TNT314159]

NECR doesn't use that track that crosses Rte 181? I know the Vermonter does...

[atholfam]

Nope, the Vermonter veers off on the NECR just before 181. Over the river and through Three Rivers.

The line that crosses 181 ends at Barre MA

[skyman2002]

Nice Catch Just The Same! This GP-9 Gets A Good Run For It's Money On This Line, Especially North Of Ware, Where There Are Lots OF Steep Grades And Curves. A Good Way To Chase Them North Of Ware Is On RTE 32, The Tracks Cross Over The Road About 3 Times, With A Few Good Paceing Stretches.