Dormant railroad line being cleared for revival - 9/2021

The Bay Colony Railroad's Millis Line has not seen a revenue move since February of 2019. Since then the line was overgrown with high grasses which made this line seemingly abandoned. In October of 2020 trestle work, which included the replacement of wooden timbers, was done on the bridge over the Charles River. Brush cutting over the entire line from Medfield Junction to the former GAF warehouse at the end of the line was done at the same time but no traffic turned up in 2020. Now in 2021 the Bay Colony Railroad is once again brush cutting the line for a potential traffic up turn. It is possible that this little used line that hasn't seen a train in almost three years may see traffic again.
This video shows current conditions and ongoing brush clearing at three locations along the Millis Branch.
Millis, MA
9/2021
Flickr:
www.flickr.com...
Comments? Questions?
Just leave a note in the comment section and I'll get back to you.
©2021 South Coast Rail Videos

[@morlamweb]

I saw that locomotive on the tracks when I rolled through there on a ride this summer. In fact, I crossed the tracks at several points, and the general condition of things meant that it looked abandoned. It makes me very happy to see an old railroad come back to life.

[@mmandmcb14]

1701 needs a new home.

[@Ass_Burgers_Syndrome]

Bike riding?

[@MilePost106]

Keep updates on this. This is so cool to see this come back to life. Thanks for posting

[@LeeDfined]

This is always a good thing. I grew up next to a double tracked CSX mainline. But just up embankment was a rusty abandoned line. It now sees two trains each way.

[@johnpatterson4272]

I love seeing discarded rail lines reinvigorated. It does look like the original tracks and road-bed will need re-laying, with new (realigned) rails and ties. A small price to pay for future prosperity and well-paying jobs.

[@shopshop144]

All very true, but the line also needs well paying customers to pay for all this.

[@trains2057]

keep ur utopian comments to yourself

[@johnpatterson4272]

@@trains2057 Sure thing, communist.

[@jasonplatco7881]

At one time railroads were the single largest employer in the country. Whole cities like Altoona PA were built by the railroads. Literally.. but modern technology ended 90% of the jobs on the railroads. Even now short line railroads for example employ a tiny fraction of the number of people they would have had to employ to operate back in the steam erra.. and class 1 railroads are running much longer trains with DPU's which means same volume of freight or more moving with fewer train crews than would be needed w/o DPU's.. coming next will be remote/dispatch operated, and or AI controlled main line trains which would need maybe a crew of 1 to diagnose and fix problems like broken couplers.

[@ericzerkle5214]

Here in my state, a section of old ROW was restored to a mine. The tracks were removed by PC in the 70s and a mine needed a spur so they had several miles re-laid on the old ROW.

[@PlanetMojo]

Great video! I love to see old abandoned lines revitalized! In our area, that would be less than two year's growth. I couldn't maintain the area around our horses run-in the last two years, and we have 15 foot tall aspen trees growing there!

[@Stefan_Boerjesson]

Being a train engineer on a some veteran railroads I recognise the picture. Going out, driving in the early summer sometimes the rails are not even visible. It feels like spooky. It's like driving out in the farmers field. Slippery? You bet! The most important is the ties keeping the track width within limits. That's hard to verify during an inspection if there's feet of sallad hiding the track... Why is "nature" growing at its best in railroad tracks?.....

[@jeremypreece870]

Hello from the UK. Interesting to see what appears to be a railway line coming back to life again. If they are clearing the weeds and are repairing the bridge, then they must be spending money on maintaining the line. So something must be about to happen. I expect that you will post any train movements that may occur in the near future then?

[@Henry_Jones]

Thanks for showing this. I've been waiting for this vid. I drive by this old diesel every day and have seen that line used occasionally. They still use it for Tresca Bros, a local concrete maker. I grew up in Needham and 1701 was used to pull grain cars down the Dover/Needham line to Newton until 2004 or 05. Then the grainery closed and the Needham/Dover line (which connected to this) has been vacant since. They wanted to make a rail trail in dover but the locals NIMBYd it down.

[@foresttemple1380]

I'm a Dover boy and I think it'd be a nice thing to have a rail trail along there. I've walked it plenty in my life.🤔

[@louGriggs1944]

Always good to see old tracks come back to life.

[@kennyspry5189]

Sure Hope that they are able to get some Business and start running Train's once again I Love it when Railroads come back to life. Keep us updated on the progress of the opening of the Rails. Awesome video...

[@davesanchez5542]

So glad that the rails were not removed , except for the vegetation looks like no encroachment.

[@cmphighpower]

This is why you don’t turn disused rail into bike paths. You never get the rails back

[@brandoncaldwell95]

Depends on how old they are overall. Theres a few dead lines near me that will never be used as they use to just cinnect small towns.

[@ronaldharvinjr636]

EXACTLY!

[@ernestpassaro9663]

Yes you lose right of way sometimes when you remove the tracks

[@jasonplatco7881]

There are many abandoned lines. Many of those were commuter lines from back when traveling by rail to go from small town to small town was happening.. before the convenience and on demand functionality of a car was invented. No more late trains. You control you're depart and arrival time! And many more were sole use lines servicing single customers line now depleted, bankrupt, or otherwise out of buiseness mines.

[@ernestpassaro9663]

@@jasonplatco7881 yes exactly people are in love with their cars

[@Thomas1980]

Super Video! Thumbs Up!👍

[@philipmcdonagh1094]

Perfect example of Nature showing us who the real boss is.

[@iankirvan1986]

Really interesting, thanks for posting this, please keep us updated. Best wishes from England 🙂🇬🇧

[@stocksj]

Nice to see it coming back.

[@frankbradleyjr]

Definitely keep us posted.. Hopefully you can be there when they move that train

[@Shane19776.]

We used to have a railroad run through my town in Lexington Tn. But they pulled up all the tracks in the 80's.

[@RobertPaniagua]

Maybe they could extend this to Needham Jct for the MBTA which could add service out to Millis or West Medway

[@shopshop144]

I'm surprised they don't just spray with a herbicide. Hope the line can get back in operation.

[@temucodon]

Georgia Dept. of Transportation is renewing a train line from Vidalia, Ga to the Altamaha River.

[@williamstuessy1611]

Thanks for documenting this 'new' activity......at 12:30 on the tape you are at Union street, there is a quick pan of the pavement when there appears to be dig safe markings on the pavement surface, there may be a way to call dig safe and ask if there is any search on file at this grade crossing. Thanks for your efforts.

[@Prionel]

Always nice to see an old line restored to use. Why can't they have a brush cutter which rides the line??

[@dlane5292]

I always like seeing rail line revivals, & prefer that over a trail. Though if there is no likelihood of revival then trails are nice being apart from road traffic. Most rail lines before abandonment can use the option to railbank the line, which means in under 30 years a line can be revived. Beyond that it can possibly be a more complicated process .

[@ChakatNightspark]

well Railroads are never truly Abandon. Not until the Rails are removed. We have railroad tracks near me that once went unused back in the 40s. back in 2019 The Track was cleared of trees and section of rails were replaced, Ties were replaced and Track is now used few times a day. Despite a bunch of people not wanting it, since there was a few people that have houses near it. and decided to pour dirt over the tracks, put up fences and laydown grass over it. So they could get bigger lawn. Dont think they were happy when excavators came in and removed the fence and grass. I know one couple was very upset and pissed. Since they had just bought the house less then a year before. Had a Pretty nice Brick 4 car garage put in. Thing had to be built for like $40,000 to $70,000 range.

[@chrisgertz8250]

Awesome to see the line being revived. Certainly got their work cut out for them.

[@nancygeissler2057]

Great video to watch!!!👍

[@Cryptonymicus]

That looks like the slowest way to cut brush ever invented.

[@RangaTurk]

Yeah, why not deploy a whipper snipper team first and use the dozer and work side-on to avoid driving on the rails and avoid potential track damage to the railhead and unnecessary sustained pressure to the baseplates, dog spikes not to mention any salvageable sleepers.

[@mellowmerryman7607]

Great Video, Love seeing a track being cleared to be used again...please keep us up to date Thanks

[@railpast]

Keep us updated as work progresses. Thanks

[@train_chicken6143]

it's good that the tracks are not abandoned anymore:)

[@train_chicken6143]

whoot whoot

[@richardhancock2771]

We have loads of old lines want coming back to life wish they would do it here in the UK.

[@jamielacourse7578]

I appreciate that you didn't use the word abandoned. That word is used much too often. Rarely is anything truly just "abandoned". Kids these days like to use it when they trespass and vandalize.

[@VirtualRailfan]

Great video, thanks for sharing!

[@davidpulaski5628]

Steel rails once again see the light of day. That IS a good thing. Now let us see steel wheels on those rails. Fingers crossed.

[@spaceflight1019]

You've found the Enterprise!!!

[@TheKurtsPlaceChannel]

Awesome video. I need that weed cutter for my back yard. It will do the whole yard in 60seconds. Thanks for posting this. :)

[@RealRussianExpat]

Reminds me of videos of the G&U in the late 2000’s (complete with an old BCLR GP9!)

[@Nakedbilove408]

Wat G & U Means

[@RealRussianExpat]

@@Nakedbilove408 The Grafton & Upton Railroad

[@charleskermode3963]

Had herd that the lone will have a lumber truss company will be moving in to the old gaf building

[@jjxtwo1]

Outstanding. Great to see.

[@madtrucker3757]

Damn. They’ve got a real job ahead of them. Love seeing this happening. To me it means trains are making a come back, but there’s gotta be an easier way.

[@terrywallace1327]

Yes!not only should they bring the line back to life,what about this nice locomotive?she deserves to be brought back to life too! How about getting her into the shops for rebuilding.this is a rare diesel locomotive that needs to be restored back to working condition so that she can produce revenue for the line.and she can make this line prosperous again!so,what about her,when they restore the line ,remember her!you already have the locomotive, and the equipment needed to run again.

[@rallyscoot]

Why would a train be a `she`? Why do men always talks `she` to a car? Dont you have a girlfriend or so?

[@burnuts007]

Great video! I’m all subbed up for number 7000 great work!

[@bruceraykiewicz6274]

WOW ! I recognize the engine from seeing it quite a while ago in Ft. Myers, Fl. (Seminole Gulf Railway).

[@MrPeerum]

Hoi.is here a part 2? amazing to see it here from the Netherlands, mutch compliments for the people that save thid railway,good job.thanks/ greetz:Peer.

[@ricktufts3643]

That 1701...looks to be from the Great Smokey Mountain Railroad here in NC? That paint color and scheme look familiar....but could be wrong. Thinking there is a tourist line in Florida that has that color scheme too?

[@popps2502]

Wow, I just wanna grab my sickle and jump in their and help, maybe even jump in the water clear under that Timber Bridge, I'm that type of a idiot I like to work, especially for good causes. Nice to see a old road bed come back to life. Please keep us updated.

[@veggiepowered]

I'am Your Newest Subscriber Great Videos

[@impalasupersport6171]

Really enjoy your videos. Is there any updates on this line.I am interested in the area where the brush clearing machine is in the video.

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

First Train in 4 years - BCLR Millis Line - 1/6/2022 kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z5y1Zaxpj6uapM0 This video shows a train on the cleared line earlier this year. Unfortunately nothing else has arrived on property for the customer since.

[@impalasupersport6171]

@@SouthCoastRailVideos thank you.

[@westitzer]

It seems like it would have been easier to put a rail truck or tractor with a bush whacker on it to clear the track.

[@rearspeaker6364]

it will take years with that little thing!!

[@frankcadillac9151]

They will probably be using that line for bulk cement delivery's transferring to bulk trailers.

[@Stefan_Boerjesson]

Keep up the spirit!

[@deny.nurdin]

Nice update!! Btw when this line was closed??

[@dallasembry6477]

Now, that's a weed whacker!

[@ablewindsor1459]

You bet cha!

[@1topfueldrag]

using that method its gonna take a while to complete. They should’ve put weed killer on it when bridge was reworked.

[@jasonplatco7881]

Weed killer doesn't remove stumps or woody bodied plants that are a physical barrier to restoring the line to something you can move a train down w/o derailing.

[@NUKE-W.E.F.]

That line is going to need a lot of work, hope it works out for them. Better call RJ Corman.

[@mikedurhan9941]

This seems encouraging. And isn't it nice that some local punks contributed to the effort by smashing out the ditch lights on 1701? Ah, yes. We can always count on there being plenty of punks, anywhere in the nation, to destroy. They never build anything...........

[@marypatperego4147]

Test 1, 2, 3

[@barrycarlisle4511]

I once heard that it easier to destroy than to build. Sigh"

[@wunp2252]

Who was operating the machine? Guys from parent company Seminole Gulf? Its almost to the date they did this last year because I stumbled by it on the first week of October 2020. They cleared everything from the 27 bridge to the old customer all the way at the end and nothing happened. Very interested to see whats gonna happen now.

[@donpee5204]

Can someone tell me where this is ? Also how can I follow up on this story ? Thank you 🙏🏽 I like stories like this.

[@Henry_Jones]

So what are they going to use the line for? I checked their progress and it looks like theyve cut a mile down towards dover center but continuing that way leads to the needham section which got convertes to a rail trial a few years ago. The tracks end on the bridge going ovet the charles between needham and dover.

[@1stprinceoflite]

Not sure but the loco looks to be a GP 9.

[@terrywallace1327]

You are right.this girl is an honest to goodness rare high hood gp9. This girl was on the Florida central railroad.and was last seen on the bay colony railroad.as their 1701 she was painted. Grateful with a yellow and red stripe on her nose and both sides of her body.

[@jamielacourse7578]

And nice that they aren't spraying poisons. I like that.

[@RS-Amsterdam]

Great they found the resources to fix that railroad ! But did they just leave that train behind ???

[@jimcrawford5039]

It would be handy if us overseas folks were told where this is please. Cheers from Australia.

[@marknolan8052]

It's in Massachusetts. USA. My sister lives in Millis.

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

It clearly says the location in both the video and description

[@vernonmatthews181]

CSX is an American firm, greetings from NZ 👍

[@bradfordtownley9363]

Of course the line from Needham Junction to Medfield Junction, through Dover, is long gone. For a bit MBTA talked about reinitiating commuter rail through there but the idea died a quick death.

[@Henry_Jones]

Yep i grew up in needham and rember 1701 pulling those grain cars through needham and dover down that line. Last time I saw it going through was around 2003 or 04 I think.

[@jackdehaan2267]

The brush cutter started in 1964. Should be finished by 2024.

[@TheNorthwestWind]

awesome!!!!

[@jerryjones1438]

That is a very slow and expensive way to cut the weeds and brush

[@railroad9000]

Will they be sparaying a herbside after cutting the brush to pervent further growth? Or torch the weeds?

[@exoressdelivers70]

They still torch weeds? I'm thinking that it's too risky especially now with global warming and dryer conditions. Imagine the nearby forest accidently catches fire and burns thousands of acres.

[@robertfarrell6722]

I take it weed-whackers haven't been introduced to that part of the world, yet?

[@gbsailing9436]

That brush cutter must be being paid by the hour...That's the slowest way to clear the line of brush I've ever seen. Very inefficient!

Abandoned train. Thank you for sharing offline

[@loritobin2578]

To get overgrown that fast those rails had to be in poor shape to begin with without really any ballast.

[@zackboone15]

Well it's not surprising given the line has been in a very low service state for decades

[@stevefleming356]

How long was it closed ? Where does it go too ?

[@tonyv8925]

Some of those rails do not look safe to travel on...so many dips and humps. Cross ties must be totally rotted away. I hope the rail line was able to replace/repair those bad rails.

[@patricknoveski6409]

😎 cool

[@Mark-iv7np]

Tracks are in such bad shape, more the ties are. Hard to believe a train will be able to use as is.

[@piddy3825]

It would have been a lot more enjoyable if they had a brush cutting locomotive, something like the snow blowers but instead with big weed whacker units on it just cleaning up the tracks as they slowly chugged forward.

[@tomlebudzinski7716]

Is this the line that ends just before crossing Rt 109? In Mullis across from the bowling alley??

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

Yes

[@ernestomercadomaciasat4rer896]

Excelente, ^^^^^^

[@ComicBookGuy33]

So did this line get reactivated? It's December 2022 and I would like to know.

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z5y1Zaxpj6uapM0

[@fredaycott5283]

South coast rail, great video. I hope the engineers put down another section of track, with a working crossing gate, at the street.

[@mikeingeorgia1]

You have to dig really deep into your pockets for a new crossing warning system.

[@richardhancock2771]

Get people who are interested in trains and let them help doing this.

[@svenmartin840]

Hopefully I get to see the line in use.

[@johnpeters1441]

What use will this serve ? Passenger or freight or both ?

[@bradklingensmith]

Just small freight moves.

[@wonst186]

And a year later, nothing further has been done, no new businesses and precious few consists have been through. I live not even a half-mile from here.

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

Unfortunately that’s how business works sometimes. So many things came into play here for only 15 cars. At this point they haven’t given up and there’s still possibilities. Stay tuned I guess but I won’t hold my breath.

[@richardriggs2958]

On the railroad that is referred to as "A GUT LINE".if you run on that track it's with nothing but guts.

[@SwagBinion]

train go BURRRRRRR

[@tlspiker5341]

Where was this

[@coby_the_cheese1112]

Wait what city/ town was this in

[@clarkauger6058]

Millis MA

[@iananddeborah]

Get the goonzquad onto it with their machine 4hrs tops.

[@MrNospaces]

Will the line be cleared through Dover to Needham? Is there a customer thereabouts? The bridge over the Charles river may need some work if that's the plan.

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

No they are clearing the Millis Line. Part of the line you listed no longer exists.

[@bradfordtownley9363]

Dover wants to make the line through the town a rail trail - with two dead ends!

[@Henry_Jones]

@@bradfordtownley9363 they tried that a few years ago and all the locals nimbyd it.

[@mollycaz1]

Have they cleared the line for use ?

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

I believe work has stopped. Perhaps the deal fell through or was postponed.

[@dorstengoopski88]

What is the abandoned building at 12:00?

[@williammorse8330]

where would the potential traffic come from? thanks for staying on top of this.... very encouraging.

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

If I had to guess I’d say Tresca Cement in Millis, MA

[@williammorse8330]

@@SouthCoastRailVideos makes sense - thanks, again

[@johngerber3891]

Get the roundup in that

[@MrFreddarama]

I think 3 men with professional gas powered weed eaters would do a faster and more complete job of removing all the weeds and brush.

[@RomeKG471]

Thats a tinker toy, need to get Hydro Ax.

[@petemcl99]

Wow! That seems to be the wrong piece of equipment for that job. A brushhog would do a much faster job and leave that machine for the edges.

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

They used what they had and it worked for what they needed it to do.