North Billerica - Where the Boston & Maine Went to Die

This is a walk in an old train yard in North Billerica, MA in 1995. Here many locomotives and other assorted railroad equipment met their end.

[@harryfatcat]

My dad and grandfather were both B&M engineers back in the day. My dad watched it turn from the Boston and Maine to the Broken and Mangled. My grandfather didn't live long enough to see it happen.

[@Edgeworthian]

One of the RDC's was hauled out of there in the late 90's, and brought over to Bedford. It's at the end of the paved section of the Minuteman Bike Trail. It's restoration is just about complete now. They moved it over there because it used to run on the Bedford Branch until the MBTA ceased passenger service in 80 or 81. Keep in mind, these lines are "railbanked." That means that they can be reopened for service without public imput or debate. That's how they got the bike paths put in.

[@jctorontojctoronto]

trip through the boneyard,.. stunning. 50 years ago I lived in Plastow NH,..the B and M, was in my backyard,,,,,i'd go and sit on stump at corner with my mom and watch my dad go on the train for work or school (he was going to Northeastern at time... I remember B and M everywhere, hooked me on trains... lived in Dover NH and also went to visit my Aunt often in Haverhill,,,(all before '62 (she had the coolest location,,old apt. on river in backyard w/ trains across...wow Toronto, jim cauchon

[@robertwalton7307]

Over 5 thousand people worked in this yard during WW2.Two trains from North station daily during the war. The Library of Congress has some awesome still pics of this yard during the 30's and 40's.A great one of mountains of spikes being sized by two young lads sitting on barrels. Just a super fund site now.

[@jamesshanks2614]

The reason Guilford was able to screw over the railroad unions and operate the railroads so cheaply was the Springfield Terminal railway which was originally a electric (600 volt ) shortline the Boston and Maine railroad owned that while it moved very little freight it owned a small toll bridge which had one track and highway vehicles crossing it with rather enough volume the short line made a good profit every month until some 70 years after the bridge was built it was in such a poor state it was condemned and the B & M was bankrupt so the state of Vermont built a new bridge to replace it toll free with a railroad track on it like the original. Springfield Terminal was always a non Union operation and when Guilford discovered that little fact they started leasing small portions of the B&M to the Springfield Terminal as the new operator being wholly owned by Guilford paying an average of 1/3 of what the B&M did under Union operation did. Unfortunately the writing was on the wall when even with the union protesting and striking Guilford won out in the end which allowed Guilford to turn a profit and slowly rebuild the railroad as Guilford cut crew sizes from 5 to 2 on road trains and from 5 on yard jobs to 3 on yard jobs. The Billerica Shops went away primarily because the freight traffic won't support two railroad Backshops. The Maine Central Backshops were chosen to be Guilfords Backshops because they were in better shape at the time Guilford acquired the company the Maine Central Railroad being Guilfords first railroad acquisition. The Maine Central railroad Backshops were in much better condition and to this day turn out very good work on locomotive's and freight cars. When Guilford bought the B&M the Billerica shops were run down badly so the decision to close it was a no brainer. Fortunately there are a massive collection of photographs in the Smithsonian archive all freely available on line from the 1920's and up that are really good quality that you can zoom into and lose little of the pictures as they were taken by a professional photographer in the employ of B&M. Guilford railroad was named after Guilford, Connecticut where the owner lives.

[@Bluewolfdude]

I am a rail fan and always will be. This is so sad.

[@user-nm4zn9dx1k]

The big black locomotive with the Penn Central markings was once the pride of the former great "Standad Railroad of the World" - the Pennsylvania Railroad - once at the head of the most luxurious Chicago - East Coast Trains such as the Broadway Limited - 1950s if it's an E8. You can tell by the lift rings.

[@1973caboose]

great videos that you have on your site thanks for sharing them

[@daybird2]

My grandfather,Fred Hook,was an air brake inspector for the Boston & Maine Railroad most of his life. Many times,when I was a boy I've heard my mother tell how they would ride the train from Concord NH to Billerica. It was sad seeing a place my grandfather knew so well now in ruins.

[@Maine_Railfan]

Very nice story! Pan am screwed the B&M up, sad to see what the once proud rr has become now a system where if a loco brakes down they drain what little oil is left and put it in another unit.

[@garrettsc]

I was there "recently." Nothing left but a couple of Guilford box cars near the old Signal Workshop

[@ABMP4D3]

That RDC at 4:36 hope nobody got killed on that thing, that is some serious damage.

[@tommyvsheart]

a lot of the stuff in that stations gone, but exploring the big building is great. there's libraries and old rooms, very scary.

[@raymondwelcome7164]

Worked at the Welding Plant back 1979-81. The good old days. Welded 1/4 mile sections of rail together. 39 feet at a time and push them out on these open bed rail cars to be shipped out to rail jobs

[@thomasmccaffrey2356]

do you have any pictres from back then

[@metalbynumber]

@PKingman Are the tracks and locomotives still there?

[@cmanlovespancakes]

This is very old video. This area has been cleaned up and most of the rail had been taken up. It looks very different now. The main building is still there but they can't tear it down since its a super fund site. Pan Am has their HQ there and some storage for rail equipment. The rest of the park has other businesses.

[@metalbynumber]

Looks like an interesting find, even if it is unsafe!

[@snoebay88]

Almost took a job in the Billerica shops after I got out of the service in 69 but I went to college instead. Still have some serviceable F units on the rip tracks out back.

[@Maine_Railfan]

I wonder where!

[@princefleaswallow5182]

i'm not a huge fan of trains or anything like that, but i live in billerica and this is so sad considering they've erased all signs of these tracks ever being here.

[@dumbbuff]

Yes, the diesel has to run to supply power to the air compressors which supply air for the horn

[@MilwaukeeSDman]

@mad011 Are there any more Trains there though

[@Maine_Railfan]

Its a shame these units went to waste! And I wish you could make out the numbers better.

[@hool10]

I hope you know. The EPA has determined it as a Superfund site in the early 80's.

[@bigboy4016]

it is sad, seeing all those engines just sitting there, knowing that most to all of them will be cut up for scrap someday i would take anyone of those engines if i could.

[@Chettkat]

Sad to see what Mellon & Fink did to the Maine Central and the B&M.......for instance . in the State of Wisconsin well over 80% of forest products move by rail on the Wisconsin Central/CN.....in Maine, a similar state ......only under 25 % moves by rail under Fink & Mellon (Guilford/PanAm) Sad beyond words what the Fink /Mellon ownership and management has done. Hope they sell out completely to Norfolk Southern.

[@Maine_Railfan]

Yeh I agree too!

[@jamesshanks2614]

Chettkat The real problem forest products wise is all the paper mills in Maine closed down over a 12 year period and there aren't any paper mills left today. They all went south for cheaper labor. The paper lands in Maine are still there and still privately owned and cover over 1/3 of the state and still make money but no longer harvest the volume of timber they did when the mills were running. Sad.

[@BNSFBJ]

I wonder if any of their horns still work....or do the trains have to be on in order for them to work???? *Bryan J aka BNSFBJ*

[@mmandmcb14]

Hey! That's RDC-1 6114 and RDC-9 6917, the Project of the future.

[@MilwaukeeSDman]

So do you know anymore boneyards???

[@Maine_Railfan]

Waterville maine.

[@manidig]

Deadline. Looks like they were pretty much done. Especially that E unit.

[@mad011]

nah there's no trains anymore, just buses, and they took alot of those away now too.

[@mad011]

I hang there with my friend all the time its pretty kool there alot of that stuff has been cleared out its pretty much just busses now, the inside of that place it pretty creepy, and i do think that there is some toxic stuff there.

[@mmandmcb14]

experted RDC 6114 & 6917.

[@metalbynumber]

@trinityct If i saw that at night time I would run like hell!

[@xcassx00]

my area, used to chill there all the time, now the pigs are all over itt

[@johnajoyce]

I almost wonder if we were there on the same date? www.flickr.com/photos/60034937@N04/24980043641/ compared to kzbin.info/www/bejne/l6OTdXd7mbOZqdEm38s I was there Sunday, March 26, 1995 (Sunday...a decent day of the week to crawl around that place).

[@bigboy4016]

Is that an Ol' PC E-unit I spy at 1:14? Such a sad sight. If I had a lota coin, I would be like, I want all this. Have them deliver it to the interchange at Hazens, lol. If only If only.

[@Maine_Railfan]

yep exMBTA too was scrapped.

[@jayden018]

thats where i ride my dirt bike

[@MilwaukeeSDman]

really than shy go in G

[@FL92002]

Why, Guilford???? Why'd you have to go and take over all of those prosperous, hard working railroads, like the B&M and the MEC and the D&H and just run them into the ground?!?!? whyyy?!?!?! =(

[@Maine_Railfan]

because they got more money from that then running the poor excuse of a railroad lol!

[@cmanlovespancakes]

Those hard working railways where all in terrible shape, and near bankruptcy all by there own doing. Well MEC was doing better than the other two. It would have been better if all three where bought by Conrail.

[@markjones2410]

The mbta spent a half million for the green line trolleys when they could of refurbished all or half it level fleet to be Ada accessable,there was really nothing wrong with these cars I rode on one from park Street to north station before I became handicapped and those cars ran good,but the t wasted lots of money to get these other newer cars and the t should of took all of those lrv's and refurbished them all,now they are going to spend even more money getting more newer cars,there's nothing wrong with the ones they have now,all the t wants is to spend money on dum things and more subway cars and waste more money,really people we are the commuters here and there rediculos new fare boxes suck I have a hard time with them! Not a great start for the t they need to make certain fare boxes easier for those who are handicapped I have lots of trouble with those my opinion a waste of money!

[@MilwaukeeSDman]

D&H left though

[@Steam501]

This is where all Seybolds Clunkers will end up. Just a matter of time. Conway Scenic here we come.... pack up those spare parts in this here drum. Hey Russ Seybold.... How abput having a " CASH FOR CLUNKERS PROGRAM OF YOUR OWN "