Reactivated street running on the Pioneer Valley Railroad - Holyoke, MA - 3/12/2024

In this video we see some scenes of the Pioneer Valley Railroad running a train on the street running track in Holyoke, MA. This bi-weekly operation is made to interchange with Pan Am (Now Berkshire Eastern) at the end of the reactivated street running track. This track was put back in service after several years thanks to a MassDOT Industrial Rail Access Program Grant in 2018. More footage of the Pioneer Valley will follow in the future so stay tuned!
Note:
The wind was quite strong today hence the long zoom shots having some shake.
Holyoke, MA
3/12/2024
Flickr:
www.flickr.com/photos/1404502...
Comments? Questions?
Just leave a note in the comment section and I'll get back to you.
©2024 South Coast Rail Videos

[@kenmcgory8768]

I saw those cars and trucks maneuvering around while the train was coming, and I'm thinking "What, they can't wait 2 minutes for the train to pass?" Everyone is always in such a hurry. I'm always glad to see dormant rail being actively used again.

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

Thanks for watching!

[@kishascape]

Kinda deceptive though because that's mostly from the compressed perspective of telephoto lens. It wasn't as close as it looked.

[@kurtismckemmie4850]

That's Holyoke for you

[@davidgelineau5458]

Holyoke! I was born there. Both parents grew up in Holyoke. As a kid, I rode my bike along some of the tracks that had been paved over along the canals. Members of my family worked in the mill buildings shown in the video.

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

Thanks for watching!

[@glennwilsonboerstlerii535]

Awesome cinematography! It’s great to see all of the short line railroads getting quality attention. In addition, it’s great to see and hear the older locomotives in action.

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

Thanks for watching!

[@KatTheFoxtaur]

So nice to see this railroad reactivated. You don't get to see a lot of street runners in MA! (Especially heavy trains, ie. not including the Green Line.) Also I love the horn! Doesn't sound sad like most MBTA locos I've heard, lol.

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

Thanks for watching!

[@JayYoung-ro3vu]

It's always heartwarming to see rail lines reactivated! ❤🙏

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

Thanks for watching!

[@MrExec3549]

WOW. What a beautiful sight! I’m so happy that many short lines are coming back.

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

Thanks for watching!

[@mattbrooks4168]

I used to pick up pallets of cardboard boxes in the warehouse just before that little bridge headed away from water street. The first time i went there and saw the train coming i thought i was seeing things. I had to wait on him a couple times before i could get out and he had to wait on me a couple times to back down the alley to the dock. Fun to see this video

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

Thanks for watching!

[@kenwoodbury1888]

Thank you, this is a much appreciated video. Not much Pioneer Valley material on KZbin.

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

Thanks for watching!

[@deirdrekiely6187]

​@@SouthCoastRailVideosThanks for watching.

[@MW-li9yq]

My friend and i got to ride the pvrr pulling an old passenger car from Westfield to some park in Holyoke then back again. There was even a stop near the Holyoke mall. This was in the early 90's.

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

Thanks for watching!

[@joedelusso1415]

Nice to see trains still going through there, there's a place across the canal called Rucki's and son tire co. That I delivered tires to for over two decades and remembered seeing the Cf7's doing the honors..

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

Thanks for watching!

[@jaybird111207]

That was awesome to see the PVRR doing some street running!! I live in chicopee just a couple mins away and I purposely pass the small yard and this track in hopes to catch them in action. Glad to have found this video. Thanks for sharing. Have a good night and stay safe. - Jason

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

Thanks for watching!

[@joshbenton4080]

Cool! Street running is always neat to see, love the airhorn on that ex CN GP9RM.

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

Thanks for watching!

[@jctorontojctoronto]

Thanks for demonstrating the art of the street capture one more time.

[@davidpulaski5628]

Awesome to see the tracks getting shined again, Woo-hoo, excellent videography too !!! 👍👍👍

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

Thanks for watching!

[@jimikrentkowski4073]

Not sure how many videos of line reactivations you have, it’s seems like quite a lot for sure! Glad to see spurs and other lines brought back to life. Chicago & northwest Indiana seem to be abandoning a lot last 20+ years:(

[@KCTopDawg]

Superb video!

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

Thanks for watching!

[@datalasse]

Thanks for sharing this video! Streetrunning is always fun to watch.

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

Thanks for watching!

[@gilbertcastaneda8208]

Another amazing great video of a combo locomotive 🚂. Great railroading action. Thanks again for sharing this video with me.

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

Thanks for watching!

[@DelayInBlockClips]

Great video!

[@gilbertcastaneda8208]

Great video thanks for sharing this video with me.

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

Thanks for watching!

[@GMCGUY-]

I HAD NO IDEA THEY HAD RAIL ROAD CROSSING IN GETTO TOWN USA WOW GREAT VIDEO❤❤❤❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉 I WISH YOU CAN FIND THE Schedule For the train that runs in Milford, New Hampshire. It's a short line that's interchanges with Pam AM RAIL WAYS. EVEN THOSE CSX OWNS IT I WILL ALL WAYS VALL IT PAM AM RAILWAYS. THEY STILL KEPT 75% OF THERE Locomotives from Pam Am. 30% of these were old CSX Dash 8 that were Sold to Pam Am in early 2000s they only got ride of a few Locomotives To some railroad, I think Wyoming Tennessee and Wyoming railroad. It's an orange type of paint job 🎨 . But your Video was Cool but see if you can get a video of a train CROSSING that Area in Milford NH, its very Easy to Find the RailRoad gatez go over Route 101

[@johnrichardson7354]

great job!

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

Thanks for watching!

[@JayWhite08]

I’m just south of there on the enfield/east longmeadow border. There’s another line being re-activated on the CNZR, the armoury branch. There is a new customer right at the mass border.

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

I’ve been following that line and have done a couple videos on it. It’s pretty cool to see that happening and that it will come into MA for a few feet.

[@JayWhite08]

@@SouthCoastRailVideos now that I think of it I’m pretty sure I watched your videos on that line already lol. Nice channel man

[@NERRP2017]

Caught the sister to this unit 7031 back in 2023 parked on the curve towards Westfield on my way home from a Railfanning trip in west Springfield and saw it working on my way to west Springfield which turned into a Railfan trip so yea, seems now I gotta catch 7030 in action with that K3L, that sounds so good like CN ought to sound like today still, and that e bell is got the sound of a old CN Bronze Bell.. nice catch.

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

Thanks for watching!

[@jayducharme]

Great footage! I was saddened to hear that the PVRR will be tearing out the tracks running to Heritage State Park in Holyoke. Decades ago you used to be able to take a PVRR passenger train from there to Westfield and back, with a stop at the Holyoke Mall. It was a delightful ride. I had hoped that one day PVRR would resume that service.

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

Thanks for watching! Where did you hear the tracks are being torn up? I’ll need to go back for some photos before they get removed.

[@jayducharme]

@@SouthCoastRailVideos I'm with the Holyoke Merry-Go-Round, which is right next to them. One of our board members who's affiliated with the city mentioned it a few months back. I don't know what the timeline is for removing the track. The last time the track was used was for the Santa train back in 2018. kzbin.info/www/bejne/oWPLeoiqh7xkiaM

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

Ah ok, thanks for the info

[@MW-li9yq]

I just made the same comment! Lol

[@kt3401]

Cool to see them reactivating the railroad.

[@clydemilner9166]

As a truck driver of 50 years, I don’t appreciate being trashed. I am also a rail fan and enjoy seeing lines being reactivated. Also remember that most rail freight has a truck bringing the goods to the railroad and delivers it to the customer. Rail eliminates much long haul freight but there are more trucks from rail yard to customer. They don’t really cut the number of trucks on the road.

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

Thanks for watching!

[@jimmyfiallos4694]

Awesome video

[@genebalinski645]

Great video. It is really really good to see a reactivation of a rail line, especially with street-running, and in Holyoke no less ! I hope that the Pioneer Valley can keep up the service, maintain their customers, and perhaps add more.

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

Thanks for watching!

[@sirblack1619]

Nice! My two favorite things. A train and a Volvo!

[@csrrjefflloyd6496]

If I’m not mistaken, PanAm was bought by CSX.

[@jasonervoes1326]

Great video nice catch. Question Do any of these freight trains have cabooses at the end here in Holyoke Massachusetts? Just curious

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

Thanks for watching! This railroad owns a caboose but doesn’t use it on their freight trains.

[@LeeDfined]

Anytime I see a "REACTIVATED" track of any kind I am excited. Trains are a reflection of how the economy is going. Lots of trains: good. Less trains=bad.

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

Thanks for watching!

[@theaudiorecordist8514]

AWESOME CATCH!!! ❤ My only questions are how did you know where to be before shooting the video? Did you have a scanner? I know PVRR has two radio frequencies (one for THIS Holyoke Branch and another for the Easthampton branch).

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

Thanks for watching! A friend and I simply set up and waited after following the train from Westfield. We had a scanner but it honestly didn’t help much as we kind of figured how the operation worked already.

[@theaudiorecordist8514]

@@SouthCoastRailVideos Cool! When I use their scanner frequencies all's I hear is static. My friend thinks that may of gone digital (same with the CNZR while I was railfanning in Enfield?. But with Amtrak's Springfield-New Haven line, you can definitely hear the communications loud and clear.

[@CSXincyRailfan]

That seems like a good challenge parking a trailer while a train is limiting your options, also amazing catch!

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

Thanks for watching!

[@TheNorthwestWind]

awesome catch

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

Thanks for watching!

[@billstarr9396]

Where does the Pioneer Valley RR interchange with Pan Am? On the Northampton side of the river or at the East Deerfield yard?

[@kurth59]

In Holyoke near the Canal St crossing. They have their own siding for interchange purposes off of the mainline.

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

Thanks for watching! As already answered PV picks the cars up right in Holyoke between the street running and the train station.

[@Damien80279]

That Texaco sign is worth a small fortune!

[@arkansasrailproductions5507]

Seeing those Pinsly colors brings back memories of the Arkansas Midland Railroad before the “orange cancer” that’s G&W came in and defaced the AKMD. All of the remaining AKMD ex Illinois Central Gulf Paducah Shops rebuilt GP8s and GP10s were scrapped in January 2024 because of the EPA, except for one that escaped that fate, AKMD 703.

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

Thanks for watching!

[@microbusss]

never thought I'd see a Thickly Settled sign in my life only time I ever seen one was in Katy & the Big Snow by Virginia Lee Burton

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

Thanks for watching!

[@sernajrlouis]

Cool video

[@billstill1794]

Holy oke!

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

Thanks for watching!

[@user-ux3uc3ec6t]

THIS IS A BAD ROUTE, COOL VIDEO

[@vinylrabbit7295]

You missed the best part going up the grade from the canals to the Mall, that is why the engine is running so high in the shot by the Mall.

[@jessefrancis4838]

Those trucks like R& L and Recycle need to be retrained. They are NOT Allowed to pull in front of an oncoming train. It’s a Federal law and they should know that since it is part of the C.D.L training they received.

[@CreamyPennePasta]

That train is not as close as it seems. It’s the telephoto effect. Also it’s going slow so I doubt they would be hit

[@timpost2981]

@@CreamyPennePastaIrrelevant

[@niftyjig]

At no point did any truck pull in front of an oncoming train. They pulled in front of a train approaching from the right, and pulled in front of an incoming train (train approaching/traveling behind, in the same direction). Oncoming traffic is any vehicle, vessel or person moving in an opposing direction relative to another vehicle, vessel or person. Oncoming does not mean "moving" or "existing", or "traffic". Once upon a time, we knew this. Does that make it legal? I don't know. But this evisceration of english people seem to think is vogue, to add "oncoming" to things without knowing what "oncoming" means is super frustrating. It does not simply mean "extra spicy" traffic. It means it is approaching head-on, and the speed it is approaching is greater than the speed of either subject because both objects are moving toward eachother.

[@jaysmith1408]

R&L was making good time, Republic (not the sharpest pitchforks in the barn) was oblivious.

[@swapsplat]

​@timpost2981 no, it's extremely relevant. According to your misinterpretation, trucks shouldn't cross any track because a train might be on it...

[@tartrains]

nice video

[@billstarr9396]

After CSX bought Pan Am I can't really see CSX running trains up and down the Pioneer Valley. Who is operating the Pan Am in the Pioneer Valley now? I've heard rumors that it might be Gennesee and Wyoming.

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

GW’s Berkshire Eastern operates PAS. The Holyoke interchange is PV’s connection to Norfolk Southern so it won’t be going anywhere.

[@The09creeper]

6:32 awesome bell

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

Thanks for watching!

[@ohboy2592]

That looks very similar to the Pinsley owned railroad paint scheme they used on their RR’s in Florida and Massachusetts

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

That’s because this was also owned by Pinsly until a few years ago.

[@ohboy2592]

@@SouthCoastRailVideos that makes sense. I believe that engine came from central Florida

[@edwardzou3743]

Interesting how this American railroad has a GP9 with a Canadian tuned K3L. I wonder how it ended up with a Canadian train horn and not the American version of the same horn (K3LA with the “A” symbolizing American tuning).

[@NoahDoane]

This was originally owned by CN, then rebuilt by them to a GP9RM

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

Thanks for watching!

[@DanMeyer80]

horn sounds like Canadian Pacific, ex CP unit?

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

Canadian National

[@NortheastCorridorFilms]

never heard of this rr in my life

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

Thanks for watching!

[@rfranzosa]

Is this ex-New Haven trackage or ex-B&M?

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

New Haven

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

I should note that Guilford (BM) did run down this spur for a time after the NH.

[@davidbrown4823]

The engineer has decisions to make.

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

Thanks for watching!

[@usernameispasswordisusername]

Rare Ekyrail e-bell

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

Thanks for watching!

[@scottsauve9506]

Is that a GE fuel tank?

[@kenharbin3440]

It does look like one off a U25B maybe? Or made in house?

[@patrickh4540]

Those tracks are in such bad shape. Incredible they allow trains on that.

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

thank you for your expertise

[@coromark]

Street running has low speed limits anyway

[@sha1om]

The telephoto lens makes it look worse than it is. The cars weren't rocking.

[@CommanderDuck-zn8ro]

I was auctally so scared about the trucks that pulled out. I thought they would get hit. Why on earth wouldn't you wait 3 seconds and be so much safer?

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

Thanks for watching!

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

Abandoned siding restoration: Mass Coastal ballast train - Gallo, Sagamore, MA 3/14/2024 kzbin.info/www/bejne/j3jSdJ6gZc-XfKM

[@bradfordthompson8326]

Is this RAILWAYS near THE GOLDEN BAKERY........SORRY SOUTH COAST VIDEOS..WE CAN HARDLY WAIT WHEN YOU DRIOP THE VIDEOS "RESTORATION OFB TRACKS TO THE GOLDEN BAKERY".... SOME ONE WILL SEEE YOUR SHOWCASING IT AND SAY "WE COULD DO THAN WITH USED AMTRAK CONCRETE TIES AND RELAY RAIL...."...MANY GOD PRAYERS FOR INCREASE SHIPPERS😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

No, this is not near the bakery

[@jasongreene303]

The driver for Republic needs some more training, or maybe there's a reason why he's only driving a straight job.

[@BartlettTFD]

Some of the track appears to be in very poor condition!

[@louislamonte334]

Too many noisy, dirty, gas-guzzling trucks on the road!! Put more freight back on the railroads!!

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

Thanks for watching!

[@trezjr73]

Many of those trucks with inept "drivers".

[@LeeDfined]

Hey...hey...I'm a trucker. And most truck drivers are anything but inept. The problem is imbecile automobile drivers who see a 70 foot truck with 45000 pounds and cut us off and think we can stop. Most people need training on how to drive around trucks. Now to your comment about putting more freight on trains. You would STILL need trucks for end of mile distribution and to get them to their final destination

[@Ichwillkeinenaliascheisyoutube]

i L.O.V.E that sound ! 🙂

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

Thanks for watching!

[@mrfingerlakes8735]

Awesome video

[@SouthCoastRailVideos]

Thanks for watching!