Carl Weber - This photo is of TV80-W, a short Friday only train destined for Worcester, MA on March 22, 1996. The lead engine is SD-50 CR 6733. The location is Lower Valley Road grade crossing in Washington, MA. This is the only public crossing at grade in a stretch of 42 miles, between Huntington, MA, and the MA/NY state line. This location is also known as "Ballou's".

Carl Weber - It is March 22, 1996, and this was my first encounter with the "Big Macs", and judging from the complaining eminating from the cab (via scanner), it must have been the engineer's, also. He was muttering away, wondering how "they" expected him to get THIS train over the mountain with "just TWO" engines. The location is MP 127 in Chester, the train was "down" to about 20 mph at this point and he had the teeth of the grade coming up in another half mile. The train was an LASE-X, a joint Guilford/Conrail train originating in Lawrence, MA. I just had to see how he was going to make out on the hill, so took off up the hill to Ballou's........the next photo below.

Carl Weber - Up at Ballou's, which had the "added attraction" of a "talking detector-HBD/DED", the LASE-X shows up. It's exactly 8 miles between MP 127 and here, and it took him 34 minutes to do it. The detector gives a speed read-out of 15 mph, and an axle count of 616! Minus the two locomotives, that's 151 cars! No wonder the engineer was fuming, but I think the Macs made a believer out of him.

Carl Weber - This is TV-6 eastbound lead by CR 6128 C40-8W at CP 140 in the Hinsdale Flats atop Washington Hill in the early a.m. of April 6, 1996.

Carl Weber - Another early encounter with the Big MAC's, CR 4114 on May 18, 1996. Actually chased this guy, westbound BOSE, from Westfield to here; Muddy Pond in Washington, a distance of 31 miles, with several stops for other photos along the way. This was my favorite shot because it was also my first chance to try out a lens I had just gotten, a Pentax 200mmf2.5 telephoto. Time was 07:13 and this was shot with the lens wide open.

Carl Weber - The ultimate in "foreign" power, "London, Midland & Scottish" C40-8W 705 leads what won't be foreign power in a few more years, CSX SD-40-2 8007, on ML-482 at Washington depot on May 18, 1996. Sorry, couldn't resist that one, but always thought of that pre-nationalisation British road when I saw those initials.

Carl Weber - While digging through the archives, came upon this one taken on March 14, 1998. It shows the "class unit", 4100, and "tail-end Charlie", the 4129, (ex Demo) tied together on westbound FRSE at Chester, MA. I don't know if I ever caught this pair again, like this.

Carl Weber - Here we see the tail-end that Carl mentions in the photo above.

Carl Weber - Conrail 4114 on SEFR is eastbound, passing CP 83 in Palmer, MA, on September 30, 1996.

Carl Weber - SEBO is just east of Ballou's on July 20, 1996. Looks like the "cab A.C." is working overtime on the 4122.

Carl Weber - A good example of being lucky enough to be at the right place at the right time. Taken on May 25, 1996, 4104 leads an SPSE-X westward past the old coal tower in Chester, MA. and meets eastbound SENE behind C30-7A 6551 and siblings. Both trains moving at about 20-25 mph.

Carl Weber - And here is where they finally meet up, old versus new.

Carl Weber - Eastbound multi-level train ML-482 crests the summit of Washington Hill in Hinsdale, MA. on April 6, 1996. Despite appearences, this IS the front of the train, the engineer evidently forgetting the headlight and.....they all liked those red class/marker lights.

Carl Weber - At this point in time it was kind of unusual to see this many C30-7A's piled together...must have been old home week.

Carl Weber - NESE winds through the reverse curve at the north end of Muddy Pond, entering Hinsdale from Washington. Once the C30-7A's arrived en masse, in August 1984, they just about owned the old Boston & Albany for the next 7 years, or so.

Carl Weber - The 6569 and teammates will cross the summit of the Berkshires just a few hundred yards ahead.