The Sound and the Fury
Five roots blown 2000 hp GP38-series locomotives put on a stunning show. While this sight was something to behold, it was the sound of these classics running full out cresting Royalston Hill that was unforgettable! For a moment it felt like 1977 and Alan Dustin's Boston & Maine not Mellon and Fink's Pan Am of 2020.
Pan Am Southern train 27W with 65 loaded auto racks for Davisville, RI by way of Gardner and the P&W is eastbound at MP 355 on Pan Am's freight main, the former Boston & Maine Fitchburg Route. This is the first load of autos to come east since the Hoosac Tunnel collapsed nearly three weeks ago severing the normal route. This train diverged from its regular routing at Mohawk Yard and detoured circuitously via CP to Whitehall, NY; Vermont Rail System to Bellows Falls, VT; and NECR to Millers Falls, MA to regain its regular route. However axle loading restrictions on the VTR lead to these five classic four motor units being pulled from yard and local service to hit the high iron as opposed this train's normal modern six axle power.
Former B&M searchlights continue to serve standing just east of the Baldwinville Road crossing and the granite milepost helps set the scene which is why this is probably my favorite image of dozens captured on a fabulous 25 mile chase from Erving to Gardner.
