Railfanning Ayer

I occasionally have the opportunity to make a quick "fly-in" trip to visit a line I've been wanting to see. Currently eyeing a few possibilities for next week, and the talk of Ayer has raised my interest a bit.

Would this be a good spot to get a fair amount of traffic in a relatively short time? How is the scenery in Ayer and relatively close by along the line? Any locals that head out of there that would be worth chasing to get some branchline settings?

I appreciate any and all input. I've generally thought of heading for Portland and up to Waterville to get the Madison and SAPPI jobs, but it sounds like Ayer could be a pretty hot spot at present and a good option for a day trip.

Thank you!

The scenerey right in Ayer isn't great, but the Fitchgburg main heading West from Ayer is rather scenic (i.e. small, quaint, rustic New England setting). In a 24 hour period, there's maybe 8 through manifest trains and an Intermodal train that originates and terminates there. There's also a couple unit Coal trains per week and a couple of daily local freights as well. There's also a large Flour mill that gets slugs of Wheat cars just east of the yard by a mile or two. Up until recently, there was also a major Ford unloading facility that had been there for years, but Ford now ships to a CSXT terminal at Framingham. In addition to the freights, there is also a good amount of MBTA commuter action at Ayer. If you are looking for a terminal/switching industrial setting, then Ayer is a great spot. If you are more into scenery, try the PAR/GRS mainline west from Ayer out to the Hoosac tunnel area. If you want higher volume (22-25 freights per day) plus scenery, try the CSXT Boston line through western MASS. Hope that helps.

My favorite time for railfanning in Ayer is early in the morning on weekend mornings, when commuter trains are less frequent than on workdays. The first inbound commuter doesn't arrive until 7:09, and the next one and the first outbound are about two and a half hours later. That's a big "hole" for running freight.

There is parking near the T Commuter Rail stop downtown. Coffee an' at the Mobil station a little farther west. Numerous freight cars are often left west of the tower; a side street parallels the tracks. To get to "Spaghetti Junction" (the flour mill originally built to serve Prince Spaghetti in Lowell), drive east on Main Street and turn left just after the old town hall and before the bridge, then right after the post office onto Sandy Pond Road. Follow that about two miles. When it ends at a stop sign just past a little old schoolhouse, left onto Westford Road. Right on "Nemco Way" (about the third drive into an industrial area). Going back to the schoolhouse, turn left onto Willow Road, which crosses the Stony Brook Branch which trains take to and from Lowell, Lawrence and Maine. Some stop there for a considerable period.

Steve Wagner wrote:My favorite time for railfanning in Ayer is early in the morning on weekend mornings, when commuter trains are less frequent than on workdays. The first inbound commuter doesn't arrive until 7:09, and the next one and the first outbound are about two and a half hours later. That's a big "hole" for running freight.

There is parking near the T Commuter Rail stop downtown. Coffee an' at the Mobil station a little farther west. Numerous freight cars are often left west of the tower; a side street parallels the tracks. To get to "Spaghetti Junction" (the flour mill originally built to serve Prince Spaghetti in Lowell), drive east on Main Street and turn left just after the old town hall and before the bridge, then right after the post office onto Sandy Pond Road. Follow that about two miles. When it ends at a stop sign just past a little old schoolhouse, left onto Westford Road. Right on "Nemco Way" (about the third drive into an industrial area). Going back to the schoolhouse, turn left onto Willow Road, which crosses the Stony Brook Branch which trains take to and from Lowell, Lawrence and Maine. Some stop there for a considerable period.

A few comments:
I've seen references to the switch for the mill at the Willows calling it "NEMCO Junction" rather than "Spaghetti Jct", but it's not a station in the timetable so probably any name is just as good.
If you hang out at the Willows, in all probability the Ayer PD will check you out and possibly run your license plate. Both they and the Shirley (neighboring town) PD will always check on vehicles parked along town roadways in areas where parking is either uncommon or illegal. I don't know for sure but I think they may also be under ongoing instructions to question railfans. They're pretty lenient and usually pleasant, but if you do park near a grade crossing or along the open road somewhere, be prepared to be questioned. To avoid this, park at either the Ayer parking lot or at the Shirley station parking lot. Anyway, both are small towns so any unusual activity is easily noticed. Also, there is a small group of "characters" or "underachievers" who pass by the Ayer station platform from the town center to the group of houses the other side of the east wye. There may be some sort of half-way house or group home over there, I don't know. I've never had a problem with them but every one in awhile they'll try to touch you up for some "spare change".