$10 Unlimited Weekend Fare

[ayerjunction]

I would enjoy seeing the spreadsheets, and also wonder about which lines are most interesting. I have ridden Needham, Providence, Midleborough, Newburyport, Lowell, and Fitchburg all or at least almost all of the way. Of the others, which hold the most visual interest? I'm thinking in terms of both scenic countryside and hidden industry/infrastructure that can't be seen from the highways.

I would suggest to anybody wondering which line(s) to ride that they should do a virtual tour of the lines using Google Maps or the like. It may be beneficial to also scope out nearby establishments to grab a snack at or a restroom break. The best line for scenic is probably the Rockport line where some ocean views can be seen out the window or are a short walk from the Manchester or Rockport stations. If you want some fast running and a good chance of seeing Amtrak trains, the Providence line is best, although Amtrak runs at a lesser frequency on the Haverhill line and there is one train on the Worcester line. Freight trains are few and far between, but if you want to take your chances, the Fitchburg line west of Littleton, the west end of the Worcester line and the south end of the Providence line would be your best bets.

[Lentinula]

I would enjoy seeing the spreadsheets, and also wonder about which lines are most interesting. I have ridden Needham, Providence, Midleborough, Newburyport, Lowell, and Fitchburg all or at least almost all of the way. Of the others, which hold the most visual interest? I'm thinking in terms of both scenic countryside and hidden industry/infrastructure that can't be seen from the highways.

I would suggest to anybody wondering which line(s) to ride that they should do a virtual tour of the lines using Google Maps or the like. It may be beneficial to also scope out nearby establishments to grab a snack at or a restroom break. The best line for scenic is probably the Rockport line where some ocean views can be seen out the window or are a short walk from the Manchester or Rockport stations. If you want some fast running and a good chance of seeing Amtrak trains, the Providence line is best, although Amtrak runs at a lesser frequency on the Haverhill line and there is one train on the Worcester line. Freight trains are few and far between, but if you want to take your chances, the Fitchburg line west of Littleton, the west end of the Worcester line and the south end of the Providence line would be your best bets.

Worcester terminates right in the busy bustling CSX terminal, plus its a short walk to go look at some P&W equipment and whatever Pan Am might have in blue paint up in Greendale

[ayerjunction]

Using the spreadsheet to sketch out a hypothetical Saturday or Sunday journey weekend journey in and out of North Station, I would travel to North Station on the Fitchburg Line arriving there at 8:01A; leave for Rockport at 8:30A; arrive back from Rockport at 11:11A; leave for Newburyport at 11:30A; arrive back from Newburyport at 1:56P; leave for Haverhill at 2:45P; arrive back from Haverhill at 5:21P; leave for Lowell at 6:00P; Arrive back from Lowell at 7:44P; and leave to go back to my point of origin on the Fitchburg Line at 7:55P. The last connection would be very close and I would have to wait until 11:30P for the last Fitchburg train if the Lowell train was late. If all went well I would have traveled over 300 miles in just one day.

Planning a mileage blitz out of South Station could be more challenging because there are more lines to cover and Saturday is the best day to do it since there are more trains on Saturday vs. Sunday. Also the Needham Line does not run on Sundays. I have not figured out a scheme to do South Station yet, but that would probably be a two day adventure.