B&M Trailer Trains

I'm getting needy now. Does anyone have any photos and/or information about the use of tri-level open Trailer Train equipment on the B&M, hopefully equipment actually leased by and marked for the B&M? I have seen photos of these cars in B&M consists, and model do exist marked for the B&M, but I haven't seen an actual prototype photo where the road name was visible so they could have been marked for other roads.

Thank you ahead of time for any help you can offer.

The B & M carried American Motors vehicles around 1960 or so. AM manufactured the vehicles in Kenosha, Wis. and the distribution arm was KAT, Kenosha Auto Transport. Since AM was the next to smallest marketer of mass produced autos in the USA at that time, I don't think there were many dedicated trains like the NYC ran to Framingham. I think the tri-levels were run in B & M's piggyback train. The KAT Yard where unloading was done was Yard 17, also known as Boyton Yard It was in the wide-open space between McGrath Highway overpass, west of Tower H, and the spot where the right-of-way narrows down to two tracks only.

I believe these trains were TV-95 and TV-96. Perhaps a Google search would turn up something.

Thank you for your responses... it gives me something to go on for additional research. Do you know if B&M supplied their own racks or if the racks were run-through from mid-western roads?

B & M did not own or lease any auto racks. However, it was a pioneer member of Trailer Train.

One of the B&MRRHS movie to VHS conversions was shot by Russ Monroe. The subject matter ran from the late 1950s through to early Guilford. One shot was of a piggyback train with auto carrier trailers. I'm not sure which brand of cars were being carried, but they look like maybe Ramblers. At least they looked like that shape of automobile, if I recall correctly. The scene looks like it may have been from around Mystic.

The B& M carried American Motors autos for a time in the early 1960s, before my days at the B & M which began in 1968. American Motors built its cars in Kenosha, Wis. and the outfit that arranged for transport was Kenosha Auto Transport (KAT). I believe it was Yard 17 that was designated the KAT Yard where unloading was done. It is not too far from Lechmere MBTA Station and had great drive up access beside the yard. (Yard 17 was also known as Boynton Yard.) In those early years when auto delivery by rail picked up after being really hurt by highway deliveries replacing auto boxcars, the three major New England routes into Boston carried autos. New Haven brought Fords into Readville, B & M American Motors into Somerville, NYC got GMs into Framingham and later Chryslers into Westboro. When the B & M was bankrupt and Penn Central was bankrupt and a real mess B & M lured Ford back to Ayer for a time.

Which brand used the Conn River? Was this a joint CN/CV, or CPR? Were the autos made in the US, and shipped via Canada, or US built cars for Canadian market, or Canadian built for US sale?

I can't remember if any autos used the Conn. River Line. The Bellows Falls Tunnel was the problem. The B & M got a New England Regional Commission grant in late 1970s to undercut the tunnel to take piggybacks and auto racks and larger freight cars. B & M hardly carried any piggybacks north of Greenfield/E. Deerfield. The B & M had ramps at Berlin, White River Jct. & Claremont Jct. The only p/b load I ever heard about on the Conn. River was sent down the Cheshire Branch to bypass the tunnel.

I was basing this on some pictures in Tom Nelligan's book "Bluebirds and Minutemen", where there is a shot of a train with open bi level open auto racks in the chapter on the Conn River. Since many of the shots are of the era directly preceding Guilford, soon after the Bellows Falls tunnel was enlarged.

Those empty autoracks in my 1980 photo were CP cars on their way back to Canada via Wells River, but to be honest, after 35 years I don't remember details beyond that!

Boynton Yard was west of Tower H Interlocking, not in the KAT Yard. It was on the west
side of the mainline between McGrath Highway and Prospect St.

D

One of the model railroad companies, maybe Accurail did an open bilevel B&M auto rack. A friend found a kit and gave it to me based on my liking the road. Ed says B&M never had racks on Trailer Train flats? This seems strange that this caliber of company would make up a fantasy product.

The B&M did operate auto racks that carried the same Boston & Maine lettering style that adorned our locomotives in the Duston era. I have one photo of these cars, but I'll be damned if I can find it.......stay tuned.

Engineer Spike wrote:One of the model railroad companies, maybe Accurail did an open bilevel B&M auto rack. A friend found a kit and gave it to me based on my liking the road. Ed says B&M never had racks on Trailer Train flats? This seems strange that this caliber of company would make up a fantasy product.

Not my photos but found via Google...

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=2830563

http://forum.atlasrr.com/forum/data/prr ... B&M-tt.jpg