Springfield Terminal Railway (Original)

Hello everybody im planning to start a book on the ST from the early days up to the present does anybody have any stories or info and pictures they would be willing to share for future use in this? any help or ideas would greatly help. THANKS

If you haven't already checked with the B&MRRHS, website and archives, and the Springfield Art and Historical Society, those might be good first stops.

I sent a note to the B&MRRHS yesterday and i have been to the SPFLD Library. I plan on going to the Historical groups in both Springfield and Charlstown, and possibly to the town hall to see if any records are there.

Someone who could help you immensly is Dwight Smith of Intervale. He was the GM of ST at one time.
He was also founder and one of the original owners of Conway Scenic. He is a member of the North
Conway Model RR Club. Someone on this list probably has his current email address. The one I have
is wrong.

I remember reading ( I think it was in Trains) that when they de-electrified the ST, they calculated it so that the price for the wire would just barely pay for dieselization. So some ST employees are removing the wire, and a guy in a truck pulls up and tells them that Patrick B McGuinnis promised him the wire in exchange for a "favor". Well they told the guy to ! off, and they found out later he was F. Nelson Blount! (For those who dont know, he was the founder of Steamtown). Doing this from memory, so if there are any inaccuracies I apologize.
C.J.V.

haha I love it. I'm actually good friends with Nelson's grandson Steve Blount Jr. How long ago was the article?

It was no more than two years ago so fairly recently. I remember saving it so I'll try to find it.
C.J.V.

HI

I Have two shots of Springfield Terminal before the wires came down , taken by my friend Arthur Butler , I am going to post them , but if you think that you can use them , without the added writting on photo . I will ask Arthur if he would give his permission for the book . Pat

Pat,
Your friend Arther has some good images I bet but these two are not of ST. They are of the Claremont Railway, steeplecab #18 and work car #22.

Could you contact me off-list about this. I would like to ask you a couple questions. [email protected]

I would concur with sjwhitney on the second photo. The steeple cab is descending the Claremont Electric Railway track alongside Mulberry Street and heading north toward the small yard that was beside the International Shoe building. The tracks in the foreground are the B&M Claremont Branch tracks in the yard between Mulberry Street and Pleasant Street. The yard had a paved road down the middle, and the pavement for that is in the lower foreground.

The building behind the steeple cab could be an early version of Claremont Flock and is somewhat similar to a Roger Borrup photo that appears on page 11 of A History of the Claremont Railway 1903-1945 (National Railway Historical Society 1945)

Any updates on the book project?

Nothing new on the project yet i have a very think folder of information but just need to fine the time to start it.