Railroad Forums 

  • Mystery Photo

  • Discussion relating to the pre-1983 B&M and MEC railroads. For current operations, please see the Pan Am Railways Forum.
Discussion relating to the pre-1983 B&M and MEC railroads. For current operations, please see the Pan Am Railways Forum.

Moderator: MEC407

 #1474096  by trainsinmaine
 
Okay folks, here's another mystery. This one was introduced into the B&M Railway Corporation page on Facebook this week. It's said to be in Massachusetts, dated around 1930. No one, thus far, has been able to identify it. Suggestions have been the Fitchburg main somewhere along Route 2 and the Millers River in the vicinity of Erving, somewhere in the Zoar-Charlemont area, and Pownal, Vermont. Can anyone come up with anything conclusive?


https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... pe=3&ifg=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
 #1474384  by trainsinmaine
 
I'm working on it. The problem is that I'm trying to copy it from Facebook, which I'm learning is easier said than done.

Tune in again later!
 #1474522  by arthur d.
 
Looking forward to it, really enjoy you quiz's.
Might it have something to do with that fb page being a closed group?
 #1475034  by NHV 669
 
Save the photo to some sort of folder, then attach it here. Should be as simple as a right click-save, unless you're trying to do this on your phone.
 #1475037  by arthur d.
 
I was thinking the same thing, but only know enough about these machines to be dangerous, wasn't sure it would work.
 #1475114  by trainsinmaine
 
I have permission to use the photo in this forum. I have downloaded it. The problem is that, for whatever reason, I can copy neither the photo nor the URL link. Apparently I have to do some kind of end run, but I have no idea what.
 #1475127  by b&m 1566
 
Did you try using photobucket.com?
 #1475140  by trainsinmaine
 
I finally got it! It took some doing, but I figured it out.

In regard to the photo, no one on Facebook has yet solved the mystery, at least conclusively.
 #1475150  by MEC407
 
"B&M Railway Corporation"?
 #1475154  by Trinnau
 
I'll take a lengthy stab here. Pretty sure this is at Erving looking east, photographer being a little bit east of where the dirt truck parking area is today. Not sure if there used to be a tower or office in that location, looks like some kind of shadow on the ground in Google maps.

Let's break down the image. Simply put this is a sweeping right-hand curve with the tracks between the road and the river.
  • In the image the curve of the tracks at least 60 degrees or so.
    The photographer appears to be standing at the start of the curve.
    The river is relatively narrow and appears to enter a rapid in the curve.
    The river is tight against the tracks with rock close to the photographer and begins to separate as you progress away with foliage.
    The road on the left has guard rails or guard wires, indicating it is a likely more significant road.
    The road is turning back toward the photographer based on the change in spacing of the guardrail at the far left edge.
    The road continues relatively straight in the distance, dipping and then climbing a bit.
    There is a sizeable elevation difference between the road and the tracks, with little room for anything to be constructed between.
    There is no other railroad infrastructure other than the poles (no bridges).
I can rule out Pownal (looking east) because the spacing between the tracks and the river is pretty uniform in the curve. Also the vertical change between road and rails is not quite the same as the photograph. The topography is just not the same.

Zoar/Charlemont have a few different options, but S. River Rd/Charlemont Rd stay pretty uniform to the tracks. There's one a little further west on Zoar Rd (looking east) but it includes bridge infrastructure and doesn't have the same rocky lining between the track and river.
 #1475183  by pwebdoc
 
Despite the decades, this photo has similarity to the view from the Bellows Falls, VT bridge area -
where VRS tracks along the river.
 #1475201  by Mikejf
 
Also, the road is recently reconstructed. Nothing growing between the tracks and the road.
 #1475734  by dcm74
 
Consulted with B&A authority Brian Solomon. Approximately 1 mile west of Huntington (MA) Center along US20. Very tall trees now block the view of the tracks.
 #1475739  by Trinnau
 
Could be a candidate, but I still say Erving for these three reasons:
1 - The river at Huntington turns sharply away from the tracks. The tracks in the photo appear to follow the river more closely as the river can be seen through the leaves, even though the gap is widening. The curve appears too broad at Huntington
2 - There is a definitive curve change in the road to the left edge of the screen. The road at Huntington has a gradual, continuous curve based on where the photographer would need to be standing in order to get the curve in the river.
3 - The road stays straight, widening the gapfrom the tracks in the distance, where at Huntington the road runs parallel to the tracks.
Last edited by MEC407 on Tue Jun 12, 2018 2:30 pm, edited 1 time in total. Reason: unnecessary quoting