In North Conway yard, by the Style B semaphore.
Photo by Doug Scott

Mass Bay RRE's North Country Steam Special

Our group gathered at North Conway’s Russian-style 1874 station for a 10 AM departure, on a cool sunlit morning. The rain clouds that shrouded the White Mountain summits the day before had blown away, and visibility was perfect. (High on the flank of Mount Washington, a small cloud of coal smoke revealed the Cog Railway’s one steam train of the day, making its way to the 6288’ summit.) 7470 was ready for us with its consist: first-class coach Carroll P. Reed (ex-CN/VIA snackbar coach 3234, ex-CN coach 5465 [CCF, 1954]);Vista-Dome 1329 Dorthea Mae (ex-Cape Cod RR 1329, exx-Alaska RR 9469, exxx-Amtrak 9469; née-Great Northern 1329 [Budd, 1955, for the Empire Builder]; two more coaches, both ex-CN electric MU trailers built by CCF. in 1952; and open car 1308, Silver Cascade (ex-Jersey Central coach 1308 [Pressed Steel Car, 1931]). Ex-Maine Central GP35 252, one of the last locomotives used in MEC revenue freight service through Crawford Notch in 1983, would ‘shadow’ our special, providing dynamic braking downhill from Crawford Notch to Fabyan, and then hauling us “by the tail” back from Hazens.