THE MASS BAY RRE RAILROAD PRESERVATION FUND

Mass Bay RRE established the Mass Bay RRE Railroad Preservation Fund in 2016 to support worthy projects to preserve historically significant railroad equipment, structures, information or artifacts in New England. One or more grants, generally not exceeding $5000, will be awarded annually, funded by donations to the fund and income from the Fund's endowment.

Each year, Mass Bay RRE designates its largest Preservation Fund grant or grants as “The Ralph S. Hawkins Memorial Railroad Preservation Grant” to preserve and honor the memory of our dear friend, Ralph Hawkins.

In 2023, Mass Bay RRE has awarded $48,005 in grants to 13 organizations, thanks to the generosity of our members and friends. This includes four $5,000 grants. Since its inception in 2016, the Mass Bay RRE Railroad Preservation Fund Grants has made grants totaling over $175,000 to help preserve New England railroad equipment, structures and artifacts.

The 2023 Mass Bay RRE Railroad Preservation Fund grant recipients are:

The 2023 Ralph S. Hawkins Memorial Railroad Preservation Grants:

• The Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington Railway Museum of Alna, Maine, will receive $5,000 to construct a new passenger shelter at its Sheepscot Station. The new shelter will be the culmination of an effort to replace the train boarding platform and to redesign the passenger flow for visitors coming on and off the train. The handicap ramp will be relocated so that it no longer blocks photos of the station platform area.
  The WW&F intends to move it the existing Sheepscot passenger shelter (by rail, of course) to 'Top of Mountain' station (the busiest location on the railroad, outside of Sheepscot) to provide some respite to passengers transferring to events at Sea Lyon Farm. The new shelter will more than double the existing waiting area, and will be constructed in a historically compatible manner with the rest of the Sheepscot campus. (Right: original Sheepscot Station platform)
• The 470 Railroad Club of Portland, Maine will receive $5,000 toward the purchase of a combo traction motor for former Boston & Maine GP9 locomotive 1741, a key part of the club's project to restore the unit to reliable operating condition.
• The Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum of Lenox, Mass., will receive a grant of $5,000 to replace concrete aprons and upgrade electrical & exterior lighting at the Museum's historic Stockbridge, Mass., station.
• The New England Electric Railway Historical Society, d/b/a Seashore Trolley Museum will receive $5,000 for window restoration on Boston Elevated No. 5821, part of a larger restoration effort that includes restoring both of 5821's trucks.

• The Branford Electric Railway Association, d/b/a Shore Line Trolley Museum, $4,000 to replace traction motors, damaged during Hurricane Sandy, on shear plow #10 (right) and/or wedge plow #9799.
• New England Steam Corporation of Winterport, ME, $4,005 to replace the leaf springs on the lead truck of Maine Central steam locomotive No. 470.
• Boston Street Railway Association of Boston, MA, $4,000 toward completion of car body and interior restoration work on Boston Elevated Railway Type 5 Streetcar #5706.
• Connecticut Electric Railway Association of East Windsor, Conn., $3,500 to replace the canvas roof on Springfield Electric Railway Car 16.
• Belfast & Moosehead Lake Railroad Museum of Unity, Maine, $3,000 toward the restoration & installation of the former Caribou, Maine, turntable in Unity, Maine.
• The Baltimore Streetcar Museum of Baltimore, Maryland, $3,000 for to replace the brake shoes on Baltimore Transit Company PCC streetcar 7407. Car 7407 was constructed at the Pullman-Standard Facility in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1944. This car is the sole operating example of a Worcester-built PCC car restored to its original configuration at any museum in the United States.
• The Thompson Historical Society of Thompson, Conn., $2,500 for signage and site markings for artifacts at the site of the Thompson Station & historic 1891 train wreck.
• The Railroad Museum of New England of Thomaston, Conn., $2,000 to repair rakes and fascias on Thomaston Station.
• Shelburne Falls Trolley Museum of Shelburne Falls, MA, $2,000 for its ongoing car barn extension project.
  

The application period for the 2024 Mass Bay RRE Railroad Preservation Grants is now CLOSED.
See the Preservation Page for details and application instructions.

Donations to the Mass Bay RRE Railroad Preservation Fund are welcomed! Your donation will help us fund additional worthy railroad preservation projects. Donors may choose to designate their gift to the Preservation Fund Endowment or to be used to fund grants directly. Endowment funds are invested to provide an annual income to be used for preservation grants. Investment income will be supplemented each year with donations to Mass Bay RRE, including all donations designated for direct grants. All donations to the Mass Bay RRE Railroad Preservation Fund are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Donate to the Mass Bay RRE Railroad Preservation Fund.

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Site maintenance by Members of Mass Bay RRE.
Page updated January 13, 2024