Program Meetings are held, unless otherwise noted, at 8:00 PM on the Third Thursday of the month at the Union Church in Waban, 14 Collins Road, Newton, MA. These feature programs with speakers knowledgeable about railroad operations, history and travel. Upcoming programs are listed below.
On the first Tuesday of each month we hold a more informal social gathering: FIRST TUESDAY. This is where we usually prepare a trip flyer or our monthly newsletter, the Callboy, for mailing. These sessions are also held at the Union Church in Waban, starting rather casually about 7:00 PM and are usually followed by an impromptu slide show or video program unless there is a Board meeting or the work session runs unusually late. Members and non-members alike are welcome.
For last minute updates or meeting cancellations in bad weather, please call our information line at 978-470-2066.
UPCOMING Third Thursday Monthly Program Meetings
(Held ON LINE VIA ZOOM VIDEO WEBINAR)
We are conducting Third Thursday program meetings remotely via Zoom video webinar for the foreseeable future. Meetings are also simultaneously live-streamed on the Mass Bay RRE Facebook page. Video of our Third Thursday programs is available for later viewing on Facebook or the Mass Bay RRE YouTube channel.
You DO NOT have to be a Facebook user to access our live stream!
Thursday, May 20, 8 PM to 9:30 PM via Zoom & Facebook live stream:
Alex Lu and Andrew Jennings present:
'An Introduction to the Railway Culture of Japan and Taiwan'
At our May 20 Third Thursday Zoom meeting, Alex Lu and Andrew Jennings will provide an introduction to the fascinating railways of the island nations of Japan and Taiwan. These railway systems are linked by history, and the railways are deeply imbedded into the culture. The railways are incredibly varied from some of the very busiest in the world to very light density and pastoral. The geographies of these inlands have led to railway engineering wonders, including the world's longest railway bridge and what is arguably the world's longest underseas railway tunnel. But the railways are much more than interesting equipment and operations, they have become important elements of these nations cultures. (Right: A Japanese electric locomotive sports the image of the anime character Doraemon, a cat robot from the 22nd century that is considered a cultural icon in Japan.)
Alex Lu, ADD-Strategic Operating Initiatives and Field Administration for Metro-North Railroad, grew up near Taipei, and has worked for ScotRail, consultants, NYCTA, and Metro-North. Andrew Jennings, a semi-retired transportation consultant, worked for 20 years for various US railroads before turning to consulting. As a consultant he has worked on rail-related projects for 30 years on five continents.
To view Alex Lu and Andrew Jennings' program, click a link below
on May 20 at 8:00 PM.
NO ADVANCE REGISTRATION IS NECESSARY!
Note: The Zoom webinar is limited to 100 attendees. If it has filled up we suggest that you start viewing the program on Facebook (You do not need a Facebook account) and try to access the Zoom later, in case somone has left.
(Zoom Webinar link will be available about 1 week before the program)
View in ZOOM WEBINAR
Thursday, June 17, 8 PM to 9:30 PM via Zoom & Facebook live stream:
'Steaming Through the Archives: the Railroad Collection at UConn'
with Laura Smith
The Railroad History Collection at Archives & Special Collections of the University of Connecticut Library collects, preserves, stores and makes accessible the records and other items related to the history of the railroads of southern New England, particularly the New Haven Railroad. The collection measures well over 5000 linear feet and includes photographs, timetables, maps, annual reports, research files, administrative, real estate and financial records, publications and much more. The collection's purpose is to provide these unique sources for students, scholars, family historians, the media, enthusiasts and the general research community. (Right: The Thomas J. Dodd Research Center at the University of Connecticut.)
In the 1980s the successors of Penn Central disbursed its various predecessor railroads' corporate records to cultural heritage institutions that most suited the research needs of the collections. The records of the New Haven Railroad came to the University of Connecticut Library. Since that donation the railroad archives has grown to include almost 100 other collections of railroad documents dating from the 1830s to the present.
Since 2013 the UConn Archives has placed digital copies of many items in the collection online in its digital repository, which begins at https://archives.lib.uconn.edu/. Of particular interest to railroad researchers is a set of railroad valuation maps, created in 1915 to account for the railroad's property, of the entire New Haven system; issues of the railroad's employee magazine Along the Line, and thousands of photographs showing stations, engines, cars, trains, and personnel. While what is available online is a drop in the bucket to the physical collection held in the archives, it is still a great way to get a feel for what resources are available for research. (Left: Boston & Providence RR valuation map - Boston Back Bay)
You can see a list of guides to the railroad collections at https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/classifications/2.
Laura Smith has been an archivist in the UConn Archives, overseeing the Business, Railroad and Labor collections, since 1999. Her talk to the MBRE on June 17 will highlight many aspects of the collection and provide information about how to learn about and access the resources. She will also provide some information on how to preserve your personal collection and how to work with an archives to donate your materials. She welcomes all inquiries about the collection; she can be contacted at laura.katz.smith@uconn.edu.
To view Laura Smith's program, click a link below
on June 17 at 8:00 PM.
NO ADVANCE REGISTRATION IS NECESSARY!
(Zoom Webinar link will be available about 1 week before the program)
Thursday, July 15, 8 PM to 9:30 PM via Zoom & Facebook live stream:
David Horree: 'The P&W Through an Engineer's Lens'
As an employee of the Providence and Worcester Railroad from 2002 to 2018, David Horree was able to witness the changes the railroad went through. From moving coal from the Port of Providence to Bow and Mt. Tom power plant in conjunction with Guilford/Pan Am, the opening of the Motiva Ethanol facility in Providence, the ever present movements of stone & aggregates to the multiple Tilcon plants, the growth of the stone traffic to the Long Island market, and ultimately the sale of the company to 
Genesee and Wyoming, David saw it all. The majority of the program will show views from the "west end" of the railroad as that is where David worked the most, although there are scenes from the Worcester area as well. (Right: P&W ethanol extra at Noank, Connecticut.)
David Horree was employed by the Providence and Worcester as an engineer & conductor between 2002 and 2018. Besides images taken "on the job" he also photographed the railroad during off times. Although he no longer works for the successor company, David does continue to photograph P&W trains.
To view David Horree's program, click a link below
on July 15 at 8:00 PM.
NO ADVANCE REGISTRATION IS NECESSARY!
(Zoom Webinarlink will be available about 1 week before the program)
First Tuesday 'Members' Night' Meetings
(Held on the first Tuesday of odd-numbered months)
First Tuesday 'Members' Night' meetings are currently being conducted as a Zoom video webinar and will be live-streamed on our Facebook page, where they are also available for viewing later. The next 'Members' Night' will be Tuesday, May 4, 2021.
To view the First Tuesday program LIVE, click a link below
on May 4 at 8:00 PM.
(link will be available about 1 week before the program)
If you have some slides or video that you would like to share on First Tuesday, please contact us. Members' night presentations generally range from 2 to 15 minutes in length.
RECENT Third Thursday Program Meetings
Recent Third Thursday program meetings may be viewed at any time on the Mass Bay RRE Facebook page
or the Mass Bay RRE YouTube channel. For details of our recent Third Thursday programs that are available for viewing, go to the RECENT MEETINGS PAGE.
Meeting speakers always wanted! We are now developing our Summer and Fall 2021 programs. To offer or suggest a program, contact us at info@massbayrre.org or call us at 978-470-2066.
We are seeking volunteers for our Program Crew, to take responsibility for all aspects of our Third Thursday meetings, including refreshments, room set-up, audio-visual setup, etc. If you are interested in being part of the team, please contact us. No long-term commitment or special skills necessary - we need people who can be relied on the show up and make sure the program is ready to go at 8:00.
Meeting Location
(For now, somewhere in your house. Please wear pants!)
MBRRE Program Meetings are usually held at the Union Church at 14 Collins Road (corner of Beacon Street), Waban, MA, (near the Waban MBTA stop on the Green Line):
If you are arriving on the T, exit the station onto Beacon St.; the Church is adjacent to the Waban Station.
If you are driving, take Exit 21 East off Route 128 (I-95) onto Rte. 16 (Washington St.). At the first traffic light east of 128 fork right onto Beacon St. and go 0.9 mile. The Union Church is on the right just before Beacon Street jogs to the left over the Green Line. If the church lot is full you may park on the street or in the Waban Station parking lot. CLICK FOR MAP
Check the Callboy or the website to confirm date, time, and location of meetings.
Contact Us:
Massachusetts Bay Railroad Enthusiasts, Inc.
P.O. Box 4245
Andover, MA 01810-0814, or
Information Line 978-470-2066
Email: info@massbayrre.org or visit our "Contact Us" page.
