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!
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.
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 and photographed 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. (Above: 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!
Thursday, August 19, 2021, 8 PM to 9:30 PM via Zoom & Facebook live stream:
Jeff Gabriel demonstrates:
'Operating Major New England Railroads of the 1930's Virtually'
Train Dispatcher 3.5 is a train operation simulation program that allows the user create models of actual railroads, incorporating the track layout, switching and signal systems, operating characteristics and train schedules as they exist in real life. By remotely clearing signals and throwing switches, the Train Dispatcher user simulates the gargantuan routing tasks a real-life train dispatcher faces daily.
Long-time Mass Bay RRE member Jeff Gabriel has a major interest in the history of New England railroads. He's developed a historically quite accurate re-creation of trackage, routings, and operations of the 1290s - 1930s era on some of our favorite railroads, including the Boston & Maine, Boston & Albany, New Haven, Maine Central, Central Vermont, and other New England railroads.
Jeff 's PowerPoint presentation will explain and demonstrate on screen how he operates these railroads on his home computer, and how anyone can easily begin to do the same. He'll start off with an overview of the Train Dispatcher software and how it operates. Then he'll do a guided tour of one of the territories he's recreated, the Boston & Maine from North Station in Boston west to Troy, NY. The last segment of the program is a brief live operation on his shared screen. At the end, Jeff will field questions from viewers.
Unlike 3D train simulation programs like Trainz that allow the user to create and operate photo-realistic models of train cars and locomotives, Train Dispatcher 3.5 is a Windows-based program that builds a depiction of a dispatcher's model board, as one might find in a typical railroad interlocking tower. Although out of print, the program is still readily available. Jeff will explain how to get it, and how interested viewers can get one of his modules.
Jeff Gabriel has been an RRE member for 20 years. He grew up in New Jersey and graduated from Middlebury College. He is a retired corporate financial manager, living in NJ with his wife, Linda. He travels often and explores the railroad history of New England and the Middle Atlantic States, with emphasis on passenger operations, stations and interlockings.
To view Jeff Gabriel's program, click a link below
on August 19 at 8:00 PM.
NO ADVANCE REGISTRATION IS NECESSARY!
(Zoom Webinarlink will be available about 1 week before the program)
View in ZOOM WEBINAR
Thursday, September 21, 2021, 8 PM to 9:30 PM via Zoom & Facebook live stream:
John Sacerdote takes us
'Behind the Scenes at the ARS Railroad Hobby Show'
Every year, usually on the last weekend in January, the Amherst Railway Society holds its 'Railroad Hobby Show' at the Eastern States Exposition Fairgrounds in West Springfield Massachusetts. Far and away the largest train show in the east, the Show now occupies four buildings, encompassing nearly a half-million square feet. That's over 10 acres of trains! More than 22,500 railfans and public attended the Show each of the past five years. Anyone who has been to the show knows that it is BIG. Harder to appreciate is the enormous level of detailed planning required to make the show happen.
John Sacerdote has been the Show Director for Railroad Hobby Show for the last 16 years, and is only the second Director since the Show's inception in 1991. In this entertaining and revealing program, John takes us behind the scenes during the weekend of the show, and explains in detail all that goes on during the year to get ready for the show in January. He'll also share some amusing anecdotes about his experience as Show Director.
You won't want to miss this fascinating program! You'll never think of the Railroad Hobby Show in quite the same way after seeing how it's made!
To view John Sacerdote's program, click a link below
on September 21 at 8:00 PM.
NO ADVANCE REGISTRATION IS NECESSARY!
(Zoom Webinarlink will be available about 1 week before the program)
View in ZOOM WEBINAR
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, September 7, 2021.
To view the First Tuesday program LIVE, click a link below
on Sept. 7 at 8:00 PM.
Meeting speakers always wanted! We are now developing our Fall and Winter 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.
