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 617-489-5277.
Third Thursday Monthly Program Meetings
(Held at the Union Church in Waban unless otherwise noted.)
Thursday, April 18, 8:00 PM at the Union Church in Waban:
‘Snow Trains and the Conway Branch'
Alan MacMillan Jr., retired former B&M, GMRC, GTI, Amtrak & MBCR locomotive engineer, returns for our annual joint meeting with the B&M Railroad Historical Society in April with a slide program on the Conway & Wolfeborough Branches of the Boston & Maine.
Many will remember Alan’s fine slide program last May on the B&M's Fitchburg Division freight operations in the 1970's. Alan, 66, retired in late 2010 after over 40 years of “workin’ on the railroad,” 36 years of that time as a locomotive engineer in both freight and passenger service. A U.S.Navy veteran from the Vietnam war era (1967-1970), Alan is also a private pilot with single-engine land and sea ratings, although he’s no longer flying after accumulating 400 hours of flight time in 3 countries.
Alan's program on the Conway branch (when it was still operated by the B&M) will include summer – the 'gravel train' that brings sand and gravel from 'Ossipee pit' down to Boston – and winter – including the very last passenger train over the line from North Station to North Conway, Mass Bay RRE’s own Snow Train special (right, at North Station) on a blustery February 26, 1972.
We will also spend a “day in the life of the Wolfeborough Railroad” (the former B&M Wolfeborough Branch connected at Sanbornville with the Conway Branch), when it was a steam-powered tourist railroad after being sold by the B&M in the 1970's. Alan’s program will wrap up with photos of a cab ride on the Conway Scenic up thru Crawford Notch back in the 1990's.
Thursday, May 16, 8:00 PM at the Union Church in Waban:
‘Boston's Abandoned Stations, Tunnels and Other Oddities’
Bradley Clarke, President of the Boston Street Railway Association and one of the foremost experts on the history of Boston’s subway system, takes us beneath the streets of the city to explore the forgotten-but-not-quite-gone bits and pieces that once were essential parts of Boston’s transit network.
Brad will show photos of film crews in action in the abandoned Tremont Street Subway and elsewhere in May, June, and July of 2011, as they made “Off-Limits” — a video of underground Boston for the Travel Channel — and as they made the film “Boston After Hours”. He’ll also show scenes of Harvard/Holyoke station and the abandoned ramp to the streetcar tunnel across from it, plus some scouting trips to other hidden transit nooks and crannies. As a special bonus, we’ll see local films and photos not shown in many years.
Bradley H. Clarke has had a life-long interest in mass transportation, particularly in electric railways. He is a retired chemical engineer and has worked for many years in the biotech, pharmaceutical, chemical, and electronics industries. Clarke has lived in Massachusetts his entire life. He grew up near Boston and now lives in the city.
Clarke has written nine books of public transportation in Massachusetts. These include The Trackless Trolleys of Boston; Transit Boston 1850–1970; Rapid Transit Boston; South Shore Quincy–Boston; Trackless Trolleys of the Fitchburg and Leominster Street Railway; The Boston Transit Album; The Boston Rapid Transit Album; Tremont Street Subway–A Century of Public Service (which he co-authored with the late O. R. Cummings), and Streetcar Lines of the Hub, the 1940s, Heyday of Electric Transit in Boston. Bradley Clarke is president of the Boston Street Railway Association and a former public trustee of the Seashore Trolley Museum.
Meeting speakers always wanted! Brad Harding, Mass Bay RRE's Program Coordinator, is developing our 2013 program of speakers. To offer a program, email Brad at lbharding@verizon.net .
First Tuesday Callboy Mailing Meetings
(Held at the Union Church in Waban)
Tuesday, May 7, 2013: 7:00 PM: Callboy mailing; 8:00 PM: MEMBERS NIGHT - bring your slides & videos to share!
Tuesday, June 4, 2013: 7:00 PM: Callboy mailing; Board Meeting at 8:00 PM. No program.
Tuesday, July 2, 2013: 7:00 PM: Callboy mailing; 8:00 PM: MEMBERS NIGHT - bring your slides & videos to share!
Meeting Location
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.
"STOP - LOOK - LISTEN!"
Mass Bay RRE members currently volunteer their time and skills to:
--Serve as Officers and Directors (we have no paid employees)
--Organize, prepare for and staff our excursion trains
--Write for, edit and produce our Callboy newsletter
--Arrange our program meetings and special events
--Maintain and constantly improve our website
--Tell the media and the public about our trips, meetings and events
--Handle our “back office” financial, legal and corporate administration
We always welcome new volunteers. With today’s expanded e-communications, more RRE members find they can contribute from home or work locations beyond the Boston area. Join us in keeping Mass Bay RRE one of the most active railfan groups in New England!
To Volunteer, Contact Us:
Massachusetts Bay Railroad Enthusiasts, Inc.
PO Box 4245
Andover, MA 01810-0814, or
Information Line 617-489-5277 or 978-470-2066
Email: info@massbayrre.org or visit our "Contact Us" page.
