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.)
Be sure to join us for an informal Social Hour with light snacks and beverages,
starting at 7:00 PM before every Third Thursday program meeting!
Thursday, November 21, 8:00 PM at the Union Church in Waban:
‘Railroads in Stereoscopic 3D’ with Jon Golden
From the mid 19th through the 20th century, professional and amateur photographers alike produced a remarkable number of stereoscopic or "3D" images of railroads and related subjects. Stereoscopic photography reached its peak of public interest in the 1860's, with home parlors, railroad travel bureaus and libraries developing vast collections of views. Throughout the remainder of the nineteenth century, viewing stereoscopic images was a very popular pastime.
By the 1920's, the AM radio had become a centerpiece of the home parlor, and listening to the radio drew attention away from stereoscopic viewing. At the same time, passenger train travel reached its peak, and the advent of the affordable automobile made travel easy and convenient. Much of the world formerly seen only through stereoscopic images was now within reach by train or automobile.
A new era in stereoscopic interest began with the introduction of View-Master at the1939 New York World's Fair, followed in the 1940's by a wave of camera manufacturers offering easy-to-use camera-viewer-projector systems to the consumer. Advertising agencies, film studios, and manufacturers often used stereography to promote their products.
Our November program, “Railroads in Stereoscopic 3D,” presents a collection of these images and examines their role during the peak of their popularity. Images of railroad infrastructure, famous trains, tourism bureau images, commerce, as well as amateur and enthusiast images and more will be shown and discussed. The main focus will be on New England-based railroads between the mid-19th and 20th centuries; however we will venture out of the New England area to view some compelling examples of rail subjects elsewhere in crisp clear 3D!
Jon Golden's interest in stereoscopic imaging came from working with audio recording and sound design, and from a love of recording and playing progressive music styles, where manipulating the stereo audio spectrum to create the illusion of space can be considered analogous to creating the 3D railroad images in this program, depicting a space you look "into", rather than "at". Jon has been photographing and collecting railroad-based stereoscopic images since 1989..
Jon Golden's company, 3D Concepts, promotes the enjoyment of stereo imaging through programs for theaters, museums and educational foundations. Projects include an expanded version of our November program for the 2014 conference of the Center for Railroad Photography and Arts in Lake Forest, Illinois. Past projects include 5.1 sound design for the IMAX 3D short animation A Better Mousetrap, and 3D imaging for Richard Gutman's museum installations American Diner Then and Now and Diners, Still Cookin' in the 21st Century.
Thursday, December 19, 8:00 PM at the Union Church in Waban:
Classic Railroad Film Series: ‘Unstoppable’
Orson Welles once said that directing a movie was like playing with the greatest toy train set in the world, and Tony Scott seems to be taking him literally. With the caboose of Scott's Taking of Pelham 123 barely in the distance, the filmmaker turned to Unstoppable, a train-chase picture loosely inspired by a true story (and perhaps just a smidgen by Runaway Train, the 1985 film based on an Akira Kurosawa script). At a Pennsylvania rail yard, some clueless workers let an unmanned train get loose, and the thing is soon hurtling across the countryside. Did we mention that it's pulling a few cars' worth of highly toxic material? Did you doubt it would be? Meanwhile, old-time engineer Denzel Washington and new conductor Chris Pine are making a routine run nearby – of course, in the movies, a routine run almost always turns into something wild. This odd couple is the only hope for stopping the runaway, while upper management dithers and an operations-room dispatcher (Rosario Dawson) spends most of the movie talking into her headset. Scott is an unabashed manipulator, and he yanks all the strings at his disposal for this whipped-up pageant: song cues, hype-filled reaction shots, stunts aplenty. It's all so aggressive, it makes you wish the exciting story could be allowed to tell itself. But the pulse does quicken, if you can turn your mind off for a while. – Robert Horton
Thursday, January 16, 8:00 PM at the Union Church in Waban:
‘Boston and the Long Island Railroad’ with Sam Berliner III
Did you realize that the LIRR was chartered in 1834 specifically to connect New York City with Boston? Later, there was a cross-Sound passenger car ferry service between Oyster Bay and Norwalk (Noroton Point), CT. In addition, the rail-marine terminal at Bay Ridge (photo, right, with NH EF-1 motors 96 & 100) was the far south-western end of the New Haven RR (via the Hell Gate Bridge and the NY Connecting RR).
Profusely illustrated with old photos, this evening’s program will focus on the history of LIRR as it related to Boston and New England. One of the first commuter railroads, always an innovator, and a pioneer in the use of diesel power, the LIRR has a lot to interest the dyed-in-the-wool New Englander.
Sam Berliner III is a member of the NMRA, the NRHS and the PRRT&HS (and now, finally, Mass Bay RRE). He is the convener of the Long Island Motor Parkway Panel, a group dedicated to preserving the 1908-1938 Long Island Motor Parkway in situ, in minds, and in museums. He is also a bit of an historian of other forms of transportation, especially heavy rail equipment, the Long Island Rail Road and other railroads on Long Island in particular.
Meeting speakers always wanted! Brad Harding, Mass Bay RRE's Program Coordinator, is developing our 2014 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, November 5, 2013: 7:00 PM: Callboy mailing, trip flyer mailing; 8:00 PM: Trip Committee Meeting; MEMBERS NIGHT - Member slides and videos welcome.
Tuesday, December 3, 2013: 7:00 PM: Callboy mailing; Board Meeting at 8:00 PM. No program.
Tuesday, January 7, 2014: 7:00 PM: Callboy mailing; 8:00 PM: MEMBERS NIGHT - Member slides and videos welcome.
Tuesday, February 4, 2013: 7:00 PM: Callboy mailing; Board Meeting at 8:00 PM. No program.
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.
