Guilford Freight in Peabody Square, Peabody, MA
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.พ. 2025
- Last Friday, my brother and I were blessed with a rare and possibly fleeting opportunity to film Pan Am Railways' Maine Central EMD GP40 #319 in Peabody, Massachusetts. Sadly, aside from the MBTA's Newburyport/Rockport Line, virtually all of the train tracks in the North Shore area have been abandoned for at least fifteen years. The tracks you see in this video are the remnants of the Salem and Lowell, Essex, and South Reading Branch Railroads, and, as you can see, they're barely a step above being abandoned themselves. These tracks see an average of one locomotive every one to two weeks, as the only local customers are Eastman Gelatine Corporation and Univar USA. There is so little activity on this stretch of track that even some of the locals assume they're abandoned or exempt: there have been several recent incidents where things like trucks and dumpsters have been left on the track.
Unfortunately, abandonment may lie in this branch line's future, as the Eastman Gelatine compound is changing hands sometime in January, and it's been speculated that the entire operation will be consolidated and moved to upstate New York, leaving PAR with a even further diminished branch line that they're already not too enthusiastic about maintaining. I hope that doesn't end up being the case, but we'll just have to see what happens.
On a positive note, the MBTA is considering an extension of their Newburyport/Rockport Line that would utilize this right of way.
Thanks for watching, and please subscribe! Shot with an Apple iPhone 4.
My brother also live close to the railway and I find it quite cozy to hear the trains come and go ❤
My daughter bought a house built during the Railroad Era in Maryland and remodeled it back to the original. They do have all the necessities and yet, it is 'simply' beautiful. The front door is 20 feet from the tracks.
Heck, if that building is a store they could have installed a drive up window for the train crews to order meals.
lol
+E.PLUMBUS UNUM it could be a mcdonalds
no buddy
it would be a dunkin donuts XD
E.PLUMBUS UNUM yup
no
a Cumberland farms
"Go play in the yard."
"I can't Ma. There's a train back there."
Dammit, I LOL'd.
LOL
Im fucking dying!!! XD
+DroverChicago I grew up right down the street from this place; we used to skate through here all the time. I was lucky enough to see this train many, many times when I lived in Peabody. Great video!
DroverChicago I want to honk the train horn
I was just thinking how awesome it would be in that first 17 seconds if that train came blazing by the house at 40mph.
it's nice of them to provide chairs for railfans even though the line is so lightly utilized
Haha, that's why they're there!
Ha ha :)
And they could order some club sandwiches, too.
lol
Nice video. I too wish I was in a back yard with train tracks and watch trains go on by every so often.
I grew up in a house that saw trains come by the back yard, about 20 feet away. About a dozen a day.
Candace: "Mom! Phineas and Ferb built an active railroad in the backyard!"
Lol
Could get quite a surprise putting out the garbage!
Keith Bradley I would have them haul away my garbage LOL
You could load it into the train as well. 😏😜
The train hit their dumpster one time & ripped the electrical service off the building.
Man when does the train have to look both ways before crossing.
Looks like a restaurant first thought it was a house until I notice the trays and chairs and I think that is the first time I seen a train so close to a building
Interesting video. I cant believe how close that locomotive comes to that house. Thank you for sharing. Thumbs up.
Imagine running out the house, late to work and you run smack into the side of this. In fact, forget that, stick your hand out and grab on to the handle. Express commute!
Imagine if you ordered something and it came by train. CSX gon give it to ya.
As a former Peabody resident I love seeing this!
It's refreshing to watch vids when the videographer obviously has so much information on the line I'm watching. Thanks!
Nothing like enjoying a few drinks at the club and passing out backwards on your chair onto the tracks in the early AM.... Waking up to that would change your mind in a heartbeat.
My pleasure, I'm glad you liked it!
I googled mapped Peabody, MA and I saw a lot of tracks that ended at factories. I still haven't located the interchange. I also saw Peabody as a nice city.
It disappears behind 10 Lowell St. Peabody MA. That building it comes out from behind is gone now.
Peabody was an intersection for four railroads that served the industries in the area. As the industries left the rail lines became inactive then the state bought them to covert to rail trails. This is the last active ROW in the city.
(42.5260860,-70.9275912)
Peabody is a dump. Place is infested with heroin and immigrants
Actually it pulled out from behind 10 Lowell St (the pizza and pub building), and it's still there. They did, however, move the statue/monument in 2016, it's now on the other side of the rails. Maybe that's what threw you off? It got me too.
Easily one of the most interesting train vids I've watched on YT.
Awesome catch man!!!!! I just love watching industrial trains like this go over unprotected grade crossings. Thanks for sharing!!!!!
Reminds me of a Thomas and friends episode where a fan sends a letter to ask the engines to come to his house.
,,, i remember the episode where the engines or one engine comes to Sir Topham Hatt's house. Sawdust gets all over their breakfast, LOL. It's on TH-cam probably
Your thinking of "Thomas comes to breakfast."
Soccer mom
Thomas Gets A Letter Was the Episode
Our aunt used to live by a set of train tracks like that, I used to love listening to the train and watching the train go by.
I grew up in Peabody, brings back great memories. Thanks for the video.
when I was growing up in upstate NY east of Rochester there was a single track RR running through the dairy farm and front yard of the farm i lived on. the tracks were about 70-80 ft. from the house. We use to have to wait for trains to get out of the driveway sometimes. Part of the NY Central West Shore line. Well what a thrill for a youngster. The black, grey and white F7's (i would guess) and the bright turquoise green cabooses are tattooed in my brain. In the summer evenings the family would eat dinner outside on the front terrace and if a train would roll through me and my 2 sisters would run down track side to wait for the caboose as the conductor would throw candy...usually Lifesavers...out the window to us. And at night time the trains would shake us out of bed...but that was a sign all is well in the world. Then one summer evening in 1961 i think, a lone diesel pulling a very old steam locomotive stopped at our house. They were pulling that locomotive to the Smithsonian Institute. Must have had some significance but I was too young to know or care. the family got to climb on to both engines for a small "tour". It turns out that that particular 2 engine train was to be the last on that railroad. A few days later some heavy equipment came through and ripped out all the track and ties and in a matter of hours that particular railroad was gone off the face of the earth. I still live here and still find traces of that great part of my life in the form of railroad rail plates and spikes and occasionally a blue green glass insulator from the telephone poles that followed that line. Some of them are dated from the 1880's and I have one from 1830's. God I miss those days...such a simpler happier time.....
wally walton I enjoyed reading your memories that you so lovingly recalled. You certainly made me feel like I was there, thank you!
The train is restricted to 10 mph here... although it HAS hit things that people have left on the tracks, like trucks and dumpsters, etc. You're right about it being a food joint... it's a pizza place and sub shop... but the train tracks have been there for about a century longer than the building has!
Very true!! The tracks were probably here for almost 100 years before the building was.
Wow! Looking at Peabody Square in this video vs now is crazy!
I've never seen a train that close to a building! I was holding my breath when it started moving through that crossing. It truly seems out of place to run through town as it did.
A Thank you from Beziers in the south of France, I loved your video and I love the USA
Why build a model train when you can have a REAL train in the corner of your basement.
Your just sitting all the sudden your roof just shakes while your working on a sd70ace ho😅
railfan49 exactly
railfan49 the building the train was next to had a sign that said “Club Sandwiches” XD
Working on a GEVO and a geep decides to shake the house
Unused train track have been turned into walk\bike paths where I live. They are awesome!
I caught two stopped Guilford Rail GP40's. What rare and lovely engines.
Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
I saw this train yesterday, near what used to be the Eastman Gelatine plant. Was just sitting on the tracks with its light on.
We have a remnant of an old NYC branch here that sees maybe one train a week and the crossings are protected by the city police. It serves one lone customer that gets in plastic pellets.
The tracks appear to be in quite good shape compared to some rarely used/dormant lines. Cool!
I wish a train ran thru my backyard even once a month!
wesolint I wish you’d learn to spell
no you don't
New Milford RAIL FAN "you would"!
LOL!!! you'd is short for, "you would"
New Milford RAIL FAN idk
The jerk in the dark Chevy Tahoe, enters the tracks as the train is approaching and pulls right out in front of the train. It's hard to tell, but it looks like the flagman made The Tahoe backup. Then after the train passes the Tahoe pulls onto the tracks again, where it's obvious traffic is not clear in front of him and sits right on the tracks. Looks like he's trying to be a statistic!
Diesel locomotives 99.999999999% of the time win the train vs. car battle
Correction: 100% of the time!
It looked more like a GMC Yukon.
No, it's Peabody, That makes the driver of the Tahoe (which was actually a GMC) a Masshole.
trucking604 thatsca gmc.not a chevy
Shut the fuck up.
Mr. Signal Hill- not too bad with an Apple 4. I could feel the excitement. However, your written description gets five stars brother. SUPERBLY COMPOSED!
WP FAN in Northern California
Holy crap I drive through this Square all the time I never knew these tracks were still active LOL
Great vid! All I could think of when I saw the engine coming around the corner of the house was: "Look who's coming to dinner!"
Great Video, never got a chance to see the train cross the square but I have seen them idling in the spur across the Eastman Gelatine a few times
1952. Lexington, Mass. When you walked just past the trashcans, there was the railroad track. The school forbade kids from walking on the track to school. We always did because it was more dangerous than walking along what we called The East-West Highway. Loved the coal engine locomotives.
I love the scene in “Brewster’s Millions” where they have to stop the baseball game to let a train go through the outfield.
How cool is that. Awesome video.
I always thought they were abandoned too as I worked near them on foster st from 2014 to march 2020 and never saw a train. Was walking by them today while waiting to have tires mounted and noticed evidence of a train having been through since last week's snowstorm.
love seeing Trains running Close-Quarters within cities - - - Great modeling inspiration
wicked ahsome vid brah, living in new england means all kind of close tracks, this is no exception! thanks for sharing
tony from hartford
Thanks, Tony, I'm glad you liked it. Close tracks are interesting tracks!
nice video and great catch of the one engine on the short freight train.
Thanks for posting! I haven't seen a train go by there in forever! Can't wait to show my son this...he asks all the time where the train is and i also thought they were abandoned
That's pretty cool man. I live in the Bronx and we have the Metro North line running behind us. Train buffs are always behind our building railfanning. The children get a kick out of it.
I've always wanted a train in my backyard.
Hello from France !
Yes, nice video. I looked for this track in Google Maps, and I saw that the track is exempt some miles further, on the photos you can see the jucntion for the factory, from where the trains turn back.
At some place, at a railroad crossing, some little wood houses are very close to the track, funny.
Nice town, Peobody.
Wow this is great! I love this video!
Wow! If they built that building any closer, they'd have to make a tunnel! Great catch, hope that line stays in service!
What a great way to bring everything to a halt yet remind folk that life goes on for other people too! I know what I mean even if nobody else does…lol 🚈🚂🚂
i think i just found new inspiration for my next ho scale modeling effort, thanks so much for sharing
They have the same thing on the Grafton and Upton RR in Grafton, MA. where the train passes extremely close to buildings. Kinda cool I think.
hell yeah i wish i had a train going thru my back yard.
+justis baker Me too! I usually book hotels near train yards/tracks when we travel. My wife hates it LOL!
I had just that when I stayed in Oakland, CA.. Jack London Sq. Amtrak when a block away, train tracks were right outside my window.
Was
My mom has the Acela train going through her backyard ...but a few hundred feet from the house.
Nice video! I can only imagine the look on the drivers faces when they see this train come out of no where and has to go through the crossing lol
Can you imagine sitting on those old chairs and that train come roaring through that alley at 60 MPH?
no, because that would never happen.
people would die.
Very cool find my friend, very cool indeed.
Train engineer to coworker: "I told you this pizza place doesn't have a drive-up window!"
We have a similar stretch of track here in Olympia, WA. It runs right down one of our downtown streets. Trains are very rare. I've only heard them from my apartment several blocks away. Never actually seen a train on those tracks.
Nice video and description very interesting info.
I lived just up the road. The track runs kinda behind Foster st. I lived on Mason st.
Ever since I was little, I always wanted a busy freight line going right past our house. I still haven't changed my ways.
The local Abilene, Texas, switching company has a lot to learn from you guys using the flagman at the intersections. None of their crossing lights work and they frequently enter the roadway without warning. There have been several near misses and we have been lucky that no one has been hurt so far.
Good to hear it is utilized on a more frequent basis...I'd like to visit there someday. Maybe MBTA will be running there too.
Great video!! This video is very unique and i wish we had a couple of these Guildford locomotive in our area. They look awesome!! :)
Super catch!
Thanks! These locations definitely make things a lot more interesting!
Typical Masshole... Gotta rush to the red light, big hurry to go nowhere.
Yup masholes for ya lmao in a rush to grave
Nice catch and location!!!!
Don't ask me why, but i love that Guilford logo.
Wow!
First, living in NYC, you don't get to see trains this close to a building, coming through such a narrow passage.
Second, you NEVER see a human cross a train; unless the barriers are inoperable.
This vid was amazing!
idiot
I always thought those tracks were abandoned, nice catch.
Welcome to Sandwich Heaven, can I take your order?
Conductor; Yes I'll have a number 1 Club sandwich please with a coke and curly fries. My engineer wants a cheeseburger with lettuce and tomato, oh, and a milkshake. This order's to go.
Okay, Sir, please pull up to the second window.
So cute that the train has it's own crossing guard
seeing a building that close to a railway is fantastic....
Oh well, I LOVE TRAINS! I was just suprised to see a railroad that close to a building.
Awesome! It reminds me of the old ATSF Second District through Pasadena, CA, which was an active mainline used by TOFC's and Amtrak until the early 90's. The trains passed through a similar setting to that. I've recently been enjoying narrow RoW passages, thanks for posting!
I used to think that, too! It's not every day you see action in Peabody, but there is quite a bit of activity on a fairly regular basis!
How cool would it be if the engineer actually owned that house. Stop in, have lunch and take a nap.
Amazing, there can't be more than 2 and a half feet from the train to the corner of that building at the beginning of that video. Imagine you're asleep just inside that wall of that building and this train comes by.
WOW!!!!!!!!! THAT IS THE CLOSEST A HOUSE HAS EVER BEEN TO A TRAIN!!!!!!!!!
Pretty unique crossing, neat video
Very cool! I'd love to have a real locomotive go through my back yard like that!
Good question. The tracks that cross Route 1 are part of the Newburyport Branch, which was abandoned in late '90s when a train hit a car. The tracks in this video are what's left of the South Reading Branch and Boston and Lowell Railroad. If this train were to keep going past Eastman it would end up connecting with the Newburyport Branch in Wakefield before linking up to the MBTA's Haverhill Line.
WOW! Really enjoyed watching & I Just Subscribed 👍😎
The chances of you seeing this train are pretty much the same as your chances of getting into Princeton.
Dr. Mike Zahalsky I live within walking distance of there and it goes through twice a week so the chances of seeing it are more like getting a toddler into daycare
I live right down the st and this train comes through Peabody square like twice a week
it is nice to sit there. With the beast!
Awesome vid... these are the locations that caused me to love trains!
These tracks usually see action once or twice a week, all of it local switchers based out of Lawrence.
Great place to re-route the California Zephyr
That's one hell of a way to deliver the mail.
I have two other videos shot right near here, but this one is definitely the most popular. I'm definitely coming back to this spot now that I'm out of school. There are other interesting spots throughout New England, but none quite like this that I'm aware of. If I was to ever build an HO layout, I'd definitely use this place as inspiration!
That just seems like a dangerous place to live in general
Yes it does
Wow look how close it is to that building damn!
That was close to that building! At first glance i was thinking, wow he parks his train at home in the driveway!!! That would be awsome, i would if i could. lol.
great video. Who is the dolt in the black Chevrolet Tahoe who just cannot seem to STAY OFF the tracks? Sure the train had passed but you NEVER stop or park on railroad tracks! EVER!
actually a lot of people don't realize it is an active line since there are no signal lights at the intersection and the trains pass maybe once a week.
But, dude, the train was right there, right in the lane.
The train did go past. It's not like he jumped out in front of the train.
where i live, a stone quarry runs a train across a street. it has modern , automatic, lights and crossing gates.
recently, they had to add "do not stop on tracks" signs because construction was causing the traffic to back up ,and people are getting dumber.
It clearly says GMC on the grille.