December 22nd, 2004
We went looking at Deerfield yards, and while we did find them, I blew all my pictures of them. :( So it goes. In the afternoon I found a Guilford train heading to the NECR from the yard in Deerfield and chased it at its whopping 5 miles an hour from Bernardston to Northfield before running out of light.
Deerfield, Massachusetts
(map) Home of the Guilford lines, Deerfield has a large yard and junction. Guilford has a reputation for arresting (not fining) trespassers on its property, according to locals, and the yard is not very accessible without trespassing. It is limited to a bridge on a dead-end road that leads to the yard.
December 24th, 2004
Having a few minutes to get away a couple of points during the day, I checked the Brattleboro yard, finding it again having shifted its cars around. Brattleboro seems to host a lot of what appear to be coal cars, though I can't figure their purpose there. The yard seems to be switched only at night, which makes finding trains there tough. I also tried to get better shots of the Deerfield Guilford yard. While my shots were better, I really should try again another day (not this trip, unfortunately) to see if I can do it right.
September 7th, 2006
We made a field trip to Westfield, Massachusetts to see the Pioneer Valley Railroad and their funky CF7 units, catching a Guilford train at Hatfield on our way to Deerfield yard and seeing the Vermonter at Northfield on our way home.
