MEC U23B  

I was four when this video was shot. It would've been cool to see this in person, and have a conscious memory. I know I've said it before, but I'm glad to have this channel so I can see all of these tracks I've always known as being abandoned... in use!

It sure smokes a lot more than it should, but it's getting the job done! 1992 was still pretty hard times for a lot of railroads in the Northeast. Not as bad as the 70s, but still bad in some areas. I see the grade crossing signals don't work and the track is very weed choked. I'm sorry the guy who made this video is no longer around. Obviously his heart was in the right place. I'm glad he got out and took these shots. Thanks for posting. Further to the south in 1992, NJ Transit was over the 20 year mark with their fleet of U-Boats in commuter service. In a few years they'd all be gone. A lot of guys rail fanned them, one has been preserved. They were nice locomotives with a unique sound. I think NJ Transit's were better maintained. This one sounds as if it's got a miss in the engine. It's definitely tired.

I always wanted to see trains here when I was a kid in the 80s and 90s but was never lucky enough to catch them. But who woulda thought, someone was out there video taping and would eventually upload them to the internet! This is so cool. As I type this, I'm at the part where the train is going by ComputerTown! I bought several Macs and accessories there! And I'd always like hanging out in the parking lot as much as being inside, just in case a train would go by!

OMG, THANK YOU ever so much for getting the old Methuen train station in the video. Just as the train starts over that bridge, the grey building in the background was where my Father In Law worked.

This video is amazing - Guilford at its peak crappiness

EARTH ANGEL. I REMEMBER THESE TRACKS WELL! I USE TO MEET THIS TRAIN AT DODGE GRAIN AT TIMES! ALSO USED TO SEE THE! DELIVER AT A PAPER COMPANY DOWN THE TRACK A LITTLE WAYS WHERE I WAS WORKING AT THE TIME.TRACK'SALL GONE NOW, ANOTHER PIECE OF HISTORY GONE FOREVER. RARE FOOTAGE, NICE VIDEO.THANKS FORTHE MEMORY TRIP.

Thanks for sharing this with us. 🙂

Judging from the bridge at 0:15, this line used to be double-track like a lot of the B&M. Hard to believe that such an important line would be in this shape by 1992 and be gone today. That happens sometimes because of mergers, but that is not the case here. Just the flight of heavy industry and competition from trucking for what was left.

The loco isn't the only thing undermaintained here. That wheel slip is being caused by all the weeds getting crushed on the rails. Some vegetation control would not hurt on this line.

great . thanks. pure joy to watch.

Love the Lancaster & Chester boxcar at the 3:30 mark. That’s my favorite local railroad.

I read a story on the MBTA and at one time there were plans for what is now the Methuen Rail TrIl to be a commuter rail line with a stop at 213 where Nevins Farm is. Nice video. Sad that the railroads went through such a contraction.

The video footage was shot by my late friend Moose, I have tons of it to go through so you never know...keep watching! Craig

Enjoyed this one a lot; Thanks for your time and effort

Man, those u-boats and the dash7's in my opinion are the best looking engines...

u-boats had their own sound that's for sure!

EARTH ANGEL😇 OMG🤩. THAT was MJY. The 👍🚂😘. NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN!!!😍😀😊😘👍😍 I MISS ALL OF YOU GUYS SO MUCH!😥😍😘

well done..i enjoyed this a great deal

That Grillsmoke oups! Sorry....Guilford unit seems in good shape ! Crew would have made a fortune putting fish and pieces of meat on top of exhaust for smoking with a lovely flavor of diesel and oil sooth... Can´t hear what they said about Moose at 14:36. Thanks to him, and you for showing us that past.

Even before Guilford took over the B & M they were running smokers. Our fire department was always being called out for grass fires started by smoking, soot spitting F - 1's hauling the last of the B & M passenger trains.

Wheel slip has nothing to do with being under maintained. It has to do with trailing tonnage on a curve and no doubt no sand. Obviously the unit is producing power to the wheels or it wouldn't slip. The engineer is using the independent air to control wheel slip and actually did well.

Great Sound an Video, thanks for sharing!

Thanks for the response Craig. Your most recent vid with the U18B was really good as well as the GP9 at Lawrence Yard.

Hi Rob-O, Unfortunately in this part of the country there are a lot of anti-railfan railroad employees......I have several friends that work for some of the area RR's and they hide the fact that they like trains or know anything about them! I also know some great local railroaders, too. It seems to me when I go to other parts of the country, the railroaders are more friendly. Craig

Thanks Rob-O, Moose did some great video! Craig

15:03 listen to that Detroit Diesel scream for its life lol

That was a cool video. Just look at the deferred maintenance.

NICE TO SEE OLD GE LOCO STILL CHUGGING ON OLD TRACK GGRRR8 CATCH

I just finished watching this video again, I had my sound turned up more this time to hear the locomotive better and I was disappointed at what the crew said at approx. 14:36. I hope that they were not saying that to Moose. Most railroad employees that I have encountered over the last 38 years of train watching have been good people with the exception of a few pieces of trash like these guys in the video. I have really enjoyed this great footage though. Thank you

this engine in it's good days was D&H 2309 before guilford raped the railroad of it's best equipment and sent it to the b&m and mec where the motive power and properties were subsequently run into the ground as witnessed here .... before guilford, the D&H U-boats and GP39-2's were still very good power and well-taken care of ... As late as May 2014, MEC 288 [ex-D&H 2309] still existed, but in Canada on the Quebec Central Rwy .. She was intact at the time in 2014 but had been a victim of some cannibalism

this loco had ring problems,,and some cylinders dodnt work well..the smoke goes out very alternate,,nort continuous, the slipping is by a lot of causes.mainly is generated because the resistant force is bigger than the traction force. the sollution:keep out somwe wagons,or check the rails,,,in some countries crazy persons put oil over the rails. nice capture,,,congratulations-

I remember railfanning the M&L as a kid. I don't remember any U-boats and thankfully no mooners or rude crewmen! Then again, that was likely because I was a kid!

Notice how the engineer is stopping wheel slip by applying the independent brake instead of using sand? I wouldn't be surprised if the sand boxes were empty. To this day, Pan Am has a habit of not filling sand boxes (and coolant water tanks for that matter.)

No train horn at railroad crossings, poorly maintained track, crews that swear, this is the worst railroad ever

remember seeing the main ctr' in st j VT and n' haveral NH , gulman VT and up through to Lancaster NH,,all sadley gone now,,,good old video.

That Ford 9000. Had a 671 Detroit diesel engine.

Those tracks have seen better days

I live in the city were the rail yard and that branch line are from, Lawrence mass, and it makes me sad to see this running, because today the branch line no longer exists and the crossings after that bridge are gone, there's no hope for the return of that line

I my self can remember a few times stopping to buy 50 pounds bags of Sand at Home Depot and or Lowe's to dump in the sand box on the Sperry Cars when I worked on them. Some of the Guilford Crews also used to do the same thing on occasion as well too.

Wow! I thought the Salem to Swedesboro NJ tracks were bad (they fixed up the worse spots not to long ago). Deferred maintainence indeed! Try modeling that railline like that. Again, he took a great video! Wish I could of met him in person! Is that line abandoned now in 20130

U-Boats sound like they would die on the rails at any moment.

Now thats company spirit! Its tough if you have to bring your own supplies, Craig

Yup shes gone....yeah Moose was a great guy. I do have another video of this line coming up soon. Craig

Great video! I miss those 'boats.

Glad you like 'em, Craig

Nice video. I hope that engineer got fired for swearing at the wrong person. If you don't like my camera block your face! Did you notice the full moon?

I think I can I think I can I think I can ...

You wouldn't happen to have any footage of the Manchester and Lawrence segment from the Manchester yard to Manchester airport, would you?

Is all trackage gone now?

It has a G on it that's what's wrong with it...

I have a decal set for that Lancaster boxcar I think I will paint one up now it aged really nicely,:D

Wow, fantastic video-thank you for posting this :) I've seen the old tracks in Salem scads of times, and I wondered for years how long it had been since they were used. By any chance do you have any footage between Manchester and Rockingham Junction in Newfields? That line is long gone of course, but as I kid I remember walking the rails from Exeter to Newfields and seeing the diamond. I'd love to see video of that in operation. Thank you in advance, and thanks for the memories! -CJ

They are on life support. Geez.

Love the smokers. Great catch!

What is wrong with the cylinder that it produces so much smoke? Worn rings? If the gates do not operate, remove them. Then you need not flag the grade crossing.

Hey brother, I would love to! Every time I've railfanned away from the east coast the people have been awesome. The only reason I stay here is family. Craig

Oh those U boats. Not long for the scrap line. Geez.

Wow, talk about a neglected rail road.

Sounds like someone's delicate little sensibilities were bruised by bad words. Grow up. Slipping wheels are also caused by pulling cars around a tight curve, the engineer was using the independent brake to keep the wheels from slipping, a common practice.

It's a real bummer that the M&L branch his gone :(

Yeah, they used to follow those GE's around putting water in them....occasionally, Craig

Thanks!

Why didn't they blow for the crossings

Thanks

sadly these tracks are abandoned now judging by google earth

La locomotora esta para el desguace. No hay en USA otras en uso de segunda mano.

Crap diesel, crap tracks, crap railroad. Guilford won't be missed.

Yeah, I had a car like that once

And they pick on ‘ALCO’S’. ? 👽

Gulford at it best,don't fix anything and rip up rails. Gulford should be called a scrap company. not a RR. here in ct they scraped most of the rail they got from Conrail so they no longer have their own route south to NH and most branch lines were taken out when they no longer could maintain service to customers because of bad track and bad time tables, I think they did it on purpose maybe there is more money in scrap then running a RR

I agree!

Time for an overhaul

Man shes burning alot of oil...

Come to Texas trespassing laws are rarley enforced and we are railfan friendly. That is just post 9/11 on the East Coast

that poor u boat is prolly in the scrap now :(

well at least theres no traction motor issues

U.S. "THUMPER" with scads of CLAGG!!

I recon this motor is LONG trashed & scraped.

at least it sounds amazing lol

Great video! It's funny how inefficient that pile of scrap is yet they keep running it? It's gotta be costing them money either way.

Someone needs to mow the grass and get a weed eater around there.

chuckm632 Why are they still running old equipment or get something that does not smoke as bad. I say park it !

Rule violations galore, and crappy/unsafe conditions. They could barely pull out of the yard. One hopes the railroad is bankrupt, they sure acted like it.

Why so much smoke ? Do that with you car and you will end up in some kangaroo Court ?

Great vid. Those U-units are ugly as sin!

nice,0:03

Junkie GE