This Kodachrome slide represents a memory of how things were:
Back when Conrail operated the old Boston & Albany.
Back when Boston’s Beacon Park was an active yard.
I passed this location on the Logan Express bus from Framingham the other day. It is much changed
The tracks at CP4 were being re-aligned.
A few years back CSX had come to an arrangement with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and agreed to close the yard.
Now at Beacon Park the remaining yard tracks are weed grown and vacant.
Intermodal trains now only run as far east as Worcester where a new, expanded yard was constructed during 2011-2012 to take the place of Beacon Park.
What little carload freight CSX has in Boston is handled by a local freight.
I’d be willing to bet that today more freight moves through the interchange at Palmer than is generated in Boston.
Beacon Park Yard is no more. 1 freight track will go to a chemical company. The turnpike will no longer curve left as seen in the photo, but will be rebuilt straight across where the yard was. A new residential community will be built by Harvard, which owns the Beacon Park land, to the left of the new turnpike alignment. The 2 tracks on the right will serve the T with a new station, West Station, closer to the other end of the yard. That station will also have the capability to serve future trains going across the river to North Station. There is discussion of putting in a few more tracks for midday T train storage. And the turnpike will continue to deteriorate faster due to the added truck traffic that should be coming to Beacon Park Yard by rail!