Thank you so much for recording this video of this branch line. No matter what happens, future generations will be able to see it as it once was.

End of an era. RIP to such freight rail operations like this on the North Shore

Such a sad day for North Shore railfans. These memories will fade into the ether, like my memories of watching freight trains snake through Wakefield and Lynnfield on the South Reading branch.

Always sad to see a spur or branch line die but there is less and less every year it seems

Glad I’m not the only one to think it could be a historic trolley route

Ya never know! Steuben Industrial Development Agency invested $$ in repairing a B & H spur. It sat for many years capable, but still unused. LP Building Solutions expansion in Bath saw it put back in service in recent days. Hearing the train horn at the crossings was pretty cool! Never say never. What a great re-introduction!

I am so glad you got the last one! AND I am super glad that my friend Connor had the honors of being conductor on this historic run

Beautiful video footage. Nice Train Crew . Back in the 80’s I serviced the Coke machines at Eastman Gel . It was a coveted job back in the day . They had their own bowling alley with a game room and I think a 9 hole golf course. That line must have serviced all the Tanneries and Machine Shops along Howley St . My brothers and I worked our way through school at those establishments. I can still remember the smell from the river as well . Sad to see more work leave . I hope they leave the rail lines in . You never know what the future holds. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

Great work !!! I am a fan of last day documentaries, and you did a terrific job here. All of such occasions are sad ones, and worthy of remeberance in this way. In Ontario we lost a short line railway, the Orangeville and Brampton RR in December 2021. Like you did here, I tried my best to document the last day of the O&BRR. Big thumbs up for this work!! James.

Thank you for documenting history for future generations. In all honesty, not much is documented about a particular rail line's final day of operation. Either because it was unplanned, unforseen, or not announced. I was truly fortunate to capture the final revenue run for the Carolina Southern from Conway to Myrtle Beach, SC in 2012. No one, not even the crew themselves knew it was the final run. The movement itself was unusual by the fact it was a unit train of aggregate in NS/SOU chip hoppers, and it was prior to hurricane Irene skirting the coast. I knew there were plans to lower the Pine Island bridge as well. Little did I know that I'd be documenting the final operation of both simultaneously. Before the rock train was unloaded, the FRA condemned several bridges along the line. Thus, trapping the NS owned cars where they sat until the RJ Corman purchase in 2015. After Irene passed, the bridge was lifted for presumably for final time. Not long afterward vandals broke into the engine room, and stole all of the copper wiring. Thereby, further rendering the final stretch into Myrtle Beach proper usless. It's only customer at the time was either a box or centerbeam for 84 Lumber. Even then, it was a rare move. After the closure, and subsequent vandalism of the bridge, 84 Lumber abandoned rail altogether. Today, the line from Carolina Forest to the bridge either sits unused, or is used for storage. The remaining portion from the Pine Island bridge to the Myrtle Beach depot has remained in a state of abandonment. So far, the future looks rather bleak, as there are serious plans to turn the historic line into a... You guessed it, another rail trail. There have been past talks of a tourist operation, but all have stalled due to local politics, and $$$. It's my hope that this truly unique, and picturesque New England branch line doesn't succumb to the fate of so many before it. Our rail infrastructure must be preserved & protected. Not for us railfans, but for those unforseen future endeavors that could potentially bring much needed jobs & revenue to a community.

Very well documented! Great job!

I guess the funeral was well-attended. Great coverage on a down-on-its-luck line reminds me of when the Milwaukee Road pulled out of the beer line where once hundreds of cars rolled everyday

Sad day! ❤️🙏🕊🫂 Awesome video! Great tribute with a “Once Member “ of the Guilford OCS locomotive making this last run!

I had wanted to get down to there to film one train this year. oh well. Sucks I never got to see this job but really glad it has been filmed by others for us to enjoy. It would be sad to tear up the tracks

I am in the video several times! Thanks for posting!

Glad you documented it. My old job used to bring me up there in the early 2000's and caught this job several times. sad not much business on the north shore.

Holy crap, I saw this in Chelsea yesterday and didn't even know what it was!

As sad as this is, thank you for documenting this final run!

Hope to see the line live on in rail form with some type of trolley or passenger service, but if the folks up there are anything like they are here in Pittsburgh they’ll probably be jumping at the chance to turn this into a bike trail…

Great video and footage it's pretty sad this will be abandoned but at least you got to film and video it one last time hopefully they can get it saved

It's good to see very young rail fans. Maybe the hobby has a future.

Excellent video 💯 my friend awesome capture Like 👍🏻 awesome locomotive 😍 my support 💪🏻 Greeting 🙋🏻 from argentina 🇦🇷

How sad. I don’t like seeing railroads shut down. Beautiful scenery

Thanks so much for posting this! Very sad to see this service end!

That is a great potential hope for the future of this line by turning it into a vintage trolley line. I hope to look forward to hearing this progress in the future.

Thanks for the view👍as a railfan since 1949 in MSP,we had a spur every 4 blocks,to me spur,branch lines were most interesting/ fun to walk alongside,5-10 mph track,sorry / thanks to all of your crew from MN 🥶👍

It sucks to see so many customers losing service and the loss of rail traffic.

Thanks for taking us along on this final ride. It makes me sad to think that once they park this train for the last time that it'll probably end up becoming another one to sit and rust and rot away to the ravages of time and to be forgotten about at some point like lots of other great trains before this one until a future generation comes along wanting to restore it because it'll probably end up sitting until whoever comes along later on in the future at some point and has a problem starting it up again 40-50+ years or so from now.

Thank you for sharing! So sad to see this happening all over our Country!

Awesome video! Glad that it was captured on video.

Excellent video, great detail. Still can’t believe the track in Peabody behind Mill Street could handle the load. Thanks!

Amazing video as always!

That Howley Street "Jungle Shot" at 18:15 is great cinematography.

I remember when there were a half dozen B&M customers in Newburyport and a daily Salem-Portsmouth train. Up one day, back the next. Well into the 60s. Thanks for the memories.

Very heart wrenching :( the worries of having a short line RR

Nice job filming from all those different locations.

Excellent video Mike!

Awesome video! Sad to see a line coming to an end. Hopefully it will be put to good use once again, maybe commuter rail?

Thank you for posting.

Thanks for the last piece of history for this line

Thank you for posting this! This is not your average everyday train video. This is... a historical train video. I still can't believe the North Shore is now abandoned. It pains me this has happened. I felt the same way when the Hampton, NH railroad branch suffered the same fate and has now become a rail trail. I plan on building a big ho train layout at some point in the future. If I'm able to, I might include a branch line inspired by the North Shore. Nice video and hope this gets seen for generations.

The Peabody of my youth is distant history. Walking the tracks from south peabody to Higgins. Passing through Eastman gelatin. Sometimes hopping the train for a faster trip back home…

I like the Ciment Québec cars. Will they eventually make their way elsewhere or is this their final destination?

Thank you for preserving the history. I think of how much was lost because it wasn't documented. In order to understand what is and what will be, it is important to understand what once was.

Excellent video!

Thanks for the trip down memory lane ❤😊

Soooooo SAD to see such awesome Rail being abandoned and NOT used again absolutely Horrible hopefully business will come back and open up the Rails once again 😞..

Awesome video. Interesting the crossing signals still turned on even though it was abandoned. Unless it wasn't yet when you filmed it.

I will miss watching Love Train😢😢

This is sad to see it coming to a final chapter!

Awesome yet also sad video 🛤😥

Thanks for posting this historic video. Sad to see a line die. I do have to say that all of the switching at Rousselot was very confusing. Why all the complicated moves to hook up one car and pull it out. Why did they need a trackmobile? Why did the tank get sandwiched between the cement cars? Just seemed weird but it was important to see..

Industrial lines dying is a very sad time. It's getting rarer and rarer. But thank you for documenting this line's last.

Trolley or passenger sounds like a nice option. It would be a shame to waste a perfectly good stretch of track. I wish the best of luck to anyone who attempts it!

great video man

Great video 👍👍

16:33 Peabody Square with and without the train both lovely, quaint. I like this view, this perspective, over the first pass. 2:55 - 3:15 Chelsea Creek scenic -- superb. A pity this line is toast. Thank you, South Coast Rail Videos -- a really good show!

Always a shame to see a line abandoned; wonder if they'll pull up the rails.

Sad day great video bud

The gelatin plant was on the South Reading branch, that actually ran over to Wakefield, merging with the Newburyport branch line where the concrete plant now stands. It was abandoned 'round 1926, and a portion was re-activated when the centennial industrial park along Route 128 was established. Peabody has had its moments of forward thinking. The "T" had a public meeting about possible regional rail to Danvers. They had a really smart planning department, and the concept had a lot of positive feedback from citizens attending, contrary to Danvers, which served up the predictable fusillade of NIMBY drivel talking points born of the fear and loathing of mass transit. Soon after, there was the political will to expedite rail trail construction. Meanwhile, the roads are all clogged.

the EMD's have a distinct sound. I worked with the engines even on marine vessels. Even on Vancouver Island we have seen the rail system shutting down, although there is a call to restore it.

sad but thats great they want to propose a trolley line on these tracks I hope that goes thru

Only One thing can be said Absolutely SAD!!!!!

I remember taking greyhound to boston from nyc and seeing the rail yards in worcester lot of train activity where I live in pa there are alot if short lines still used

SOOOOOO SAD to watch I'm getting caught up on my videos so I know this has been awhile. I enjoyed watching the video BUT SAD to see what has happened to this Rail line. Hopefully it will come back soon with new business as long as they don't start removing rail. It's always Sad to see the rail line get abandoned and NOT being used .

I remember you saying in an older video that the plant property could end up being redeveloped. If that’s the case, then it would make sense to keep the tracks and either turn it into a trolley line, or run excursion trains on it.

This locomotive belongs in a train museum

Just as a historic side story, The Rousselot plant was formerly Eastman Gelatin manufacturing, part of Eastman Kodak. They made photographic gelatin emulsions there, and other materials for Kodak, from the 1930s into the 2000s. Rousselot used the plant to make gelatins for the pharmaceutical industry. There have been a lot of complaints about noxious smells from the plant, so Rousselot is moving it overseas.

Maybe Mass Central can make a go at this line and save it?

Thanks for watching

Disappointing that it has to go out like this, but that’s the nature of railroading sometimes

Sad to see service end but lets hope it doesnt become another rail trail

Heck @18:20 it looked as if the train was traveling over already abandoned rail!

I can see Railcar Storage on this Railroad in a few month's

What a shame That’s progress Bring on the trucks huh

This is indeed a very sad case. What will become of the people who work on the Pan Am Railway Company?

Thanks for recording. Guess the townspeople who fled the suit for noxious odors will now be fully satisfied. Massachusetts will eventually close every single manufacturer in the Commonwealth. In any event, nice historic recording!

173 years and now just gone forever…

Sad

Worked for the airline and was there for that shutdown, sorry to see the railways go also.

Nice and sweet

That sucks its gone but nice crew to send the train off.

Plant could be bought and re-open to rail service ?

I’ve heard that it might be ripped up to be a rail trail, or CSX has some other plans for it, but from now on it’s uncertain and I only hope for the best, just hope them yuppies don’t get their way of a rail trail

What horn is that on the loco? Sounds like a K Car Horn from the MBTA

What was in that final car they picked up that needed to be surrounded by the "Ciment" spacers?

Love that they posed for a photo op

Obviously gelatin production doesn't involve cement, why were those hoppers along for the ride? Was that another customer that was abandoned in the process?

If the plant isn't taking rail shipments anymore, I wonder what happens to the Trackmobile. Edit: and how did the locomotive turn itself around? When it left the plant it was running long hood forward, but at the end it was short hood forward. Did it leave the train on a siding and run around it?

I'm just curious you dropped off two of those hoppers and you came back with three so how could this be the last run I'm curious they're going to have to go back and pick up those empties once they're empty right

Thanks for the documentary. It looks like Pan Am has a darker paint scheme. I recall a lighter blue when I lived in Massachusetts. It's pronounced Pea- buddy....

interesting...does anyone know why there were keolis engineers and other staff there? that was unusual to see. i've never known them to be involved in freight, they are a french company that manages passenger rail like metro systems, light rail, tram systems, commuter rail and so on all over the world

💯💯

Those EMD machines - they are soft music in my ears! - This machine in partikular sounds ALOT like DSB MZ 1401 (an EMD645E3) actually the last clip, if i closed my eyes i would have mistaken this EMD for MZ 1401

Why did they take the hoppers with them, I kept thinking if this is the last run who is going to collect them?

😢🙏

That must have been a lot of work to get all those shots of the train

What’s going on with the rain in Hyannis MA

Were those 2 hoppers brought in loaded and live unloaded or were they brought in to be a buffer for the acid tanker? Anybody know?

End of an era. My girlfriend and I used to live in Peabody. At least you know there'll be two (the third is on the way) hobbyists.