Six hours at each station might be a little excessive, but my only real advice would to always be alert and always pay attention... during the rush hours expresses can sneak up on you seemingly out of nowhere and freight trains usually don't trigger the platform warning systems. Also just be aware that during the week ridership is extremely high so I'd recommend shooting from the opposite platform from where the train is arriving if possible, otherwise you will likely have a herd of humanity obstructing your shots (and some people are kinder/nicer about being videotaped up close than others)

@@massbytrainmpw Thank you for your reply.

Not yet... I don't go west of Framingham very often because I currently live in Newton and there is much more service to the Newton stations from the inner trains than the outer trains, which frequently run at least semi-express.

This footage is indeed from the summer (August to be exact). Not sure what "weird consist" you are referring to... all four consists I saw here seemed perfectly normal with the exception of the MassDOT engine...

MBTA north side trains usually have intermediate bilevels as the first or second coach from the locomotive, not the second last coach@@massbytrainmpw

the control car bilevel is normal, but the intermediate one is in the unusual spot in the set

They still run the GP40s on the north side, and occasionally the Fairmount Line. The issue is all of the tunnels along the Southwest Corridor and the Old Colony Main Line. For the longest time Back Bay station had some of the worst air quality in the entire city of Boston, and Quincy Center station was pretty bad too. Both stations now have upgraded ventilation systems, but they're still trying to keep the worst of the polluters out of the underground portions.

@@massbytrainmpwSome Points: 1: Correct about the air quality 2: The southside gp40s are swichers, none have run revenue since early 2022

Except on the cape flyer