Amherst Railway Society
March 21, 2006
Meeting Announcement

The next meeting of the Amherst Railway Society is Tuesday, March 21, 2006, 8:00 p.m. at the Amherst Middle School.

60 Years on the Boston & Albany - 1945-2005

by Mr. Bob Buck

B&A Berkshire 1443 eastbound at Middlefield, MA, August 3, 1947. 1.6% grade. photo © Bob Buck

Our good friend Bob Buck was one of the earliest members of the Amherst Railway Society, and is well known for his many years of managing the West Springfield Show and as the owner of Tucker’s Hobbies in Warren, Massachusetts. He is also an excellent and talented photographer, and his coverage of the railroads (and the Boston & Albany in particular) spans many decades from the end of steam operations through to recent years. For the March meeting, Bob will be presenting his program “Sixty Years on the Boston & Albany”.

Bob grew up in Warren, Massachusetts in sight of the Boston & Albany. His home had low window sills and he became fascinated with trains right from the point where he could see out the windows. He recalls seeing the last years of the operation of NE2C mallets on the B&A, which took place in his childhood years. His parents took him to see visits of the Royal Scot and the Burlington Zephyr in town, and by the mid-1940s Bob had begun photographing trains with his father’s Kodak 120 camera. He recalls that camera as being a wonderful piece of equipment with a Zeiss Tessar lens and 1/300 max. shutter speed, that served his needs very well. In the mid 1950s he started 35mm color slide photography with an Argus C4, and now uses a Pentax K1000. He found out about the shortcomings of Ektachrome film early on, and switched to Kodachrome in more recent shooting.

B&A train #97, the Paul Revere, topping the summit at Washington station. photo © Bob Buck

Bob’s photography spans the era from the final years of steam and the introduction of ALCO FA’s and EMD E7’s on the Boston & Albany, up through the Penn Central and Conrail eras to the present time. The coverage in his program begins with his days of black and white photography and progresses through his many years of color work. This is sure to be a memorable evening, so please mark this program date on your calendar and join us as Bob Buck takes us on a guided tour of “Sixty Years on the Boston & Albany”.

Our show attendance this year was a whopping 21,003. This is the ticketed attendance, and does not include vendors and volunteers. We hope you all enjoyed yourselves whether you just attended the show or volunteered your time. Those who did volunteer their time would agree with me in saying that it is well worth the time spent. The show would not happen without the many hours put in by volunteers of all ages. Please consider helping is some capacity next year. Put it on your calendars.

Big Railroad Hobby Show January 27& 28, 2007

Wanted for the B&M 3713 Project:

1. Franklin Booster prints
2. Hanlon sanding valve, drifting valves advertising or catalogs from Winchester, MA
3. Lima builder plate #7265
4. One cast iron Pyle Natonal marker light
5. Color pictures of the B&M 3713 from 1949-53
6. Also pictures, slides, or movies of the B&M 3713
7. Locomotive Firebox Co. thermic siphons prints P.T.D.2107

Any help in acquiring these items would be appreciated. Please contact:
Carl Packer
RR#2 Box 362
Dalton, PA 18414
(570)378-2420
cipacker@ptd.net

Copyright (c) Amherst Railway Society