Nostalgia & History > MEC #470 again in 1950

Two of my Father's photos of the Maine Central 4-6-2 #470  The first photo taken at the Oakland Maine station with my Mother Mabel P. Lange talking to the engineer. The second photo shows the #470 on a train leaving Oakland Maine. Both photos taken by Harry R. Lange. An interesting note is that those crossing gates are manually operated.  I'll have to hunt down the photo that shows a little shed behind the photographer at the station and the man who was operating the crossing gates.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/04/25 02:47 by choochoochas.

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Thanks as always for sharing your dad's photos from that wonderful era. Anyone know what used to cross above in the second photo. Interurban?

Victor Baird

Surprised that the crossing gates are in the up position.

I dare saay the gates would come down when the train started moving. When I lived in E. Kingston NH the gravel train would activate the crossing gates as it approached, but the train would stop, the gates would go up, the engineer and fireman would go into the convenience store across the road, go back, idle up the locomotives, activate the gates which would come down and they would be on their way. 

Bob Phelps
Micanopy, FL

The gates are up because the train is stopped at the station which is on the other side of the train.. That lets the traffic go across so that they are not backed up for a ways wainting for the train to depart. When they were ready to leave the station the attendant would lower the gates.