Passenger Trains > Remember the Palmer Shuffle?

The Vermonter would come into Palmer, Mass., pull pass the depot, reverse direction, and leave.  The photos show the northbound Vermonter arriving on the CSX from Springfield, Mass., reversing, and leaving on the New England Central for Amherst, Mass.  This shuffle took place on August 1, 2012 with Amtrak Train 56.

1. Amtrak cab car 9639 on the CSX crossing diamond with the New England Central.

2. And continuing past the station.

3. Amtrak 15 is still pushing.

Continued ...



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/24/16 16:01 by MartyBernard.

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4.  Still pushing.

5. Stopped and reversing direction.

6. Beginning to pull.

Continued  ...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/24/16 15:52 by MartyBernard.

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7. Pulling.

8. Pulling.

9. Turning north on to the New England Central.

Continued ...



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/24/16 16:00 by MartyBernard.

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10.  Headed for Amherst.  Have a good trip!

Enjoy,
Marty Bernard



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/24/16 15:58 by MartyBernard.

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For more on the Palmer Shiffle see my PhotoBlog at http://railfan44.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-vermonter-at-palmer-massachusetts.html



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/24/16 17:58 by MartyBernard.

Nice  history.  Nice they do not  have to  do this  anymore.!!

The Steaming Tender (located in the Palmer station) is a great restaurant and has spectacular trackside view of the old B&A mainline.

Marty Harrison
Knob Noster, MO

I am glad that era is over.
On my last trip through there, we sat for a few minutes for 449 to ram through at breath-taking 15-20 MPH, than we followed it to Springfield, charging down at 18MPH (on my GPS).
CSX's finest hour.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/25/16 07:38 by joemvcnj.

Nearly every time, SOMEBODY would complain that (s)he would get sick if riding backwards.  On days
when the Business Class section was so full there were no more newly forward-facing seats,
they'd BEG other passengers to change seats.

On one trip, a woman did that.  Somebody acceded to her demand and broke up his group to let her
ride in a forward facing seat, but she then decided to start up a conversation with someone else,
moved and wound up riding backwards, anyway.  Didn't see her get sick, either.

The Steaming Tender Restaurant is in the former Palmer Union Station, once the third largest railroad
passenger station in Massachusetts.

On one trip there, I spotted an ex-Alaska RR F7 on a siding; on another (this was a LONG time ago),
an Amtrak Superliner II, fresh from the assembly plant in Barre, VT.

2013 Google Earth photos:
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/25/16 09:42 by GenePoon.

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Oh crap! I did not realize that the new route directly north out of Springfield had already happened. I guess that is a small piece of Amtrak mileage I will have to ride at some undetermined point in the future. Did the Vermonteer via Palmer back in 2006.

So is there way to run across or under the B & A then back into Springfield each way or do they change direction when they leave Springfield on the Vermonteer now?

Jim

No change of direction any more. Northbound pulls in and then backs out of Springfield. Vice versa for southbound.

"... pulls in then backs out"  That sure sounds like a change in direction. Google shows that there is not a full wye west of the depot. How does it actually work?

Marty Bernard

Northbound train comes north on the Springfield line and then takes a right turn via a switch to Springfield station as it usually did. 

Then after passengers board, train BACKS out of the station and BACK onto the Springfield line so it can get a straight shot to proceed north crossing over the B&A main line. Locomotive remains in face forward position. The backup move is less than a half mile from Springfield Station. 

Think of ot this way, if Amtrak wanted to skip the Springfield station it would just continue to proceed north (through the switch that would take it right to the Springfield Station) and instead cross over the B&A line and on up the "Knowledge Corridor" that's been restored." 

That's how the old Montrealer worked, too.  NB train came into Springfield head first, backed out and down the lead it came in on, then headed north.