RAILROAD SIGNALS of the U.S.

Railfan Guide to
SPRINGFIELD MA

Springfield is conveniently located along I91, between Boston and Albany, and not too far north of Hartford and New Haven CT.

The area has a few things to attract railfans, the station in Springfield, a few neat bridges, the interlocking under I91, Pioneer Valley RR to the west in Westfield (the only town I have ever seen a sign with an arrow pointing to the rail yard!), a few semaphores on the PVRR (if still there, I saw them last in 2000-2001), and CSX freights coming thru at speed.

The Amtrak 40th birthday / anniversary train is supposed to visiting town on July 9th and 10th, 2011, if the recent bad weather doesn't prevent it.

The railfan guide to Westfield should be at here

This is the first of my guides that I will be taking the fast track with, in order to hopefully keep up with the Amtrak tour... with almost a new stop every week, it will be impossible to work on my regular maps and keep up.  Also, once we leave the east and the OH/MI area, we're pretty much out of territory I have personally been to :-(

     1          The Amtrak Station

Among railroad stations, the Springfield station is fairly unique in that it is perched above road level of the town, as seen in the accompanying photo.

Wye and Crossing under I91

Crossing the Connecticut River

     2          The CSX Yard

Floobydust

Peter Pan Bus Lines

Peter Pan Bus Lines has a history going back to something like 1933, and was named for the founder's favorite story as a kid.  They have kept expanding over the years and are one of the largest regional bus lines in the U.S.   On April 4th, 1969, they opened their terminal at 1776 Main St, becoming the first such terminal in the U.S.  In 1985, they bought Trailways New England.  In 1990, they expanded with a route to Washington D.C, and now have stops in Boston, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York City.  In 2003 they acquired Coach USA, and doubled the size of their fleet to over 300 busses.  In 2007, they started a joint venture with Greyhound called Bolt Bus.  More info at: http://www.peterpanbus.com/about-peter-pan/company-history/

NEW 6-14-2011
Last Modified 14-Jun-2011