Someone knowledgeable about trains wrote to ask how Illinois carriages ended up parked for years on the tracks in Housatonic, MA. We checked with Colin Pease of the Housatonic Railroad, who explained that they were surplus carriages purchased about ten years ago in the hope of refitting them for passenger service.

From last week: I ran into a friend at the Prairie Whale who mentioned that the old train carriages parked on the tracks in Housatonic were being dismantled for recycling. Good news, I thought, as that would put an end to the idea that they might be refitted for the new service to New York. I thought I should take some photos for our archives and snapped quite a few, but only noticed this detail in the graffiti when I got home and looked through them. The message is right and maybe we should make this look – and Berks NYC – part of our branding! The full picture is below.