05-20-2016, 08:40 AM
Hi Reinhard, I live about 20 miles away from Holyoke. The main trackage was B&M early on, and the branch from Westfield was New Haven. The main then became Guilford, and the branch PC/Conrail. Now Panam has the main line through town along the river, with Pioneer Valley RR having the branch from Westfield. There is some neat street trackage on the PVRR, and they operate with Pinsley CF-7s.
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ln8Y3a_58Bk">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ln8Y3a_58Bk</a><!-- m -->
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://photos.greatrails.net/search/searchresults.modperl?SEARCHTYPE=ADVANCED&PAGE=1&SEARCHSTRING=holyoke&BOOL=ANY&RAILROAD=660&POSTER=ANY&PHMS=&PHDS=&PHYS=&PHME=&PHDE=&PHYE=&POMS=&PODS=&POYS=&POME=&PODE=&POYE=">http://photos.greatrails.net/search/sea ... ODE=&POYE=</a><!-- m -->
Here some older photos of B&M/New haven in Holyoke in the yard and downtown.
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As for the nature of the buildings currently, I'm not sure. As with most of New England there was a heavy textile presence at one point. Now there is a scrap metal processor in Holyoke, an industry that takes tanks, and I've seen centerbeam flats down there too. If you look at satellite, you'll see several bridges across the canals, where spurs went across them into another factory.
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ln8Y3a_58Bk">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ln8Y3a_58Bk</a><!-- m -->
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://photos.greatrails.net/search/searchresults.modperl?SEARCHTYPE=ADVANCED&PAGE=1&SEARCHSTRING=holyoke&BOOL=ANY&RAILROAD=660&POSTER=ANY&PHMS=&PHDS=&PHYS=&PHME=&PHDE=&PHYE=&POMS=&PODS=&POYS=&POME=&PODE=&POYE=">http://photos.greatrails.net/search/sea ... ODE=&POYE=</a><!-- m -->
Here some older photos of B&M/New haven in Holyoke in the yard and downtown.
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=896196">http://photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=896196</a><!-- m -->
As for the nature of the buildings currently, I'm not sure. As with most of New England there was a heavy textile presence at one point. Now there is a scrap metal processor in Holyoke, an industry that takes tanks, and I've seen centerbeam flats down there too. If you look at satellite, you'll see several bridges across the canals, where spurs went across them into another factory.