Eastern Route
Beverly Farms station
The easternmost station in Beverly is your standard over-salted full-length low-level platform with mini-highs at one end and deteriorating timber platform edging with no tactile treatment.
Beverly Farms station
Actually one of the better-looking mini-highs on the line, but for the lack of tactile edging.
Beverly Farms station
Old stone milepost just beyond the outbound mini-high
Beverly Farms station
While they've allowed the platforms to deteriorate, the T has been doing a significant amount of wooden tie replacement and re-ballasting on the line.
Beverly Farms station
Still some nasty spalling on the platform service when you get closer to the outer end. Looking back here at the station building, now a cafe. I'm not sure if any of the gravel parking lot at right is actually open to commuters.
Beverly Farms station
Different style of old station building; the B&M didn't plop down the same structures everywher.
Beverly Farms station
I noticed that the platform here, and at a few other stations, was raised four inches relative to the more typical edge treatment with a single piece of four-by pressure-treated stock. As a light-rail station that would make sense (and even be accessible), but doesn't help much for mainline.
Beverly Farms station
The Bagel Shop appesrs to be a chain.
Beverly Farms station
The station-name sign on this side of the canopy seems to have gone missing.
Beverly Farms station
The Bagel Shop was closed, and looked like it had been closed for a while when I looked through the window. If you're depending on rail passengers for your business, this isn't a great time.
Beverly Farms station
Across the road from the station/cafe is this mobile pet-groomer and fancy dog-food supplier.
Manchester-by-the-Sea station
Manchester-by-the-Sea station
At least the station-name sign on the shelter still says "Manchester" and not the new, oh-so-pretentious name.
Manchester-by-the-Sea station
...as is shown on the shelter on the inbound platform. Like Beverly Farms, it's full-length low-level platforms with mini-highs here.
Manchester-by-the-Sea station
Even tony Manchester needs electrical substations!
Manchester-by-the-Sea station
This mini-high platform does not look great, but at least it's new enough (or recently enough rehabbed) to have tactile edge treatment (unlike the low-level platform).
Manchester-by-the-Sea station
For some reason, this station has bridge plates on the mini-highs; most do not. Did they mess up the dimensions of the platform, such that a bridge plate is required here and not elsewhere? Curious what happened.
Manchester-by-the-Sea station
Looking past the end of the outbound mini-high at the big pile of old ties and a now-disused freight siding
Manchester-by-the-Sea station
The crossover (other side of the grade crossing) appears to be manually operated, and lacks switch heaters, but also doesn't appear in the Google aerial imagery, which suggests that it's relatively new, perhaps installed for the Gloucester drawbridge project.
West Gloucester station
There's a lot going on at this station, which is the easternmost station on the mainland side of the Annisquam River drawbridge. Looks like it's being used, at least in part, as a materials laydown area for the construction on the approach to the bridge.
West Gloucester station
There's a big substation here. Near as I was able to tell, there are buried electrical cables along the rail line at least as far as the draw span; a contractor that did work on them recently talks on their web site about coordinating this work with the MBTA drawbridge project.
West Gloucester station
The typical metal-roofed shelter on the inbound low-level platform
West Gloucester station
Deteriorating asphalt platform with pedestrian grade crossings and without tactile edge treatment
West Gloucester station
When the MBTA decided to fully close and bustitute the Rockport Branch, they were able to significantly accelerate construction of the PTC installatino on the line by simply declaring it done. The rest of the PTC system to Rockport will be installed before the Gloucester drawbridge reopens at the end of the summer, but in the mean time, this is the beginning of signal territory.
West Gloucester station
Looking up the platform towards the mini-high for the outbound side; the cage at right contains more of the electrical substation including the conduit to the buried cables along the tracks.
West Gloucester station
Past the end of the platform, signals have been installed but not yet activated.
West Gloucester station
The plan for the new drawbridge includes two independent spans, but for the initial reopening, only one track will be operational, so the two tracks merge here. (There's only one track on the other side of the bridge anyway, so this just changes the constraints on the schedule.)
West Gloucester station
A look back down the (offset) platforms; note the inbound platform is much shorter than the outbound side. Why?
Gloucester station
The line is single-track from here to Rockport, so there's only one platform and one mini-high. This is clearly relatively new construction.
Gloucester station
I think the line may actually have been double-tracked as far as here — it's wide enough — but the two tracks now merge just on this side of the (currently missing) drawbridge.
Gloucester station
See how wide that overpass is in the distance! Also note the weird concrete walk poking into the trackbed at the pedestrian grade crossing in the foreground.
Gloucester station
This mini-high shows signs of deterioration like all the others, but it's at least new enough to have tactile edge treatment. Note the work equipment on the other side of the mini-high; the MBTA and contractors currently have lots of work equipment stranded on this side of the Annisquam River.
Gloucester station
View from a bit farther up the platform; According to Wikipedia, the original route to Gloucester would have continued barely 500 feet from here to a freight depot at the corner of Railroad and Maplewood. This new platform was built in 2005.
Rockport station
The end of the line, truly. Two tracks down the center of the parking lot would normally be used for overnight layovers, as would a second track beyond the platform track in the background. Today, with the Annisquam River draw span out of service, it's being used to store maintenance-of-way and construction equipment instead.
Rockport station
Lots of equipment is stranded here at the end of the tracks, although presumably it's light enough that a crane could lift it onto a truck for road hauling if need be.
Rockport station
Not sure why the contractor saw the need to barricade this track given that it ends a few feet away in bumper blocks.
Rockport station
Looking over at the station from the far side of the layover tracks
Rockport station
I guess that's how they get workers out to the remote drawbridge site (although I'd think it would be easier just to walk from downtown Gloucester).
Rockport station
I don't understand what's with the yellow thing surrounding the tracks.
Rockport station
More equipment parked at the currently disused platform. Where will they put it when service returns but the drawbridge is only half-built?
Rockport station
The wooden platform does not look in the greatest shape, but wood deteriorates more gracefully than spalling concrete.
Rockport station
Bumper blocks at the end of the terminal tracks
Rockport station
That's not a platform on the right-hand track... what is that yellow stuff about?
North Beverly station
Back onto the mainland, and the main line, it's also back to oceans of parking.
Eastern RouteMBTANewburyport Linecommuter railtrain stations
North Beverly station
Steps down from the parking lot to the low-level platform and pedestrian grade crossing
Eastern RouteMBTANewburyport Linecommuter railtrain stations
North Beverly station
Looking down the platform towards the grade croosing at Dodge St. Not so apparent in this view, a short ramp connects the parking lot to the platform at the far end (the whole line slopes upward through the station).
Eastern RouteMBTANewburyport Linecommuter railtrain stations
North Beverly station
Typical shelter over the inbound low-level platform
Eastern RouteMBTANewburyport Linecommuter railtrain stations