Thursday, February 22, 2007

Westfield, Massachusetts Railway Station Photos

The train station in my hometown of Westfield, Massachusetts. If these bricks could talk..

Looking west up the rails. For well over a century, these tracks have played a vital role in moving goods and people across the state, virtually running from Massachusetts' western to eastern borders. As a kid, I spent many a day walking these tracks.

The stairway down to North Elm Street. Notice the railroad overpass, severely dented from years of tractor trailers slamming into it and getting wedged underneath. The area is slated for some major improvements, including a new motorized traffic bridge across the Westfield River to be built just east of here. There are plans to raise the overpass and regrade the road to eliminate the truck-stuffing problem.

That warning sign sure is getting dented up. Oh well, we all have our bad days...

Like this trucker, who back in October, 2006, had a heart attack while rolling along the Mass Pike toward Lee just west of Exit 3 in Westfield and crossed the median into oncoming traffic, snarling both eastbound lanes. Amazingly enough, according to one of the tow truck operators, there were no serious injuries. If you travel up Twiss St. toward the dump, you can see where a new section of guard rail has been installed at the spot.

2 comments:

Julianne Krutka said...

Dear Mark,
On this icy morning, having extra time on my hands due to the cancellation of Westfield Schools, I treated myself to a little cyber trip through the Westfield Forum on Masslive.com. It is there where I was directed to your pictures of the Great River Bridge project. I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed, not only your pictures but also your colorful well spoken prose! Please keep up the Great work! I've bookmarked your site and will check back often.
Thanks so much for all of your efforts!
Have a great day!
kind regards,
Julianne :)
Westfield Resident for more than 20 years now and a school bus driver who gets caught in the bridge traffic daily :)

Mark T. Alamed said...

Dear Julianne,

What a great way to start the day, reading your generous and warm comment!

I really appreciate you taking the time to let me know you enjoy the site. It's folks like you who keep me going!

Thank you very much, Julianne!

Take care,

Mark