LIVE Ayer, MA Railcam | Railside Live

📅 Stream Start Date 📅
July 8, 2025

Ayer Train Log: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...

🚄 MBTA Train Tracker 🚄
https://mbta.sites.fas.harvard.edu/T/...

📷 Ayer, MA Railcam 📷
Welcome to Railside Live, broadcasting 24/7 from The Cottage Restaurant in Ayer, Massachusetts! You're watching one of New England’s most active and historic rail hotspots. This is Railside railfanning—at its best!

🚊 About This Railcam 🚊
You're tuned in to Ayer Station, an MBTA Commuter Rail stop located in downtown Ayer, just south of Main Street (Routes 2A/111) and adjacent to the Ayer Main Street Historic District. The two-track Fitchburg Route mainline runs east–west through the station, with two side platforms providing Fitchburg Line service in both directions.

What makes Ayer truly special is its role as a key regional freight hub. To the south of the station, a wye connects the Fitchburg Route to the former Pan Am Worcester Branch, offering crucial routing flexibility. Just a quarter mile south lies Hill Yard, a vital freight facility believed to take its name from the steady downhill grade toward the south. Originally built by Pan Am Railways and now operated by CSX following their 2022 acquisition, Hill Yard handles manifest, local, and intermodal traffic.

The yard is home to the Ayer Intermodal Facility, which spans approximately 52 acres. It was designed for a capacity of 75,000 truckload equivalent units (TEUs) per year, with future expansion potential up to 175,000 TEUs. The terminal connects to the CSX-owned Pan Am 2,000-mile network spanning Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut, New York, and Atlantic Canada, with interchanges to 15 different railroads. CSX and Norfolk Southern both serve the facility today, reinforcing Ayer's strategic importance in New England's logistics network.

Expect to see a steady mix of MBTA commuter trains, CSX and NS intermodal trains, local and manifest freights, yard switching, and even special moves.

🏛️ Ayer's Railroad Legacy 🏛️
Ayer has been a major railroad interchange since the Fitchburg Railroad opened through South Groton in 1845, followed by the Stony Brook Railroad, Worcester and Nashua Railroad, and Peterborough and Shirley Railroad in 1848. That same year, a large union station with a trainshed replaced the original depot. The resulting boom in land speculation and industry led to Ayer’s incorporation as an independent town in 1871.

A new station was constructed in 1896. By 1900, five lines—all controlled by the Boston and Maine Railroad—served Ayer with connections to Boston, Worcester, Lowell, New York, New Hampshire, and Maine. Passenger service on all but the Fitchburg mainline ended between 1931 and 1961. After a brief disruption in 1965, the newly formed MBTA began subsidizing commuter service to Ayer. Although the station and part of the line were closed in 1975, they reopened in 1980. Today, both MBTA commuter trains and CSX freight trains keep Ayer's railroad legacy alive.

🍽️ Our Host 🍽️
Huge thanks to The Cottage Restaurant https://www.cottageayer.com, a local favorite known for the best pizza around! Whether you're a dedicated railfan or just passing through, it's the perfect spot to grab a bite while watching live rail action.

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All aboard! 🚆🎥🔴

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