First Move in 20 Years! Old Boston and Maine Rail Equipment on MBTA Work Extra

This weekend, the MBTA Work Extra ran 2 very old pieces of former Boston and Maine equipment out of Boston to North Billerica on the New Hampshire Route Main Line. The equipment was a former B&M RDC passenger car and a B&M insulated milk car.

MBTA RDC car 6213 was built in September 1956. Original built under the Boston & Maine railroad for Boston commuter rail service, this car was last used for passengers in the early 1980s and subsequently put into storage in North Billerica MA along with many other cars of its type. However in 2003, 2 MBTA RDCs in storage were moved from North Billerica to Boston Engine Terminal for plans that never took off. After sitting for over 20 years outside Boston Engine Terminal, surviving a fire, and years of vandalism, the remaining RDC car was pulled out and moved back to North Billerica in January 2024 on this extra. This car is planned to undergo a cosmetic restoration and be used for display/office space at the new facility in North Billerica.

The Milk car numbered MBTA 1930 is of unknown origin to the MBTA. However we do know that it was built in March 1958 for the B&M as car number 1930. This car was cooled by ice and was part of an order of that had the last milk cars ever built for a railroad, per George Dutka. This milk car ended up being acquired by the MBTA in the 1990s. This car was never used by the MBTA and by the early 2000s, was put into storage on the same track as the aforementioned RDC's outside Boston Engine Terminal.

The MBTA C-1 Work Extra caboose lead the shove move up to Billerica this day, and was joined by 2 other MBTA work train cars being the MBTX 1411 and MBTX 100 for added train braking. The 1411 car is an former Amtrak material handling box car and is now used by the MBTA to deliver road salt to station platforms in the winter. The MBTX 100 is an 89ft flat car used by the work train.

This will probably be the last time this equipment is seen moving over a mainline and will be the last RDC car to depart Boston.