Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum

10/09/2026

THE RACE IS ON

This week's brought to you by Brett Codwise.

On March 25, 1957, the New Haven Railroad made history when two experimental high-speed trainsets entered revenue service between Boston and New York City. Seeking to modernize its fleet and curb the exodus of people flocking to the convenience of their automobiles, the railroad created their own "Train Race" of sorts, whereby manufacturers could enter their train into the running to be the next generation of equipment. The winner would receive a lucrative contract for thirty sets. The Budd Company, American Car & Foundry (ACF), and Pullman-Standard all made submissions. One of those sets, the John Quincy Adams (JQA), built by ACF, featured 15, articulated lightweight coaches and specially designed Fairbanks-Morse P12-42 diesel electric locomotives equipped with 600v third rail shoes for operation into Grand Central Terminal at each end. The JQA entered service alongside the Pullman built Dan’L Webster. Even though the John Quincy Adams was capable of 117 miles per hour, the train was never permitted to reach those speeds and passengers described it as rough riding. After just one year of service the John Quincy Adams would be pulled from service. The coaches were sold to Spain while the locomotives were scrapped.

10/02/2026

A BUS ON RAILROAD WHEELS?

This week's brought to you by Brett Codwise.

As passenger numbers decreased in the late 1940s, railroads were no longer able to cover the cost of a conventional passenger train and the larger crews they required. Seeing opportunity, the Budd company of Philadelphia introduced a new self propelled railcar. The Rail Diesel Car, more commonly known as a RDC, made its debut in 1949. The prototype car was tested all across the country and railroads saw how appealing the RDC was due to it only requiring a two man crew (as opposed to five or more on standard equipment) and the ability to operate them in a consist or as a single unit. The Boston and Maine Railroad boasted the largest number, replacing their antiquated wood fleet, much to the relief of commuters. Though most were scrapped, a number of them survived into preservation including 6126, which for many years was the primary motive power BSRM's Hoosac Valley Train Ride.

09/24/2026

NORTH ADAMS UNION STATION

Another from our young, upcoming star volunteer Brett Codwise:

In the years following WWII there was an alarming decline of passengers traveling by train across the United States. Many railroads were cutting branch line passenger service across the country leaving numerous stations without a purpose. The North Adams Union station served both railroads in northern Berkshire county the Boston and Main Railroad and the Boston and Albany railroad later incorporated into the New York Central Railroad. As the 1950s progressed and passenger numbers were declining the decision was made to no longer operate the “Beeliner” service between North Admas and Pittsfield on the Boston and Albany Railroad. In the evening hours on March 25, 1953 the last passenger train from North Adams to Pittsfield departed. B&M passenger service would continue to operate normally until November 30, 1958 when service was discontinued. With no passenger service in Northern Berkshire county the former North Adams Union station was demolished in 1960.

09/22/2026

THE GREAT NEW ENGLAND HURRICANE OF 1938 - 88th ANNIVERSARY
September 21 marks the 88th anniversary of The Great New England Hurricane that devastated much of the region. Also referred to as The Long Island Express, the storm caused massive destruction, particularly to the coast of Connecticut and in particular the New Haven Railroad's Boston to New York "shoreline" route. Between 600-700 individuals lost their lives and the damage estimated in the billions of dollars (modern day figures). The scene below, taken on September 22, 1938 in Westerly, Rhode Island, shows passengers exiting the train to board buses, the railroad ahead impassable.

09/18/2026

THROWBACK THURSDAY - NO AIRPLANE FOOD

Note: This week's was produced by Brett Codwise, one of the rising, young stars of the BSRM volunteer corp. Look for more content produced by this future curator!

When the high-speed, experimental "Roger Williams" train set made it's debut on the Boston to New York corridor in 1957, it featured a dining service very similar to airline food service. At each end of the train there was a small galley and an employee would walk through the train with a cart handing out food to passengers. However, the passengers, who had become accustomed to full, restaurant dining cars on more conventional equipment, viewed the reduced service as cheap, demanding a more traditional offering. In 1958 intermediate car 161 went into the shops and was modified. When it rolled out of the shops it featured a proper kitchen, and tables that could accommodate up to 40 passengers it also retained 28 coach seats. Due to low ridership and having a full dining car adding costs and becoming no longer practical, 161 was taken out of service and put into storage and later scrapped.

09/15/2026

We had a great weekend with our friends from the New Haven Railroad Historical and Technical Association, Inc. and Rapido Trains Inc. discussing all things Roger Williams!

The three organizations represent the necessary shared responsibility for preserving railroad history of southern New England. Please consider ordering one of these museum quality models. Each organization has worked to get it to the pre-production level, it’d be a shame to get this close and not have it become a reality, further preserving the story of this unique piece of equipment.

09/11/2026

We’re excited to join the New Haven Railroad Historical and Technical Association, Inc. at their 2026 convention and train show this weekend! We’ll be giving a presentation on the history of the restoration of the high-speed, experimental Roger Williams. In addition, we’ll be joined by Rapido Trains Inc. who’s announced preliminary plans to produce a museum quality model of the train set. They joined us earlier this summer to highlight the model. Check out their video below!

This is the final push for our rendition of the legendary New Haven...

09/06/2026

Our friends at Rapido Trains Inc. are producing a model of the high-speed, experimental train set “Roger Williams” that calls BSRM home. Built in 1956 for service between Boston and NYC, it was the railroad’s attempt at attracting passengers away from air travel and back to the rails.

The conditional order deadline for the HO Scale Roger Williams is September 15th!

In 1957, the New Haven took delivery of the _Roger Williams_, a complete six-car train set that consisted of Budd RDC cars with modifications for high-speed service into New York City. Named after the founder of Rhode Island, these RDCs featured end cars with a streamlined cab along with third rail electrical pickup shoes and small traction motors, allowing them to run into Grand Central Terminal under electric power.

HO Scale Roger Williams Features:

- FIRST TIME! As ready-to-run plastic model in ANY scale!
- Accurately designed from original blueprints
- Cab units features Rapido’s smooth, proven in-floor RDC drive system
- Intermediate cars are unpowered, but fully lit
- An insane level of underbody detail
- Separate grab irons and handrails installed at the factory
- Full interior detail
- MoPower capacitor for uninterrupted DCC power
- Suggested minimum radius: 22”

Remember, this is a conditional project! Reserve yours today through your dealer or direct today by September 15th to help make it a reality!

US Orders: https://buff.ly/EFWxVMn
CA/International Orders: https://buff.ly/8yxW5FG