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Pan Am Railways - Great looking model but nothing to do w/ aircraft

W WestinghouseEMDdemoguyOGR Forum Member
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan_Am_Railways

Doing some research on this great looking model on the link above and to my surprise other than the logo and name there is no relationship to its past aircraft heritage. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

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AH Art HowesOGR Forum Member SUPPORTING MEMBERDIGITAL SUBSCRIBER

To provide a little history, the Boston & Maine, Maine Central, and Springfield Terminal railroads were purchased by Timothy Mellon and incorporated as Guilford Transportation a number of years ago. In the ongoing process of buying and selling other properties, the name was changed to Pan Am Railways and a small freight handling airline was started in Portsmouth, NH. The railroad is still operating in New England with some sort of arrangement with NS into mid-Massachusetts. The locomotives and rolling stock are quite colorful. Hopefully, this is not too confusing.

T TomlinsonRunRROGR Forum Member SUPPORTING MEMBER
Originally Posted by Art Howes:

To provide a little history, the Boston & Maine, Maine Central, and Springfield Terminal railroads were purchased by Timothy Mellon and incorporated as Guilford Transportation a number of years ago. In the ongoing process of buying and selling other properties, the name was changed to Pan Am Railways and a small freight handling airline was started in Portsmouth, NH. The railroad is still operating in New England with some sort of arrangement with NS into mid-Massachusetts. The locomotives and rolling stock are quite colorful. Hopefully, this is not too confusing.

The HQ is in Billerica, what I'd call the metro west Boston area, not middle Mass. I've seen some bland freight cars approaching Ayer Junction from the east on the Stony Brook short line where it shares the tracks with the MBTA commuter rail.  As I understand it from various Wikipedia articles, at Ayer, the western track is managed by Pan Southern or something - a combination of Norfolk Southern and Pan Am. The eastern track I think is NS. Now that gets confusing!

 

I hope to add some Pan Am to my contemporary Ayer Junction layout someday but have yet to see a locomotive or fancy paint job in the wild like these nice models are sporting. The Pan Am cars can be mixed in with old MEC, BNSF, CN, TTX, lots of odd stuff.

 

Tomlinson Run Railroad

Last edited by TomlinsonRunRR
trainbraintrainbrainOGR Forum Member
Originally Posted by TomlinsonRunRR:
Originally Posted by Art Howes:

To provide a little history, the Boston & Maine, Maine Central, and Springfield Terminal railroads were purchased by Timothy Mellon and incorporated as Guilford Transportation a number of years ago. In the ongoing process of buying and selling other properties, the name was changed to Pan Am Railways and a small freight handling airline was started in Portsmouth, NH. The railroad is still operating in New England with some sort of arrangement with NS into mid-Massachusetts. The locomotives and rolling stock are quite colorful. Hopefully, this is not too confusing.

The HQ is in Billerica, what I'd call the metro west Boston area, not middle Mass. I've seen some bland freight cars approaching Ayer Junction from the east on the Stony Brook short line where it shares the tracks with the MBTA commuter rail.  As I understand it from various Wikipedia articles, at Ayer, the western track is managed by Pan Southern or something - a combination of Norfolk Southern and Pan Am. The eastern track I think is NS. Now that gets confusing!

 

I hope to add some Pan Am to my contemporary Ayer Junction layout someday but have yet to see a locomotive or fancy paint job in the wild like these nice models are sporting. The Pan Am cars can be mixed in with old MEC, BNSF, CN, TTX, lots of odd stuff.

 

Tomlinson Run Railroad

Don't forget CSX at Ayer, too.   They have run throughs to Portland, Me coming up from Worcester through Ayer.

T TomlinsonRunRROGR Forum Member SUPPORTING MEMBER
Originally Posted by trainbrain:
Originally Posted by TomlinsonRunRR:
Originally Posted by Art Howes:

=snip=

The HQ is in Billerica, what I'd call the metro west Boston area, not middle Mass. I've seen some bland freight cars approaching Ayer Junction from the east on the Stony Brook short line where it shares the tracks with the MBTA commuter rail.  As I understand it from various Wikipedia articles, at Ayer, the western track is managed by Pan Southern or something - a combination of Norfolk Southern and Pan Am. The eastern track I think is NS. Now that gets confusing!

 

I hope to add some Pan Am to my contemporary Ayer Junction layout someday but have yet to see a locomotive or fancy paint job in the wild like these nice models are sporting. The Pan Am cars can be mixed in with old MEC, BNSF, CN, TTX, lots of odd stuff.

 

Tomlinson Run Railroad

Don't forget CSX at Ayer, too.   They have run throughs to Portland, Me coming up from Worcester through Ayer.

Thanks Trainbrain. I knew that CSX ran on the old B&M track south of the Ayer wye and Devens train yard heading down to Worcester, but I didn't realize they shared the same track heading north to Maine. I only seem to see CSX cars in Boston and maybe Lowell (?), but as their livery isn't as eye catching as NS and Pan AM, I do tend to ignore the line    and doing any further research.  I'll keep my eyes out for them now.

 

TRRR

superwarp1superwarp1OGR Forum Member
Originally Posted by TomlinsonRunRR:
Originally Posted by trainbrain:
Originally Posted by TomlinsonRunRR:
Originally Posted by Art Howes:

=snip=

The HQ is in Billerica, what I'd call the metro west Boston area, not middle Mass. I've seen some bland freight cars approaching Ayer Junction from the east on the Stony Brook short line where it shares the tracks with the MBTA commuter rail.  As I understand it from various Wikipedia articles, at Ayer, the western track is managed by Pan Southern or something - a combination of Norfolk Southern and Pan Am. The eastern track I think is NS. Now that gets confusing!

 

I hope to add some Pan Am to my contemporary Ayer Junction layout someday but have yet to see a locomotive or fancy paint job in the wild like these nice models are sporting. The Pan Am cars can be mixed in with old MEC, BNSF, CN, TTX, lots of odd stuff.

 

Tomlinson Run Railroad

Don't forget CSX at Ayer, too.   They have run throughs to Portland, Me coming up from Worcester through Ayer.

Thanks Trainbrain. I knew that CSX ran on the old B&M track south of the Ayer wye and Devens train yard heading down to Worcester, but I didn't realize they shared the same track heading north to Maine. I only seem to see CSX cars in Boston and maybe Lowell (?), but as their livery isn't as eye catching as NS and Pan AM, I do tend to ignore the line    and doing any further research.  I'll keep my eyes out for them now.

 

TRRR

The Fitchburg line from Ayer mass to Mechanicsville, NY is a joint ownership of NS and Pan Am which is now called the Patriot corridor.  Really NS runs the show now on that line.  CSX has sub(old B&A sub) connecting to the Patriot corridor in Ayer.  Large Auto unloading facility in Ayer. 

 

Far as I know CSX now ends in Worcester.  As the tracks east are now owned by MBTA/state of Mass.  CSX does still service customers east of Worcester but most freights stop in Worcester where a large intermodel facility was built.

 

Any CSX sightings in Maine must only be motive power run through.

 

 

As for the stupid name over the years Gilford and now Pan Am.  If I had my way it would be called the Boston & Maine.

F ftaussOGR Forum Member

My dad worked for PA from '57 till they closed the doors. I did a bit with them myself as a young man as a "ramp agent". I have mixed feelings, they are certainly entitled to the corporate identity if they paid for it, but somehow it doesn't seem quite right.

 

The blue on the boxcars was the color of all the ground equipment, tugs and tractors, carts and dollies,  sedans and vans that weren't white. Looks right on. I did spend some small time in the saddle of a Clark tug and FMC loaders.

 

I always thought the logo looked best on the side of a flying boat or one of Boeing's creations. But that's me.

 

Frank

pokey493pokey493OGR Forum Member

FedEx is listed as an airline to keep employees from organizing a union. When airline employees what to be represented by a union the whole company must vote yes or no together as a group. The Mellon family has a long history of union busting. I don’t know if that’s the reason for the Pan Am purchase, maybe someone else can provide better information.

Pokey493

C ConrailFanOGR Forum Member
pokey493 posted:

FedEx is listed as an airline to keep employees from organizing a union.

Wrong- Employees are free to organize a union if they want to. Listing as an airline, railroad, automaker, etc has nothing to do with it. They have to get enough signatures on authorization cards they pass out in order to enable the NLRB to call for a election. Normally in most circumstances this is around 30%, give or take.

When airline employees what to be represented by a union the whole company must vote yes or no together as a group.

Wrong again- Certain groups of the company may elect to be represented. The whole company does not vote on representation. There can be any number of different unions on the property at any given time.

The Mellon family has a long history of union busting. I don’t know if that’s the reason for the Pan Am purchase, maybe someone else can provide better information.

Pokey493

 

HiramOHiramOOGR Forum Member SUPPORTING MEMBER

When I was a kid in the Fifties my dad worked for Pan Am. At the time Pan Am was a leading American airline; with a legacy going back to the Flying Clippers (flying boats), the earliest international air services. Their logo was dark blue, with a globe and an attached wing, and the letters PAA.

I remember being disgusted when they went to light blue, stylized globe, and the letters Pan Am. A young teen as art critic...

As a personal preference, I get annoyed when Guilford mixes the old dark blue with the later logo. But hey, ya buy the label, ya do what you want!

Jan

 

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