I know this is not a New England photo, but the coach used to run on the Boston and Maine Railroad. The coach is a wooden combine and was built sometime around 1904. The coach is in pretty decent shape considering it's age! Some of these cars actually had wood as part of their trucks, and in many cases the wood rotted out. In later years, the wood was replaced with metal. I don't think this car has any wood in the trucks.

Update: From Rob Quagan
"I believe both this combine and coach at the Santa Cruz, Big Trees, & Pacific Railroad (California) most recently were used on the Wolfeborough RailRoad that ran on the former Boston & Maine 12 mile Wolfeboro Branch from approximately 1973 to 1985. They were typically hauled by ex-Bonhomie & Hattiesburg Southern Baldwin 2-6-2 #250 between Sanbornville (Jct. with the Conway Branch) and Wolfeboro, NH.

I also believe both cars are products of the Laconia Car Company (NH) and were used in Boston area commuter service out of North Station into the mid-1950's (1956?). They were most often hauled by the venerable B&M Class B-15 (2-6-0) and Class A-41 (4-4-0) throughout eastern Massachusetts into the late 1940's."

Photographed by George Contrada, 1996.
Added to the photo archive by Xian Clere, February 22, 2004.
Railroad: Boston & Maine.

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