Amtrak Downeaster

Welcome aboard Amtrak Downeaster Train #683 with from Boston, Massachusetts' North Station to Brunswick, Maine! Today our train is lead by a GE Genesis P42DC locomotive pulling 5 Amfleet I coaches with an ex-EMD F40PH NPCU trailing on the rear. Our stops along the way will be Woburn-Anderson, Haverhill, Exeter, Durham-UNH, Dover, Wells, Saco-Biddeford, Old Orchard Beach, Portland, and Freeport.


The Amtrak Downeaster is one of Amtrak's most unique routes when it comes to the lines it uses, as there are many different pathways that trains take. The Downeaster uses MBTA's Haverhill Line from North Station to up until the Wilmington MBTA station where it uses the MBTA Wildcat Branch to join the MBTA's Haverhill Line in Andover (Ballardville), MA. The Haverhill Line then continues up until the Massachusetts-New Hampshire state line where the trackage then joins the Pan Am Railways Main Line for the rest of the journey up until the last mile of track which is owned by the Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT). All of the lines used and seen in the video were once part of the Boston and Maine Railroad's Mai Line. Amtrak Downeaster service originally began in December 2001, with service to Freeport and Brunswick commencing in November 2012. Unlike most other Amtrak routes, the Downeaster is separated from the rest of Amtrak's network due to the lack of a direct connection between Boston's North Station and the other stations in the area. Most of the track is double-tracked on the MBTA-owned lines, but North of Haverhill the line is mostly single-tracked with occasional double-track sections. Pan Am Railways also runs frequent freight service along the line between Haverhill and Portland's Rigby Yard.

Sit back, relax, and enjoy the sights and sounds of the journey! :)

Additional Information:
Recording Date: August 10, 2020
Editing Tool: Sony Vegas Pro 20
Leading Locomotive: Amtrak P42DC (Forget the Number)
Train Number: 683
Class I Rode In: Coach
Departure Station: Boston, MA North Station
Arrival Station: Brunswick, ME
Departure Time: 12:05 PM EDT
Arrival Time: 3:25 PM EDT
Travel Time: 3 Hours 20 Minutes
Track Owners: MBTA, Pan Am Railways, MaineDOT
Total Distance Traveled: 145 Miles (233 km)
Top Speed: 79 MPH
Electrification Type: None

Video Table of Contents:

0:00 - Welcome to Boston North Station!
1:22 - Boarding our train to Brunswick on Track 4
3:52 - Departing North Station
15:39 - West Medford MBTA Station
17:47 - Wedgemere MBTA Station
18:19 - Winchester Center MBTA Station
22:26 - Mishawum MBTA Station
23:23-23:50 - Arriving/Departing Anderson RTC (Woburn) Amtrak/MBTA Station
27:46 - Wilmington MBTA Station
28:00 - Leaving the MBTA Lowell Line and joining the MBTA Wildcat Branch
34:26 - Ballardville MBTA Station (Not Seen)
36:33 - Andover MBTA Station
37:34 - Former Shawsheen Village MBTA Station
40:22 - Lawrence MBTA Station
47:00 - Bradford MBTA Station
47:39 - Crossing the Merrimack River Into Haverhill, MA
48:04 -48:49 - Arriving/Departing Haverhill Amtrak/MBTA Station
53:08 - State Line MA-NH
1:12:23-1:12:39 - Arriving/Departing Exeter, NH Station.
1:26:41-1:27:00 - Arriving/Departing Durham-UNH Station.
1:37:23-1:37:31 - Arriving/Departing Dover, NH Station.
1:47:00 - State Line NH-ME
2:02:15-2:02:46 - Arriving/Departing Wells, ME Station
2:16:54-2:17:09 - Arriving/Departing Saco-Biddeford, ME Station
2:23:32-2:23:39 - Arriving/Departing Old Orchard Beach, ME Station
2:27:34 - Scarborough Marsh
2:42:40-2:48:33 - Reverse Arrival/Departure from Portland, ME Station
3:14:08-3:14:31 - Arriving/Departing Freeport, ME Station
3:25:13 - Welcome to Brunswick!