2m 54s | 110 view | 2 rating

We arrived at the Framingham, MA Amtrak station via the Lake Shore Limited. Framingham's vintage rail depot is now a restaurant, but the building looks essentially unchanged from its days as a train station. After spending the night in a nearby hotel, we got up early to take a walk around downtown Framingham, MA. The day before, I had asked the Amtrak conductor if he knew of any good coffee shops in Framingham. He recommended the Tedeschi convenience store which was just up the block from the tracks and had regular coffee as well as several flavors. The conductor was right, Tedeschi's had great coffee, which gave us the energy to explore all Framingham had to offer. After getting our coffees, we walked up the footbridge crossing the Framingham railroad tracks. The footbridge provided a great view of downtown Framingham. Just as we were about to leave, I saw a strange vehicle traveling along the tracks. For a moment, I thought I was seeing things. It soon became clear that Amtrak had fitted construction equipment with steel wheels to drive down the tracks like a train. One after the other, the construction equipment kept on rolling down the railroad tracks. One of the machines was even hauling a porta potty! There was a commuter train bound for Boston parked on the other track. Watching this construction equipment slowly roll down the train tracks was one of the more interesting things I've seen. I love Amtrak, so it's nice to see them maintaining the tracks!