One of the Association’s most popular activities is our monthly meetings, which are currently being held virtually via Zoom. Meetings begin at 7:30PM, typically on the first Saturday of every month. A short business meeting (including a detailed current events segment on MBTA news) is followed by an entertainment program, consisting of past and present transit operations from around the Northeast, the nation, and the world. Entertainment usually begins at approximately 8PM and generally lasts 1-2 hours.
March Virtual Meeting Information
The March Meeting will be held on March 4 at 7:30PM EDT. BSRA Members and guests can access the meeting live via Zoom using the link below. Regular Members should also review full reports at this link before the meeting, as they will be voted on for approval.
Dial in by phone (audio only):
Call 1-646-558-8656 (Outside the US? Find your local number here) and enter the below details when prompted:
Meeting ID: 893 8781 1784
Passcode: 544782
We use the Zoom platform to conduct our virtual monthly meetings. At 7:30PM on the day of the meeting, you can join by clicking the link posted on this page, or by dialing in using your phone to the number listed on this page. Please note a few basic rules:
- All attendees will enter a “waiting room” before being admitted into the meeting by the host
- All attendees will be muted on entry, and are asked to keep themselves muted for the duration of the meeting
- Attendees are asked to use the chat feature in Zoom to raise any questions, rather than speaking, to allow the meeting to run efficiently and minimize cross-talk
- Anyone wishing to raise any items of New or Old Business, or any Current Events items, should also post them using the Chat feature when prompted during the meeting
- Voting and making motions are limited to Regular Members in good standing only; all others are asked abstain from voting. Motions are subject to member verification by the Board before proceeding
Note: You do not need to install the Zoom software to join the meeting, though it does provide a better experience. Instead, you can click “join in your browser” after clicking the meeting link, or you can dial in by phone.
We do not currently record our monthly meetings. This is primarily due to both the effort required to do so properly, and copyright concerns around the sharing of content created by others.
The BSRA does not permit any video, still, or sound recording of the entertainment programs at our in-person, live meetings. This policy applies to entertainment provided at our virtual (Zoom) meetings as well. This is out of respect for the rights of our presenters and out of consideration for all members of our audience, and to ensure that we are in compliance with copyright and intellectual property law.
If individual members want recordings of entertainment programs provided at our meetings, we suggest that you contact the presenter and make arrangements directly with the presenter for the material you want. It is up to the individual presenter to determine to what extent they are willing to do so.
We appreciate your co-operation. Thank you.
Upcoming Meetings & Entertainment
Below is a list of our next scheduled meetings and their entertainment programs.
We are always looking for presenters at future meetings! If you are interested, please contact us. We generally seek presentations of historic or recent-event transit subjects, especially those involving cities in the Northeast.
APRIL 1, 2022
Stories of the MBTA’s Grand Junction Branch: An Unknown Boston Transit Lifeline
BSRA member and head of the YouTube channel “Boston By Rails”, Nathan Ives will present his favorite catches on the MBTA’s Grand Junction Branch over the past few years, whilst also explaining the importance of the line to the MBTA commuter rail. He will also cover the history and the interesting future the line holds, as well as sharing some common misconceptions that go along with the Grand Junction. Photos of stone trains, vital equipment moves, and more, come along to learn about this fascinating train line.
MAY 6, 2022
Derek Carter’s Lisbon and Hiroshima Journey
Derek Carter will present “Vintage Trolleys of Lisbon and Hiroshima”, featuring photos he took on trips in 2001 and 2005. Lisbon continues to operate several dozen 2-axle trolleys originally built in the 1930s. Meanwhile, the Hiroshima Electric Railway is known as “The Moving Streetcar Museum” for its eclectic collection of historic trolleys acquired from all over Japan and still running in regular service.
JUNE 3, 2022
Clark Frazier Tours The Warsaw Pact
In 1978–1982, Clark Frazier visited Warsaw Pact countries including Ukraine and Estonia (then part of the Soviet Union), Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, and East Germany, and will show what he saw. He will also show bonus photos from his visits to Poland after 1989, including after the fall of the Berlin Wall. (This show was originally scheduled for January 7, 2023 and then for April 1, 2023.)
July 8, 2022
Leo Sullivan’s favorite Pictures From All Over
Leo Sullivan will show us a potpourri of pictures from places he went in various parts of the world, including collections he has accumulated over the years. Expect many surprises!
August 5, 2022
The Photography of George H. Hill, Boston & Maine’s Official Photographer
Rick Kfoury, railroad author and historian, and Newsletter Editor for the Boston & Maine Railroad Historical Society, will show the B&M’s Public Relations photographic collection, portraying what the B&M wanted its employees and the general public to see. Official B&M photographer George H. Hill covered special trains and events, new equipment and customers, infrastructure, employees, and more, in photos both staged and natural, in the mid–Twentieth Century, a key period of change for Boston’s northern railroad.
Additional Meeting Dates (Entertainment TBD):
September 9, October 14, November 4, and December 2, 2023.
Past Meeting Entertainment Reports
We have offered a wide variety of entertainment through the years, and provide detailed reports of past meetings at the link below.