Monthly Meetings
Every month, we hold a meeting online via Zoom that is open to members and guests alike. These are usually held on the first weekend of the month, unless it is a holiday weekend. Each meeting begins with a brief business portion, which includes MBTA current events, followed by an entertainment presentation on a transit-related topic.
Virtual Meeting Link
Our June 2026 Meeting will be held on June 6 at 7:30PM EST.
BSRA Members and guests can access the meeting live via Zoom using the button 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: 852 4068 1965
Passcode: 267724
Upcoming Meeting & Entertainment Schedule
Below you will find dates and scheduled entertainment programs for our next virtual meetings. Interested in being a presenter? Let us know!
JUNE 6, 2026
Douglas Kydd’s Primer on the Boston & Maine RR: Postwar Years, 1945 till their demise in the late 1980s
The Boston & Maine Railroad (1845 – 1986) was once a household name, recognized all over Massachusetts and northern New England. Its 1,400+ mile network extended as far west as Rotterdam Junction, NY, as far east as Portland, Maine, and as far north as Sherbrooke Quebec. At its North Station terminus in Boston, one could board Pullman sleeping cars for Montreal, Halifax in Nova Scotia, or Chicago, or one could take a commuter train to Saugus, Stoneham or South Sudbury.
Until the 1980s, its name was as recognizable as Coca Cola or Bell Telephone. Today, 90% or more of the thousands of MBTA Commuter Rail and Amtrak Downeaster riders passing through North Station each day have never even heard of the B&M. This Month, retired engineer Douglas Kydd of the Boston & Maine Railroad (1978 – 1986) and (1997 – 1993) Amtrak will show us a view of the B&M in its final decades, from 1945 until it became a fallen flag in December 1986.
JULY 11, 2026
Boston’s Under-the-Hood Transit Revisited
BSRA member and head of the YouTube channel “Boston By Rails”, Nathan Ives will present photos of the behind the scenes Boston railroading in 2026, whilst also explaining the importance of these lesser known trains to the history and future of the MBTA. From equipment moves, to rock salt delivery trains to wire inspection cars, lots of historic pieces of transit past still play an important role in keeping the MBTA running.
NOTE: This meeting will be on the second Saturday of the month, due to the July 4 holiday weekend.
AUGUST 1, 2026
Douglas Kydd Presents Boston’s Commuter Rail: From Heritage To State of the Art
Once upon a time, not so long ago, rail transportation in the Boston suburbs came under many different banners: the New Haven to the south, the Boston & Maine to the north, and for those in the west, the New York Central, still known to some as the Boston & Albany. For a while, a new company, Penn Central, made an appearance. Now things have changed; it’s all under one flag, the one with a circle-T emblem. Come view images of Commuter Rail, from before it was called that, up to the present MBTA era, where it is a sometimes unified, and sometimes not-so-unified operation, whose participants struggle to maintain their own identities in the not-so-blended melting pot of Mass Transit in the Boston Area.
SEPTEMBER 12, 2026
Leo Sullivan Surprise Show
Leo Sullivan returns with a surprise show! Leo’s programs on transportation in Massachusetts and New England are always packed with great old images and lots of information. Watch this page for program details when available.
NOTE: This meeting will be on the second Saturday of the month, due to the Labor Day weekend.
Save the Dates!
Additional meeting dates for 2026 include October 3 (Annual Meeting), November 7, and December 5. Entertainment information to come!
BSRA Zoom Meeting Guidelines & Tips
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
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. Note: dialing in by phone will only provide meeting audio, and does not allow for viewing slides, voting in polls, or participating in the meeting chat.