CHESTER — The Chester Foundation/Chester Railway Station successfully moved the historic Bernie’s train car from Main Street to Emery Street through the Prospect Street underpass on Dec. 22. A notice was sent out to residents in advance that the road would be closed until the train car went through.
The dining car had been parked near the Common Table restaurant across from the station after its arrival from Chicopee. Town officials were fully involved and were kept apprised of any developments in real time. Fire, Rescue, EMT, Police and Highway were all present and ready to react with typical dispatch.
The Chester Foundation president, David Pierce, said the underpass was extensively measured by Iron Mountain Iron and Equipment, LLC, the trucking company contracted to move the car, using two 12-foot poles on wheels connected by 100 feet of cord. The car is 11 feet 4 inches high and 85 feet long, so it was measured oversized.
The car was slung low on two wreckers, only inches off the ground. The bridge is marked 12 feet 6 inches, but is actually 13 feet 6 inches. Red’s Towing was subcontracted by Iron Mountain to move the car under the underpass. All entities involved, Iron Mountain, Red’s, and The Chester Foundation, provided certificates of liability insurance.
The move was paid for by The Chester Foundation, a private nonprofit organization.
According to Chester Foundation Treasurer Barbara Huntoon, the newly acquired dining car made it under the Prospect Street underpass to its home at the Chester Railway Station per the plan. “The move went without a hitch, under the allotted time, and was witnessed by a devoted crowd who braved the cold and wind,” Huntoon said.
“Many thanks to our president, Dave Pierce, for all of his legwork on getting this setup, along with our vice president, Chet Brett, who helped Dave with the preliminaries. Thank you to Tommy Szirbik Sr. and Iron Mountain Iron and Equipment, LLC. for their expertise and to Red’s Towing for theirs. We also extend a sincere thanks to the Chester Board of Selectmen, the town administrator, the Chester Highway Department, the Chester-Blandford Police Department, the Chester Fire Department, the Middlefield Fire Department, and Hilltown Community Ambulance, who provided support that kept the residents of Prospect and Emery streets safe … A huge thank you to John and Diane DeMoss for allowing the use of their property during the move,” Huntoon added.
Huntoon also thanked the Chester Foundation board members for recognizing the validity of saving the dining car and for collaborating and communicating with all involved to make this move a success. “The success of this move clearly underscores what can be accomplished with imagination, dedication, collaboration and a solid plan,” she said.
Pierce said there is still one more move to make, to place the dining car on its struts behind the Blue Caboose. He said they have been wanting to get a dining car for the station for 30 years. The Pullman coach, which dates to 1946, ran on New York Central through Amtrak during that time period. Pierce said Amtrak stickers are still visible. “It was a coach first, made into a dining car,” he said, where it became a fixture for 40 years as Bernie’s Dining Depot in Chicopee, famous for its prime rib.
“We always thought that would be a nice addition to the Chester Railway Station,” Pierce said. He said they anticipate holding events in the dining car and cooking in the Blue Caboose, which is also getting a commercial kitchen upgrade this winter. The goal is to complete the work by Chester on Track on May 16, 2026.
“We’ll be starting that work almost immediately. We made a lot of progress,” Pierce said.
The 1862 Chester Railway Station & Museum (www.chesterrailwaystation.net) is a National Historic Landmark and a popular tourist destination. Its rolling stock also includes an early steam engine, two boxcars with museum articles to study, a Baker’s Chocolate tanker, a campout wooden caboose available for sleepovers and a small rail work car.
