When I heard the freight trains rolling behind my house today in rural Becket, MA, I realized I had not noticed them at all yesterday, Jan. 1, 2000. Since I have a very busy household and might have missed them yesterday, I asked a guest who was staying in a room where you can hear the train if he had heard them yesterday. His answer was "no" as we both listened attentively to a train rambling loudly by in the background. I heard another train again before we left for a trip to Northampton, MA (1 hr. away). On the way home, I noticed another freight train passing though Huntington, MA probably on it's way to Becket. Alot of train traffic today. A good sign.

The traffic lights in Northampton, MA seemed to be working well with the exception of one I noticed blinking. It may always be set that way. Northampton should be one of the better prepared towns in MA since it was the location of the only major Northeast Y2K community preparedness conference. Around 5-600 attended and many towns began their preparedness efforts as a result.

-- Jeanette Thomas (ou_2000@berkshire.net), January 02, 2000