A B737-200 FLC STRAYS SLIGHTLY E OF COURSE NEAR BDR AND DECREASES THEIR DISTANCE FROM A CLBING ACR ACFT AT FL240 N OF BDR; CT.

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ROUTING FOR FLT MCO-ALB: LGA 055 DEG RADIAL TRUDE V487 CANAN; V130 ALB. AT FL240; ON LGA 055 DEG RADIAL; 20 DME; WITH ZNY; GIVEN SQUAWK CHANGE. EXPECTED A FREQ CHANGE TO ZBW BUT DIDN'T GET ONE. AT SAME TIME; VISUALLY PICKED UP TFC (ESTIMATE A B757) AT FL220; NOSE; 10 NM AND CLBING. ALSO HAD ON TCASII. APCHING BDR 355 DEG RADIAL; MONITORED ACFT CLBING THROUGH FL230. BDR VOR SIGNAL WAS WEAK AS WE STARTED NBOUND TURN ONTO THE 355 DEG RADIAL. QUESTIONED ZNY ABOUT ACFT ON OUR NOSE 8 NM CLBING THROUGH FL235. NO CONFLICT; JUST CURIOUS. ZNY ASKED US WHERE WE WERE AND TO IDENT; THEN INFORMED US TO STAY WITH HIM ON THE FREQ. WHEN BDR VOR SETTLED DOWN; WE SHOWED OURSELVES 3 NM E OF V487 WITH QUESTIONED ACFT AT ABOUT 8 NM AT 1 O'CLOCK FL240 ALSO. ZNY GAVE US A N VECTOR; THEN A HDOF TO ZBW WITH NO FURTHER COMMENTS. REST OF FLT UNEVENTFUL. WE WERE MOSTLY CURIOUS ABOUT THE OTHER ACFT AT FL240 INSIDE 10 NM AND THAT LED TO THE DISCOVERY THAT A HDOF TO ZBW HAD NOT BEEN DONE. OUR FEELING IS THAT BOSTON WAS TALKING TO OTHER ACFT AND WOULD HAVE POINTED HIM OUT TO US.