Former Attleboro Branch right-of-way off Route 152
Overview
Status
Abandoned
Owner
Attleborough Branch Railroad Company (original) Boston & Providence Railroad (lease) Old Colony Railroad (lease) New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad (lease)
The Attleboro Branch Railroad (originally spelled as the Attleborough Branch) was a short railroad branch line in southeastern Massachusetts that formerly connected the city of Attleboro with the town of North Attleborough. Opened in 1870, the 4.6-mile (7.4 km) branch was originally built and operated as a steam railroad. In the early 20th century, it was converted into an electric interurbantrolley line, locally nicknamed the “Gee Whiz Line.” Steam-hauled service ended in the early 1900s, and the trolley line ceased operations in 1932. Today, the former right-of-way is abandoned and has been repurposed as a utility corridor.
The Attleboro Branch Railroad was chartered in the late 1860s to connect Attleboro’s Boston–Providence main line with the industrial village of North Attleborough.[1] Service began in January 1870, when the 4.6-mile (7.4 km) line opened from a junction near Attleboro station northwest to North Attleborough. Built by the independent Attleborough Branch Railroad Company, the line was leased from the outset to the Boston & Providence Railroad (B&P).[1] In 1888, the B&P was leased by the Old Colony Railroad, placing the Attleboro Branch under Old Colony control.[2]
In December 1890, the Old Colony opened the Wrentham Branch from Walpole to North Attleborough, where it physically connected with the Attleboro Branch.[1] This created a through route, allowing trains from the Wrentham Branch to continue east to Attleboro and then south along the Boston–Providence main line. In 1892, the Wrentham Branch was extended north to the New York & New England Railroad’sMidland Division at Norwood Central (now part of the MBTAFranklin/Foxboro Line), making the Attleboro Branch the southern leg of a secondary Boston–Providence route.[3] The stations on the Attleboro Branch included Attleboro’s downtown station, Chestnut Street, and a small depot in North Attleborough—sometimes referred to as Attleborough Falls—which served as the terminus and interchange with the Wrentham Branch.[4]
In 1893, the Old Colony and its leased lines, including the B&P, were in turn leased by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad (NYNH&H).[1] After acquiring the branch, the New Haven began streamlining operations and eliminating redundancies. The lease of the Attleboro Branch Railroad expired in 1901, and the New Haven chose not to renew it.[5] Instead, it constructed a new connection for the Wrentham Branch to maintain a Providence-bound route independent of the Attleboro Branch. On June 27, 1903, the New Haven opened a 4.6-mile (7.4 km) extension of the Wrentham Branch southwest from North Attleborough to Adamsdale Junction, in northern Pawtucket, Rhode Island.[6] This extension linked the Wrentham line directly to the New Haven’s Rhode Island network (via the Valley Falls Branch and Providence and Worcester mainline), rendering the Attleboro Branch unnecessary for through service.[1]
Trolley conversion
North Attleborough station in the early 1900s. The station would have additionally served the Wrentham Branch
With the new Adamsdale connection in service, the Attleboro Branch Railroad was rendered redundant for the New Haven’s operations. In 1903, the line was returned to its independent owners and subsequently sold. Regular steam service ceased that year. Rather than being abandoned, the line was converted into an electric interurban trolley in mid-1903.[6] Outfitted with overhead trolley wires, electric streetcar service began in June 1903, earning the nickname “Gee Whiz Line” for its swift travel.[1] Operating entirely on a dedicated right-of-way—similar to the Ashmont–Mattapan High-Speed Line—it functioned as a high-frequency shuttle between the B&P mainline at Attleboro and the Wrentham Branch at North Attleborough.[7]
In 1907, the line was taken over by the Rhode Island Company, a Providence-based transit operator later reorganized as United Electric Railways. Under their ownership, the Attleboro–North Attleborough line became part of a broader network of trolley and interurban services radiating from Providence. The line continued to carry passengers—and some freight via interurban freight motors—through the 1910s and 1920s.[1]
Decline and abandonment
By the early 1930s, ridership on the “Gee Whiz” interurban had declined due to the rising popularity of automobiles and the economic impact of the Great Depression. Trolley service was discontinued in 1932, and the Attleboro Branch was fully abandoned as a rail corridor.[7] The Attleborough Branch Railroad Company, no longer serving a functional purpose, was dissolved in the following years. Thereafter, only mainline rail service remained in the area—New Haven passenger trains continued to stop at Attleboro, but passenger service to North Attleborough via the Wrentham Branch ended in 1938.[1]
Route and current status
Former Attleboro Branch bridge abutments at the Bungay River
The Attleboro Branch ran roughly east–west between Attleboro and North Attleborough, Massachusetts. It originated near Attleboro station on the Boston–Providence main line (at Attleboro Junction) and extended to a terminus near downtown North Attleborough. The branch passed through the Attleboro Falls area along the Ten Mile River valley, home to numerous factories and mills served by the line during its steam railroad era.[8] In North Attleborough, the original depot was located near South Washington Street, where it connected with the Old Colony’s Wrentham Branch beginning in the 1890s.[1] During the interurban era, trolley cars followed the same alignment, linking with local streetcar routes in Attleboro and, via the Rhode Island Company network, offering service toward Pawtucket and Providence by transfer at Valley Falls or the state line.
Following the line’s abandonment in 1932, the right-of-way was gradually repurposed. Much of the former railbed was acquired for utility use, and high-voltage transmission lines were installed along large portions of the corridor. The rail embankment remains visible in several areas, and a number of bridge abutments are still extant.[8] In Attleboro, some segments of the right-of-way have been built over. Although the Attleboro Junction area has been heavily altered over the decades, the former junction remains identifiable and is currently used as a maintenance access point by Amtrak and Keolis.
Attleboro and North Attleborough have expressed interest in converting the disused corridor into a rail trail. In 2009, town officials proposed the creation of the “Gee Whiz Trolley Trail,” a shared-use path following the former railroad grade. However, by the mid-2010s the rail trail project was indefinitely paused due to conflicts with utility companies that own portions of the corridor.[9]
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Karr, Ronald Dale (1995). The Rail Lines of Southern New England: A Handbook of Railroad History. Branch Line Press. pp.84–85. ISBN0-942147-02-4.{{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: checksum (help)
↑ Annual Report of the Old Colony Railroad Company to the Stockholders (Report). Old Colony Railroad. 1888.
↑ Annual Report of the Old Colony Railroad Company to the Stockholders (Report). Old Colony Railroad. December 31, 1892. p.8.
↑ Atlas of Bristol County, Massachusetts (Map). Boston: Smith & Bumstead. 1871.
↑ Annual Report of the Directors to the Stockholders (Report). New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Company. 1903. p.14.
1 2 "Railroad Notes". Boston Daily Globe. June 28, 1903. p.12.
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