Boston, Clinton, Fitchburg and New Bedford Railroad

Last updated
Boston, Clinton, Fitchburg and New Bedford Railroad
Map
Share of the Boston, Clinton, Fitchburg and New Bedford Railroad Company, issued 1. June 1876 Boston, Clinton, Fitchburg and New Bedford RR 1876.jpg
Share of the Boston, Clinton, Fitchburg and New Bedford Railroad Company, issued 1. June 1876
An arm of the Boston, Clinton and Fitchburg Railroad over Foss Reservoir in Framingham Agricultural Branch.JPG
An arm of the Boston, Clinton and Fitchburg Railroad over Foss Reservoir in Framingham

The Boston, Clinton, Fitchburg and New Bedford Railroad was a railroad in Massachusetts. It was formed on June 1, 1876, when the Boston, Clinton and Fitchburg Railroad merged with the New Bedford Railroad. The Boston, Clinton and Fitchburg Railroad connected with the key railroad hubs of Worcester, Framingham, and Ayer, as well as several important industrial towns such as Fitchburg and Lowell, with the latter coming through a lease of the Framingham and Lowell Railroad. The New Bedford Railroad linked Framingham with New Bedford, which was a key deep-water port. [1] :420

In 1879, the Boston, Clinton, Fitchburg and New Bedford Railroad was leased to the Old Colony Railroad, but on October 1 of that same year it still extended its lease of the Framingham and Lowell Railroad to 998 years. [1] :422 On September 10, 1881, the Framingham and Lowell Railroad was deeded on execution sale to the Boston, Clinton, Fitchburg, and New Bedford Railroad and renamed to the Lowell and Framingham Railroad Company. The sale resulted in the railroad's largest network with 126.2 miles of track system-wide. [1] :427

On March 5, 1883, the Boston, Clinton, Fitchburg and New Bedford Railroad was outright consolidated into the Old Colony network. [1] :422 In 1893, the Old Colony Railroad was leased to the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. [1] The line last had regular passenger service in 1958, except for a return of New York to Cape Cod service ending in 1964. [2] :328,330

By the 1960s, the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad, like many railroads, was struggling to stay solvent in the face of increased competition from alternate modes of transportation, and so in 1961 it petitioned to be included in the newly formed Penn Central Transportation Company. On December 31, 1968 all of its properties were purchased by Penn Central. [3] Penn Central, however, soon went bankrupt, and on April 1, 1976 it was taken over by Conrail. On August 22, 1998, the Surface Transportation Board approved the buyout of Conrail by CSX and Norfolk Southern, with the former assuming control of the former Boston, Clinton, Fitchburg and New Bedford Railroad network. [4]

The Bruce Freeman Rail Trail in South Chelmsford, on the line once occupied by the Framingham and Lowell Railroad Bruce Freeman Rail Trail, South Chelmsford MA.jpg
The Bruce Freeman Rail Trail in South Chelmsford, on the line once occupied by the Framingham and Lowell Railroad

Today, most of the network is still in use by CSX. The tracks of the former Boston, Clinton and Fitchburg Railroad between Sterling Junction and Pratts Junction were abandoned and converted into the Central Mass Rail Trail. Additionally, the line no longer extends to Fitchburg, now ending in Leominster with the tracks between Leominster and Fitchburg also abandoned. The entirety of the former Framingham and Lowell Railroad line has also been abandoned, and is currently in various stages of being converted into Bruce Freeman Rail Trail. [5] Some of the goods CSX hauls along the line include lumber, corn syrup, scrap metal, and plastic pellets. [2] :192–193,284–286

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad</span> Railroad in the United States from 1872 to 1968

The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad, commonly known as The Consolidated, or simply as the New Haven, was a railroad that operated in the New England region of the United States from 1872 to December 31, 1968. Founded by the merger of the New York and New Haven and Hartford and New Haven railroads, the company had near-total dominance of railroad traffic in Southern New England for the first half of the 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MBTA Commuter Rail</span> Greater Boston rail system

The MBTA Commuter Rail system serves as the commuter rail arm of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's transportation coverage of Greater Boston in the United States. Trains run over 398 mi (641 km) of track to 141 different stations, with 58 stations on the north side and 83 stations on the south. It is operated under contract by Keolis, which took over operations on July 1, 2014, from the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company (MBCR).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boston and Albany Railroad</span> American railroad line (1867-1961)

The Boston and Albany Railroad was a railroad connecting Boston, Massachusetts to Albany, New York, later becoming part of the New York Central Railroad system, Conrail, and CSX Transportation. The line is currently used by CSX for freight. Passenger service is provided on the line by Amtrak, as part of their Lake Shore Limited service, and by the MBTA Commuter Rail system, which owns the section east of Worcester and operates it as its Framingham/Worcester Line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Colony Railroad</span> Former railroad system in Massachusetts and Rhode Island

The Old Colony Railroad (OC) was a major railroad system, mainly covering southeastern Massachusetts and parts of Rhode Island, which operated from 1845 to 1893. Old Colony trains ran from Boston to points such as Plymouth, Fall River, New Bedford, Newport, Providence, Fitchburg, Lowell and Cape Cod. For many years the Old Colony Railroad Company also operated steamboat and ferry lines, including those of the Fall River Line with express train service from Boston to its wharf in Fall River where passengers boarded luxury liners to New York City. The company also briefly operated a railroad line on Martha's Vineyard, as well as the freight-only Union Freight Railroad in Boston. The OC was named after the "Old Colony", the nickname for the Plymouth Colony.

The Fall River Subdivision is a freight railroad line in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, owned by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, with freight operations handled by the Massachusetts Coastal Railroad; it was formerly owned and operated by CSX Transportation. The line runs from the New Bedford Subdivision at Myricks south to Fall River along a former New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad line. At its south end, at the Rhode Island state line in Fall River, it becomes a line of the Providence and Worcester Railroad.

The New Bedford Subdivision is a freight railroad line in the U.S. state of Massachusetts owned by the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority, with freight operations handled by the Massachusetts Coastal Railroad. The line runs from the end of the CSX Middleboro Subdivision near Weir Village south to New Bedford along a former New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad line. It joins the Fall River Subdivision at Myricks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Middleboro Secondary</span>

The Middleboro Secondary is a railroad line owned by MassDOT in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. The line runs from Attleboro to Middleborough via Taunton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Framingham Secondary</span>

The Framingham Secondary is a railroad line in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. The line runs from Mansfield northwest to Framingham along a former New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad line. Its south end is at Amtrak's Northeast Corridor, over which CSX has trackage rights to reach the Middleboro Subdivision at Attleboro and the Boston Subdivision in Boston. Its north end is at the Framingham/Worcester Line; the Fitchburg Subdivision continues northwest from Framingham.

The Fitchburg Subdivision is a railroad line owned by CSX Transportation in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. The line runs from Fitchburg southeast to Framingham Center along a former New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad line. Its south end is at the Boston Subdivision; the MBTA's Framingham Secondary continues southeast from Framingham.

The Fairhaven Branch Railroad was a short-line railroad in Massachusetts. It ran from West Wareham on the Cape Cod main line of the Old Colony Railroad, southwest to Fairhaven, a town across the Acushnet River from New Bedford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taunton Branch Railroad</span>


The Taunton Branch Railroad was one of the earliest railroads to be established in Massachusetts, United States. It was chartered by the state in 1835 as a branch of the Boston and Providence Railroad running between Mansfield and Taunton, Massachusetts. The railroad provided a rapid overland connection between the seat of Bristol County and Boston and Providence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church Street station (MBTA)</span> Under-construction railway station in New Bedford, Massachusetts

Church Street station is an under-construction MBTA Commuter Rail station located in northern New Bedford, Massachusetts, United States. It is planned to open in 2023 as part of the first phase of the South Coast Rail project. The station will have a single side platform on the east side of the New Bedford Subdivision, along with a park and ride lot.

The Dighton and Somerset Railroad, currently referred to as the Dean Street Industrial Track, is a railroad that ran between Fall River and Braintree, Massachusetts. It opened in 1866; from the 1890s to the 1930s and again in the late 1950s, it was the primary rail route from Boston to the South Coast. Passenger service ended in stages with the final regular service in 1958, though freight service on two short segments continues into the 21st century. MBTA Commuter Rail service is proposed to be extended onto the northern part of the line around 2030 as part of the South Coast Rail project.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fitchburg and Worcester Railroad</span>

The Fitchburg and Worcester Railroad was a railroad in Massachusetts. It was incorporated in 1840 to provide a rail connection between Fitchburg and Worcester. Service began on February 11, 1850, running 18 miles from Fitchburg through Leominster and Sterling to Sterling Junction, where it connected with the Worcester and Nashua Railroad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agricultural Branch Railroad</span>

The Agricultural Branch Railroad was a railroad in Massachusetts. It was incorporated by the Legislature of Massachusetts on April 26, 1847, to provide a rail connection between Framingham and Northborough through the town of Southborough and a small portion of the city of Marlborough. Service began on December 1, 1855.

The New Bedford Railroad was a railroad in Massachusetts. It was incorporated on July 1, 1873, as a merger between the New Bedford and Taunton Railroad, the Taunton Branch Railroad, and the Middleborough and Taunton Railroad. The main line ran from a junction with the Boston and Providence Railroad in Mansfield through the towns of Norton, Taunton, Berkley, Lakeville, and Freetown to the deep-water whaling port of New Bedford. The railroad also had several branches, including the former Middleborough and Taunton Railroad, which ran from Weir Village, Taunton into Middleborough through Raynham, and a shortcut to Providence via the Boston and Providence Railroad which ran from Taunton to Attleborough through Norton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Framingham and Lowell Railroad</span> Railroad in Middlesex County, Massachusetts

The Framingham and Lowell Railroad was a railroad in Middlesex County, Massachusetts. It was incorporated in 1870 to provide a rail connection between the growing railroad hub of Framingham and the important mill city of Lowell, passing through the towns of Sudbury, Concord, Acton, Carlisle, Westford and Chelmsford. The 26.1 mile line opened on October 1, 1871.

The Taunton and Middleborough Railroad was a railroad in Massachusetts. It was incorporated in 1848 to connect the Taunton Branch Railroad in Weir Village, Taunton with the Fall River Railroad and newly built Cape Cod Branch Railroad in Middleborough through the town of Raynham. In 1853, the railroad changed its name to the Middleborough and Taunton Railroad.

The Charles River Railroad was a railroad in Massachusetts. It ran from a connection with the end of the Charles River Branch Railroad in Dover to Bellingham through the current-day towns of Medfield, Millis, and Medway.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Massachusetts. Joint Commission on the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad Company, ed. (1911). Report of the Board of Railroad Commissioners, the Tax Commissioner and the Bank Commissioner, sitting as a commission, relative to the assets and liabilities of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad Company, Feb. 15, 1911. Boston, Mass.: Wright & Potter Printing Co. pp. 326, 420–427. LCCN   12033447. OCLC   20532802 . Retrieved 2013-01-28.
  2. 1 2 Karr, Ronald Dale (1995). The Rail Lines of Southern New England. Branch Line Press. ISBN   0942147022.
  3. Drury, George H. (1994). The Historical Guide to North American Railroads: Histories, Figures, and Features of more than 160 Railroads Abandoned or Merged since 1930. Waukesha, Wisconsin: Kalmbach Publishing. pp. 222–229, 248. ISBN   0-89024-072-8
  4. "A Brief History of Conrail". Consolidated Rail Corporation. 2003. Archived from the original on 2010-11-21.
  5. "Bruce Freeman Rail Trail". Friends of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail. Retrieved 26 November 2014.