Providence and Springfield Railroad

Last updated
Providence and Springfield Railroad
Pascoag station postcard (2).jpg
Pascoag station circa 1915-1930
Overview
Headquarters Providence, Rhode Island
Dates of operation18731890
Successor New York and New England Railroad
Technical
Track gauge 4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Length29 miles (47 km)

The Providence and Springfield Railroad was a railroad in the U.S. states of Rhode Island and Massachusetts. It was originally chartered as the Woonasquatucket Railroad in 1857, and renamed to the Providence and Springfield Railroad in 1872. Construction started in 1872, and the line opened between the Olneyville neighborhood of Providence and Pascoag, Rhode Island, in 1873.

The Providence and Springfield was leased by the New York and New England Railroad in 1890. The NY&NE extended the line northward to Douglas, Massachusetts, in 1893. [1] [2] The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad took control of the NY&NE in 1895. The extension north of Pascoag was abandoned in 1937, and the remainder of the line in 1962. Parts of the right of way have been converted into rail-trails.

History

Smithfield station in 2018 Smithfield station buiding and tracks, September 2018.JPG
Smithfield station in 2018

The Providence and Springfield Railroad was originally chartered as the Woonasquatucket Railroad in January 1857. [3] [4] No progress was made at first, as the Panic of 1857 and the Civil War precluded any investment in the new company. [5] While the charter was renewed several times, the railroad was not organized until 1871. [5] The company's name was changed to the Providence and Springfield Railroad in January 1872 by an act of the Rhode Island General Assembly. [6] A second act passed contemporaneously authorized the City of Providence to purchase up to $500,000 worth of bonds to support the railroad's construction, and other towns to subscribe to the railroad's stock. [6] The railroad was intended to link Providence to Springfield, Massachusetts, meeting the Boston and Albany Railroad. [4] Construction began in 1872 and the railroad opened approximately 20.5 miles (33.0 km) from Providence's Olneyville neighborhood to Pascoag, Rhode Island, in August 1873. [1]

At first, Providence and Springfield Railroad trains covered the remaining two to Providence Union Station via trackage rights over the Hartford, Providence and Fishkill Railroad (HP&F) main line. This was ended when the Providence and Springfield built a parallel track of its own along the HP&F alignment, with the HP&F's agreement, in 1874. [1] [4] The company built its own station in Providence in 1880 at Gaspee Street, near the Great Salt Cove. [1] [4]

The Providence and Springfield was leased by the New York and New England Railroad in 1890. The NY&NE expanded the Providence and Springfield northward from Pascoag to Douglas, Massachusetts, connecting to the NY&NE main line there. [1]

The NY&NE was succeeded by the short-lived New England Railroad in 1895, under the control of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad (the New Haven), which took direct control in 1898. The New England Railroad shut down the line north of Pascoag within a year of assuming operations; it was returned to service in 1904. [1] Trains north of Pascoag were ended again in 1926, and the NY&NE-built extension abandoned in 1937. The original Providence and Springfield Railroad main line continued to see local freight service until abandonment in 1962, and the two miles (3.2 km) originally built in 1874 followed in 1965. Several segments of the railroad are now rail-trails, including the Woonasquatucket River Greenway. A preserved station remains in Smithfield, Rhode Island. [1]

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 principally 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">Providence and Worcester Railroad</span> Regional railroad in the Northeastern United States

The Providence and Worcester Railroad is a Class II railroad operating 612 miles (985 km) of tracks in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut, as well as New York via trackage rights. The company was founded in 1844 to build a railroad between Providence, Rhode Island, and Worcester, Massachusetts, and ran its first trains in 1847. A successful railroad, the P&W subsequently expanded with a branch to East Providence, Rhode Island, and for a time leased two small Massachusetts railroads. Originally a single track, its busy mainline was double-tracked after a fatal 1853 collision in Valley Falls, Rhode Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central New England Railway</span>

The Central New England Railway was a railroad from Hartford, Connecticut, and Springfield, Massachusetts, west across northern Connecticut and across the Hudson River on the Poughkeepsie Bridge to Maybrook, New York. It was part of the Poughkeepsie Bridge Route, an alliance between railroads for a passenger route from Washington to Boston, and was acquired by the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad in 1904.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York and New England Railroad</span> Defunct railroad in southern New England

The New York and New England Railroad (NY&NE) was a railroad connecting southern New York State with Hartford, Connecticut; Providence, Rhode Island; and Boston, Massachusetts. It operated under that name from 1873 to 1893. Prior to 1873 it was known as the Boston, Hartford and Erie Railroad, which had been formed from several smaller railroads that dated back to 1846. After a bankruptcy in 1893, the NY&NE was reorganized and briefly operated as the New England Railroad before being leased to the competing New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad in 1898.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boston and Providence Railroad</span>

The Boston and Providence Railroad was a railroad company in the states of Massachusetts and Rhode Island which connected its namesake cities. It opened in two sections in 1834 and 1835 - one of the first rail lines in the United States - with a more direct route into Providence built in 1847. Branches were built to Dedham in 1834, Stoughton in 1845, and North Attleboro in 1871. It was acquired by the Old Colony Railroad in 1888, which in turn was leased by the New Haven Railroad in 1893. The line became the New Haven's primary mainline to Boston; it was realigned in Boston in 1899 during the construction of South Station, and in Pawtucket and Central Falls in 1916 for grade crossing elimination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norfolk County Railroad</span>

The Norfolk County Railroad was a railroad in Massachusetts, United States. Chartered as two different companies in 1846 and 1847, it completed a rail line between Dedham and Blackstone in 1849. A branch to Medway, Massachusetts was built in 1852. The railroad was leased by the Boston and New York Central Railroad, succeeded by the Boston and Providence Railroad and the East Thompson Railroad, before the Norfolk County Railroad returned to independent operation in 1858. In 1866, the Boston, Hartford and Erie Railroad leased the Norfolk County. The Rhode Island and Massachusetts Railroad was completed in 1877 from Franklin southward to Valley Falls, Rhode Island, and became a branch of the Norfolk County mainline. The northernmost portion of the main line from Islington to Dedham was rerouted to the east in 1881, and the original alignment abandoned two years later. The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad assumed operation of the Norfolk County lines in 1898.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York and New Haven Railroad</span> Defunct railroad in Connecticut and New York

The New York and New Haven Railroad (NY&NH) was a railroad connecting New York City to New Haven, Connecticut, along the shore of Long Island Sound. It opened in 1849, and in 1872 it merged with the Hartford & New Haven Railroad to form the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad. The line is now the Metro-North Railroad New Haven Line and part of Amtrak's Northeast Corridor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franklin/Dean College station</span> Railway station in Franklin, Massachusetts

Franklin/Dean College is an MBTA Commuter Rail station located in Franklin, Massachusetts near Dean College. It serves the Franklin Line, for which it was the terminus from 1966 to 1988. The station has a mid-sized park and ride lot to serve town residents; Forge Park/495 station is intended to serve commuters from other nearby towns. The 1912-built station building still serves as a waiting hall and café, open during morning commute hours on weekdays. Franklin/Dean College station has a single side platform serving the line's single track; it is not accessible.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forge Park/495 station</span> Rail station in Franklin, Massachusetts, US

Forge Park/495 station is a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) commuter rail station on the Franklin Line located off Route 140 near Interstate 495 in Franklin, Massachusetts, United States. A park and ride station serving southwestern Boston suburbs and northeastern Rhode Island, it is the outer terminus of the Franklin Line. The station has two side platforms serving a single track, with an accessible mini-high platform and a station building on the south platform.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hartford and New Haven Railroad</span> Defunct railroad in Connecticut and Massachusetts

The Hartford and New Haven Railroad (H&NH), chartered in 1833, was the first railroad built in the state of Connecticut and an important direct predecessor of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. The company was formed to connect the cities of New Haven, Connecticut, and Springfield, Massachusetts. It built northwards from New Haven, opening its first segment in 1838, and reaching Hartford in December 1839. The company reached Springfield in 1844 under the auspices of the Hartford and Springfield Railroad, a subsidiary chartered in Massachusetts. Branches were later built to Suffield, New Britain, and Middletown and operated by the Hartford and New Haven. The H&NH merged with the New York and New Haven Railroad in 1872, forming the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Haven and Northampton Railroad</span> Defunct railroad in Connecticut and Massachusetts

The New Haven and Northampton Railroad was a railroad originally built alongside a canal between 1847 and 1850 in Connecticut. Leased by the New York and New Haven Railroad from 1849 to 1869, the railroad expanded northwards to Massachusetts and its second namesake city in 1859. Upon the end of the lease in 1869, the company expanded further into Massachusetts, reaching as far north as Shelburne and Turners Falls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flatbush Avenue station (Connecticut)</span> Bus rapid transit station in West Hartford, Connecticut

Flatbush Avenue is a bus rapid transit station on the CTfastrak line, located near the intersection of Flatbush Avenue and New Park Avenue in West Hartford, Connecticut. It opened with the line on March 28, 2015. The station consists of one island platform to the side of the busway, with passing lanes to allow express buses to pass buses stopped at the station. A CTrail Hartford Line commuter rail platform is planned to open in 2022 under the name West Hartford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norwich and Worcester Railroad</span> Defunct railroad in Connecticut and Massachusetts, US

The Norwich and Worcester Railroad (N&W) was a railroad in the U.S. states of Connecticut and Massachusetts. Its north-south mainline ran between its namesake cities of Worcester, Massachusetts, and Norwich, Connecticut,. The Providence and Worcester Railroad (P&W) owns the ex-N&W line and operates freight service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newington Junction station</span>

Newington Junction is a bus rapid transit station on the CTfastrak line opened in 2015 located off Willard Avenue (CT-173) in the Newington Junction neighborhood of Newington, Connecticut.

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

The Millis Branch was a branch of what is now the MBTA Commuter Rail system. Branching off the still-operating Needham Line at Needham Junction, it ran through the towns of Dover, Medfield, Millis, and Medway. Due to lack of subsidies and poor ridership, the line was cut back to Millis station in April 1966, and all service ended on April 21, 1967.

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

The Milford Secondary is a railroad line that runs between Franklin and Milford, Massachusetts, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Connecticut Central Railroad (1871)</span> Defunct railroad in Connecticut and Massachusetts

The Connecticut Central Railroad was a railroad in Connecticut and Massachusetts, which connected East Hartford, Connecticut and Springfield, Massachusetts. Founded in 1871, it was built between 1874 and 1876, and operated independently until being leased by the New York and New England Railroad in 1880. In the 21st century, the line remains in service between East Hartford and Scantic, Connecticut, and out of service to the Massachusetts state line, beyond which it has been abandoned.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pawtuxet Valley Railroad</span>

The Pawtuxet Valley Railroad, chartered in 1872, was a railroad in Rhode Island. It originally connected River Point to Hope, a total distance of three miles, and was operated as a subsidiary of the Hartford, Providence and Fishkill Railroad. Via the chartering of the Pontiac Branch Railroad in 1875, a nearby line was built from Auburn to Pontiac. The two lines were connected on January 1, 1880, forming a contiguous line operated by the New York, Providence and Boston Railroad. The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad became the line's operator when it leased the NYP&B in 1892. Passenger service was discontinued on the line between 1922 and 1925, and in 1924 the original connection between the two ends of the line was abandoned. Declining traffic gradually lead to the abandonment of the entire line. The western portion of the line was abandoned in 1965, while the eastern portion survived to see operation by Penn Central beginning in 1969, followed by the Providence and Worcester Railroad in 1976. The last active portion of the line was discontinued around 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southbridge Branch (New England)</span> Railway line in Connecticut and Massachusetts

The Southbridge Branch was a railway line in Connecticut and Massachusetts, United States. It ran 16.9 miles (27.2 km) between Southbridge, Massachusetts and East Thompson, Connecticut, via Webster, Massachusetts. Originally planned to be part of the Southbridge and Blackstone Railroad, it was ultimately built in 1866–67 by the Boston, Hartford and Erie Railroad. It became part of the New York and New England Railroad in 1875, and the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad in 1898. Passenger service ended in 1930, and the eastern portion of the line was abandoned in 1937. The western half continued to be used for freight service; it passed to Penn Central in 1969, and to the Providence and Worcester Railroad (P&W) in 1976 as the Southbridge Running Track. The P&W stopped serving the line in the 1980s, but did not abandon it until 2004. Much of the western half of the line in Massachusetts has been converted to the Quinebaug Valley Rail Trail.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Karr, Ronald Dale (2017). The Rail Lines of Southern New England (2nd ed.). Pepperell, Massachusetts: Branch Line Press. pp. 163–165. ISBN   978-0-942147-12-4. OCLC   1038017689 . Retrieved 2021-10-22.
  2. Heppner, Frank H. (2012). Railroads of Rhode Island: Shaping the Ocean State's Railways. Charleston, South Carolina: History Press. pp. 95–97. ISBN   978-1-61423-363-3. OCLC   841413913.
  3. Bartlett, John Russell (1863). "Preface". Index to the Printed Acts and Resolves Of, and of the Petitions and Reports to the General Assembly of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations from the Year 1850 to 1862. A. Anthony, Printer to the State. pp. XX.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Francis, George B. (May 1909). "Railroad Terminal Improvements At Providence, R.I." Journal of the Association of Engineering Societies. XLII (5): 246–248, 260 via Google Books.
  5. 1 2 Bayles, Richard Mather (1891). History of Providence County, Rhode Island. W. W. Preston.
  6. 1 2 State of Rhode Island (1875). Statutes of the State of Rhode Island Relating to the City of Providence, and Ordinances of the City. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Riverside Press. pp. 71–73, 350.