South Reading Branch Railroad

Last updated
South Reading Branch Railroad
Lynnfield station postcard.jpg
Lynnfield station on the South Reading Branch
Overview
Other name(s)Wakefield Branch
StatusDefunct
Locale Massachusetts
Termini
Service
TypeHeavy rail
Operator(s)South Reading Branch Railroad (1850-1851)
Eastern Railroad (1851-1884)
Boston and Maine Railroad (1884-1964) [lower-alpha 1]
Boston and Maine Corporation (1964-1983) [lower-alpha 2]
Pan Am Railways (1983-2023) [lower-alpha 2]
History
Opened1850
Closed1925 (Peabody to Wakefield) [4]
1959 (Lynnfield to Boston) [1]
Technical
Line length8 mi (13 km)
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge
Route map

Contents

BSicon CONTg.svg
BSicon eYRD.svg
Salem layover (closed)
BSicon hKRZWae.svg
BSicon exCONTgq.svg
BSicon eABZgr.svg
BSicon DST.svg
0.0
Peabody
BSicon CONTgq.svg
BSicon ABZg+r.svg
industrial spur
BSicon eBST.svg
1.5
Hunt-Rankin Co. (closed)
BSicon DST.svg
1.8
South Peabody
BSicon KBSTxe.svg
industrial park
BSicon exBHF.svg
3.9
Lynnfield
BSicon exHST.svg
6.0
Montrose Avenue
BSicon exCONTgq.svg
BSicon exABZg+r.svg
BSicon exBHF.svg
7.5
Wakefield Center
BSicon CONTgq.svg
BSicon xABZg+r.svg
Boston and Maine Railroad
to Wilmington Junction
BSicon DST.svg
8.0
Wakefield Junction
BSicon CONTf.svg

 Sources: , ,

The South Reading Branch Railroad or just South Reading Railroad (later Wakefield Branch) was a short line railroad that ran from Wakefield, Massachusetts to Peabody, Massachusetts. Its origins began sometime in 1850 when the railroad was named after the town of South Reading before its name change to Wakefield in 1868. By the time Boston and Maine took over the railroad in 1884, the line had already become obsolete due to competing branches. Boston and Maine eventually halted passenger service in 1925 by abandoning 8 miles of track between Peabody and Lynnfield. The tracks of the former Wakefield branch continued to operate from Lynnfield to Boston until 1959 when passenger service ended. The remaining tracks were then used for freight service from Salem through Peabody Square to South Peabody to serve industrial parks until October 2023.

History

South Reading Branch Railroad
Map

In 1848, a group of investors from Salem and Danvers were granted a charter to build a railroad line from South Reading to South Danvers. The line took two years to build and opened for business in 1850 and opened up another Boston to Salem route as it was given trackage rights to Salem on the Essex Railroad.

The Boston to Salem route had long been monopolized by the Eastern Railroad and when the South Reading line was opened, it took quite a bit of the business away with lower fares and the fact that passengers had a direct link to downtown Boston via the Boston and Maine Railroad, the Eastern's most heated rival. Whereas the Eastern had to ferry their passengers from East Boston across the harbor to get to and from Boston, many passengers preferred to take the B&M to Wakefield and go to Salem via the South Reading.

In 1851, the Eastern Railroad, fearing that the B&M would take over the South Reading, in self-defense took over the line at steep cost. The Massachusetts State Legislature for years forced the Eastern to keep the Boston-to-Salem route open via the South Reading even after the Eastern had leased the Grand Junction Railroad in order to provide service directly into downtown Boston.

In 1868, when South Reading became Wakefield and South Danvers changed to Peabody, and the line was renamed the Wakefield Branch, but the old name stuck with passengers and rail fans today.

When the B&M took over the Eastern RR in December 1884, the South Reading line became obsolete as the B&M had other lines that went to Salem via the Newburyport Branch and the former Boston and Lowell Railroad branch line, the Salem and Lowell Railroad.

In 1925, the B&M received permission to abandon the line and the tracks were removed from Wakefield Center (where the line split from the Newburyport Branch) to Peabody.

Current status

In the 1950s, the abandoned right-of-way became part of Massachusetts Route 128/Interstate 95 in the Montrose section of Wakefield. In 1965, the first two miles of the line were rebuilt between Peabody and South Peabody to service a new industrial park and freight service is now operated on this line by Pan Am Railways. Portions of the right-of-way in Lynnfield and Wakefield are still traceable.

See also

Notes

  1. Last passenger train in 1959. [1] [2]
  2. 1 2 Freight service only. [2] [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boston and Maine Railroad</span> Former railroad in New England

The Boston and Maine Railroad was a U.S. Class I railroad in northern New England. Originally chartered in 1835, it became part of what was the Pan Am Railways network in 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boston and Lowell Railroad</span> Former railroad in Massachusetts, United States

The Boston and Lowell Railroad was a railroad that operated in Massachusetts in the United States. It was one of the first railroads in North America and the first major one in the state. The line later operated as part of the Boston and Maine Railroad's Southern Division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Union Freight Railroad</span> Defunct railroad in Massachusetts

The Union Freight Railroad was a freight-only railroad connecting the railroads coming into the north and south sides of downtown Boston, Massachusetts. Almost its entire length was along Atlantic Avenue and Commercial Street. For most of its length, the Atlantic Avenue Elevated carried passengers above.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lowell Line</span> MBTA Commuter Rail line

The Lowell Line is a railroad line of the MBTA Commuter Rail system, running north from Boston to Lowell, Massachusetts. Originally built as the New Hampshire Main Line of the Boston & Lowell Railroad and later operated as part of the Boston & Maine Railroad's Southern Division, the line was one of the first railroads in North America and the first major one in Massachusetts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haverhill Line</span> MBTA Commuter Rail line

The Haverhill Line is a branch of the MBTA Commuter Rail system, running north from downtown Boston, Massachusetts through the cities and towns of Malden, Melrose, Wakefield, Reading, Wilmington, Andover, North Andover, Lawrence, and Haverhill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newburyport/Rockport Line</span> Commuter rail service in Massachusetts, US

The Newburyport/Rockport Line is a branch of the MBTA Commuter Rail system, running northeast from downtown Boston, Massachusetts towards Cape Ann and the Merrimack Valley, serving the North Shore. The first leg, operating via the Eastern Route of the former Boston and Maine Railroad, serves Chelsea, Lynn, Swampscott, Salem, and Beverly. From there, a northern branch continues via the Eastern Route to serve Hamilton, Ipswich, Rowley, and Newburyport, while other trains operate east from Beverly via the Gloucester Branch, serving Manchester, Gloucester, and Rockport. A bicycle coach is offered on the Rockport branch during the summer. With over 11,000 daily riders in October 2022, the line is the second-busiest on the system.

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

The Eastern Railroad was a railroad connecting Boston, Massachusetts to Portland, Maine. Throughout its history, it competed with the Boston and Maine Railroad for service between the two cities, until the Boston & Maine put an end to the competition by leasing the Eastern in December 1884. Much of the railroad's main line in Massachusetts is used by the MBTA's Newburyport/Rockport commuter rail line, and some unused parts of its right-of-way have been converted to rail trails.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McGovern Transportation Center</span> Transit station in Lawrence, Massachusetts, US

The Senator Patricia McGovern Transportation Center, also known as the McGovern Transportation Center or simply Lawrence station, is a transit station in Lawrence, Massachusetts. It serves the MBTA Commuter Rail Haverhill Line and Merrimack Valley Regional Transit Authority local bus service. The station, which opened in 2005, is the latest of seven distinct stations located in Lawrence since 1848; it is located in the city's Gateway District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bradford station</span> Train station in Bradford, Massachusetts, US

Bradford station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in the Bradford neighborhood of Haverhill, Massachusetts, served by the Haverhill Line. The Haverhill Line's layover yard is located adjacent to the station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salem station</span> Commuter rail station in Salem, Massachusetts

Salem station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station served by the Newburyport/Rockport Line. The station is located off Bridge Street near its interchange with North Street at the north end of downtown Salem, Massachusetts. The station has a single accessible full-length high-level platform serving the single track of the Eastern Route. Just south of the station is the Salem Tunnel, which carries the line under Washington Street. Salem is a major park and ride center, with a 700-space parking garage, as well as an MBTA bus terminal. It is the busiest commuter rail station in the MBTA system outside of the central Boston stations, with an average of 2,326 daily boardings in a 2018 count.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildcat Branch</span> Railway line in Massachusetts, U.S.

The Wildcat Branch is a single track railroad branch line which connects the MBTA Lowell Line in Wilmington, Massachusetts to the MBTA Haverhill Line at Wilmington Junction. The total length of the branch line from the connection with the Lowell Line to the merge with the Haverhill Line is 2.88 miles (4.63 km). It was operated from 1836 to 1848, then rebuilt in 1874, and has been used since.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salem and Lowell Railroad</span> Railroad in Massachusetts

The Salem and Lowell Railroad, chartered in 1848, was a railroad in Massachusetts that connected the towns of Peabody and Tewksbury. The company connected to other railroads at both ends to provide service to its two namesake cities - the Lowell and Lawrence Railroad at Tewksbury Junction, and the Essex Railroad at Peabody. Construction was completed in 1850, with train operations contracted to the Lowell and Lawrence until 1858, when the Boston and Lowell Railroad took over both companies. In 1887, the Boston and Maine Railroad took over the Boston and Lowell and became the new operator of the Salem and Lowell. The line gradually declined in importance from the start of the 20th century, and was progressively abandoned from 1925 onwards. The last trains ran on the route in 1980, and the remainder of the route formally abandoned in 1987. Parts of the right of way are now a rail-trail.

The Lowell and Lawrence Railroad was a small independent railroad that was chartered in 1846 to build a rail line linking the two giant Merrimack River Valley cities of Lowell, Massachusetts to Lawrence, Massachusetts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lowell and Andover Railroad</span>

The Lowell and Andover Railroad was a branch line of the Boston and Maine Railroad and was organized in 1873, after the Boston and Lowell Railroad's monopoly on Boston to Lowell service ended in 1865. The line opened in 1874 from the B&M's main line at Lowell Junction in Andover, just south of the village of Ballardvale, west to Lowell through Tewksbury.

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

The Essex Railroad was an American railroad in Essex County, Massachusetts that connected Salem to Lawrence.

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

The Newburyport Railroad was a railroad that came about from the merger of three small rail companies into one rail line to compete with the Eastern Railroad for service between Newburyport and Boston, Massachusetts. The Newburyport Railroad ran from Newburyport to Wakefield, Massachusetts, where it connected with the Boston and Maine (B&M) for service into Boston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stony Brook Railroad</span> Railroad line in Massachusetts

The Stony Brook Railroad, chartered in 1845, was a railroad company in Massachusetts, United States. The company constructed a rail line between the Nashua and Lowell Railroad's main line at the village of North Chelmsford and the town of Ayer, Massachusetts where it connected to the Fitchburg Railroad. Rather than running its own trains, upon opening in 1848 operations were contracted to the Nashua and Lowell; this arrangement continued until the Nashua and Lowell was leased by the Boston and Lowell Railroad in 1880. The Boston and Maine Railroad (B&M) took over operation of the Stony Brook in 1887 when it leased the Boston and Lowell Railroad. In 1983 the B&M was purchased by Guilford Rail System, which renamed itself Pan Am Railways (PAR) in 2006. Passenger service last ran on the line in 1961, but it saw significant freight service under Pan Am Railways. While it never owned rolling stock or ran trains, the Stony Brook Railroad Corporation existed until 2022 as a nearly wholly owned subsidiary of the Boston and Maine, itself a PAR subsidiary. That year, it was merged into CSX Transportation as part of CSX's purchase of Pan Am Railways.

The Woburn Branch Railroad was a branch line of the Boston and Lowell Railroad ("B&L") and later of the MBTA Commuter Rail system that connected the Lowell Line with the city square in Woburn, Massachusetts.

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

The Saugus Branch Railroad was an American rail line that operated passenger service from 1853 to 1958. It serviced the Massachusetts communities of Saugus, Malden, Everett, Revere, and Lynn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boston and Northern Street Railway</span> Former transportation company in Greater Boston, Massachusetts

The Boston & Northern Street Railway Company (B&N) was a horse-drawn and electric streetcar railroad operated on the streets of Boston, Massachusetts, and communities to the north. Founded in 1859 as the Lynn and Boston Railroad (L&B), via lease and merger it became a primary mass transit provider for northeastern Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Its immediate successor was the Bay State Street Railway (Bay State), and its modern successor is the state-run Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA).

References

  1. 1 2 William Power (1998). "South Reading Branch #55" (PDF). Peabody's Railroads from 1850-1958.
  2. 1 2 Matthew D. Cosgro. "Boston and Maine Corporation". Nashua City Station. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  3. Vondrak, Otto M. (2014). "Pan Am Railways System Map". Pan Am Railways.
  4. Boston & Maine Allowed to Abandon 58 Miles of Line. Vol. 79. Simmons-Boardman. 1925. p. 1002.{{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)

Further reading

Template:Attached KML/South Reading Branch Railroad
KML is from Wikidata