Wayside Inn | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 The former station site in November 2024 | |||||||||||
| General information | |||||||||||
| Location | Sudbury, Massachusetts | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 42°22′28″N71°27′24″W / 42.374467°N 71.456761°W | ||||||||||
| Owned by | Boston and Maine Railroad when closed Site now owned by MBTA | ||||||||||
| Line(s) | Central Massachusetts Railroad mainline | ||||||||||
| Platforms | 1 (former) | ||||||||||
| Tracks | 1 (former) | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
| Opened | 1 October 1881 | ||||||||||
| Closed | Before 1944 | ||||||||||
| Rebuilt | 1897 | ||||||||||
| Former services | |||||||||||
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Wayside Inn station was a flag stop station in Sudbury, Massachusetts.
Created by the Massachusetts Central Railroad in 1881 as a simple platform, it was named for the Wayside Inn approximately a mile south, to which it provided service. [1] : 192 By 1885 the successor Central Massachusetts Railroad provided service, and by 1887 the Boston and Maine Railroad (B&M) leased the ROW and named it the Central Massachusetts Branch. By 1897 a shelter building was built by B&M. [1] : 192 The building was burned down by vandals sometime in the 1940s and no remains of it are visible today. [1] : 192
The small wooden shelter was built in a Japanese style, as nearly all consecutive stations on the line were built in a unique style to create the illusion of variety. [2] [3] : 87–90 The name of the architect responsible for their design has been lost to time. [3] : 87 The station was located on Dutton Road in what is now the Wayside Inn Historic District. Passengers included innkeeper Edward Lemon, Babe Ruth and Henry Ford. [2]
In 2022, a buried transmission line project between Sudbury and Hudson began construction under the former Massachusetts Central Railroad ROW for which it provided service. [4] This project subsidized the cost of building a section of the Mass Central Rail Trail—Wayside, which was named for this station and the Inn, and which is expected to complete construction in 2025. [5] As part of this project, DCR will install granite markers to commemorate the archaeological site. [6] : 6
Sudbury is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the 2020 census, it had a population of 18,934. The town, located in Greater Boston's MetroWest region, has a colonial history.
The Central Massachusetts Railroad was a railroad in Massachusetts. The eastern terminus of the line was at North Cambridge Junction where it split off from the Middlesex Central Branch of the Boston and Lowell Railroad in North Cambridge and through which it had access to North Station in Boston. From there, the route ran 98.77 miles west through the modern-day towns of Belmont, Waltham, Weston, Wayland, Sudbury, Hudson, Bolton, Berlin, Clinton, West Boylston, Holden, Rutland, Oakham, Barre, New Braintree, Hardwick, Ware, Palmer, Belchertown, Amherst, and Hadley to its western terminal junction at N. O. Tower in Northampton with the Connecticut River Railroad.
The Mass Central Rail Trail (MCRT) is a partially completed rail trail between Northampton, Massachusetts and Boston along the right-of-way (ROW) of the former Massachusetts Central Railroad and former Central Massachusetts Railroad. It currently has over 60 miles (97 km) open, and 94.5 miles (152.1 km) are open or protected for trail development. When complete, it will be 104 miles (167 km) long through Central Massachusetts and Greater Boston, forming the longest rail trail in New England. Many sections of the trail, including the Norwottuck Branch of the Mass Central Rail Trail and the Somerville Community Path, have been developed as separate projects but serve as part of the complete Mass Central Rail Trail. The Norwottuck Network, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that supports the build and operation of the MCRT, maintains an interactive map of the MCRT and other Massachusetts trails.
The Nashua River Rail Trail is a 12.5-mile (20.1 km) paved mixed-use rail trail in northern Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire under control of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). It roughly follows the course of the Nashua River, passing through the towns of Ayer, Groton, Pepperell, and Dunstable, Massachusetts and ends about a mile across the New Hampshire state border in Nashua, New Hampshire. The trail is used by walkers, cyclists, inline skaters, equestrians, and cross-country skiers.
The Cape Cod Rail Trail (CCRT) is a 25.5-mile (41.0 km) paved rail trail located on Cape Cod in Massachusetts. The trail route passes through the towns of Yarmouth, Dennis, Harwich, Brewster, Orleans, Eastham, and Wellfleet. It connects to the 6-plus mile (10 km) Old Colony Rail Trail leading to Chatham, the 2 mile Yarmouth multi-use trail, and 8 miles (13 km) of trails within Nickerson State Park. Short side trips on roads lead to national seashore beaches including Coast Guard Beach at the end of the Nauset Bike Trail in Cape Cod National Seashore. The trail is part of the Claire Saltonstall Bikeway.
The Norwottuck Branch Rail Trail, full name the Norwottuck Branch of the Mass Central Rail Trail, formerly the Norwottuck Rail Trail, is an 11-mile (18 km) combination bicycle/pedestrian paved rail trail running from Northampton, Massachusetts, through Hadley and Amherst, to Belchertown, Massachusetts. It opened in 1993, and is now part of the longer Mass Central Rail Trail.
The Wayside Inn Historic District is a historic district on Old Boston Post Road in Sudbury, Massachusetts. The district contains the Wayside Inn, a historic landmark that is one of the oldest inns in the country, operating as Howe's Tavern in 1716. The district features Greek Revival and American colonial architecture. The area was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
The Linden Street Bridge is a historic bridge of the abandoned Central Massachusetts Railroad over Linden Street in Waltham, Massachusetts. A restoration of the bridge is in design as a part of the Mass Central Rail Trail—Wayside (MCRT—Wayside) project. It is a riveted lattice through truss bridge, built in 1894 by the Pennsylvania Steel Company, and is one of only three such bridges left in the state. The bridge is 98 feet 3 inches (29.95 m) long and 17 feet (5.2 m) wide, with an inside truss height of 21 feet 11.5 inches (6.693 m), and rests on granite abutments. The design of the bridge was based on that of the Northampton crossing of the Connecticut River by the same railroad. This section of the Central Massachusetts Branch, and the bridge, have been out of service since the early 1990s when service to the last customer, a lumber dealer located on Emerson Road, ended. The bridge is owned by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and leased to the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) for the rail trail.
The Assabet River Rail Trail (ARRT) is a partially-completed multi-use rail trail running through the cities and towns of Marlborough, Hudson, Stow, Maynard, and Acton, Massachusetts, United States. It is a conversion of the abandoned Marlborough Branch of the Fitchburg Railroad. The right-of-way parallels the Assabet River in the trail's midsection. At the north end it veers north to the South Acton MBTA train station while the south end veers south to Marlborough. When fully completed, the end-to-end length will be 12.5 miles (20.1 km). As of June 2020, the southwest 5.1-mile (8.2 km) portion of the trail from Marlborough to Hudson and the northeast 3.4-mile (5.5 km) portion running from the South Acton MBTA station to the Maynard–Stow border are completed. No current plans exist for paving the 4.0-mile (6.4 km) gap in Stow and Hudson between the two trail ends.
Nobscot Hill is a USGS name for a high point in Middlesex County, Massachusetts with many public hiking trails, and the hill is located in Framingham and Sudbury. At the summit are various radio towers and a fire tower. Below the summit of Nobscot Hill is the Nobscot Scout Reservation which includes Tippling Rock, a popular viewing location. Surrounding the hill are other large parks and parcels of conservation land, including the Nobscot Conservation Land, Callahan State Park, the Sudbury Weisblatt Conservation Land, and Wittenborg Woods, which are connected by various hiking trails, including the Bay Circuit Trail.
The Bruce Freeman Rail Trail (BFRT) is a partially-completed rail trail in Massachusetts. The path is a 10-foot-wide (3.0 m) paved multi-use trail, available for walking, running, biking, rollerblading, and other non-motorized uses. It follows the right-of-way of the disused Framingham and Lowell Line of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. The constructed route connects with the Bay Circuit Trail, and Phase 2D will connect with the Mass Central Rail Trail—Wayside. The total planned length of the trail—which will eventually run continuously between Lowell and Framingham—is just under 25 miles (40 km). The trail is named for Bruce Freeman, a state representative from Chelmsford who advocated for the trail in the Massachusetts Legislature in 1985 and 1986 before his death. The trail is owned by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation from Lowell to South Sudbury. In July 2020, MassTrails awarded Sudbury $300,000 to purchase the right-of-way from South Sudbury to the Framingham line, and Sudbury became the railbanking trail sponsor for this section in December 2020. In December 2022, Framingham signed a purchase-and-sale agreement with CSX to purchase the right-of-way in Framingham, and Framingham became the railbanking trail sponsor for this section in December 2023. The trail is maintained by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and the communities through which the trail runs.
South Sudbury was a commuter rail station in Sudbury, Massachusetts. It was located at the junction of the Massachusetts Central Railroad, succeeded by the Central Massachusetts Railroad, and the Framingham and Lowell Railroad, slightly north of Boston Post Road in South Sudbury. The Boston and Maine Railroad station was incorporated into the MBTA Commuter Rail through subsidies in 1965. The station was closed in November 1971 when the branch's last remaining round trip was discontinued. The 1952-built station building was a private business until its closure in 2019. In August 2023 the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation offered the building to the Town of Sudbury at no cost, and in May 2024 the Town voted to acquire it.
Wayland station is a former railroad station in Wayland, Massachusetts. Originally built by the Massachusetts Central Railroad in 1881, by 1885 it was operated by the Central Massachusetts Railroad, and it was later part of the Boston and Maine Railroad. The MBTA subsidized service at the station beginning in 1965. It was closed in 1971 when service on the Central Mass Branch was terminated due to poor track conditions. Since 1980, The Wayland Depot, a charitable women's consignment craft shop, has operated out of the station, which is now owned by the Town of Wayland. The Wayland Depot's mission includes preservation of the historic station. In 2017, a stone dust section of the Mass Central Rail Trail—Wayside was built over the section of the ROW the station was built to service, which is planned to be paved in 2027.
Weston station is a former railroad station in Weston, Massachusetts. Located off Church Street in the Weston town center, it was originally built by the Massachusetts Central Railroad which constructed it in the board-and-batten style in 1881. By 1885 it was operated by the successor Central Massachusetts Railroad.
Waltham Highlands station is a former railroad station in Waltham, Massachusetts. Originally established by the Massachusetts Central Railroad in 1881 and operated by the Central Massachusetts Railroad in 1885, it was incorporated into the MBTA Commuter Rail with MBTA subsidies in 1965. It was located on Hammond Street north of the Waltham town center. It was closed on November 26, 1971, when service on the Central Mass Branch was terminated due to poor track conditions and low ridership. The station building remains, with some modifications, and is used as an insurance agency. In 2023, a paved section of the Mass Central Rail Trail—Wayside was built on the railbed past the former station.
Waltham North station is a former railroad station in Waltham, Massachusetts. It was originally built by the Massachusetts Central Railroad which constructed it 1881, and by 1885 it was operated by the successor Central Massachusetts Railroad. It was part of the MBTA Commuter Rail system from 1965 to 1971. It was located on Lexington Street in north-central Waltham. It was closed on November 26, 1971, when service on the Central Mass Branch was terminated due to poor track conditions and low ridership. The station building is no longer extant, having been demolished at some point after the end of service on the branch. In 2023, a paved section of the Mass Central Rail Trail—Wayside was built along the railbed past the former station site.
Clematis Brook station was an MBTA Commuter Rail station in Waltham, Massachusetts. It served the Fitchburg Line, and was located in the Warrendale section of Waltham. It was closed in 1978 due to poor ridership.
Cherry Brook station was a former train station in Weston, Massachusetts, named for the nearby Cherry Brook flowing north-south.
Tower Hill station was a former train station in Wayland, Massachusetts near Plain Road.
East Sudbury station was a train station in Sudbury, Massachusetts. It was located on the Central Massachusetts Railroad mainline east of the Landham Road overpass.
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