North Cambridge – Northampton railway line
The railway line North Cambridge Northampton is a railway line in Massachusetts ( United States ). It is 158.62 kilometers long and connects the cities of Cambridge , Waltham , Wayland , Sudbury , Hudson , Holden , Palmer , Amherst and Northampton , among others . The standard gauge line is closed.
history
History and planning
The cities of Wayland and Sudbury were still without a connection to the rail network until the 1860s. To change this, the Wayland and Sudbury Branch Railroad Company received a concession on February 21, 1868 to build a railway line from Weston on the main route of the Fitchburg Railroad via Wayland to South Sudbury. The company was formally incorporated on March 6th of that year. Now entrepreneurs from Barre wanted to build a third main line from Boston to the west in addition to the Fitchburg main line and the line of the Boston and Albany Railroad , partly in competition with the other two, but also partly to win the towns between the two main lines, like Barre, to be able to connect directly to Boston. On May 10, 1869, the railway company therefore sold its concession to the Massachusetts Central Railroad , which was founded in Barre and was set up on September 2, 1869. The now planned route should lead from Weston via Wayland, Sudbury and Barre to Northampton.
Construction and first years of operation
In 1871 construction began from Weston towards Northampton. They had to be closed in 1873 for economic reasons and construction did not continue until 1878. In the meantime, the Boston and Lowell Railroad had built the Somerville Junction – Lake Street line that ran through North Cambridge. In order to avoid joint use of the Fitchburg main line, as one wanted to compete with this, a connection was built from Weston through Waltham to North Cambridge, which was in the urban area of Belmont right next to the Fitchburg line. On October 1, 1881, after ten years of construction, the first section of the line from North Cambridge to Hudson went into operation. In 1882 the section followed to Jefferson Station in the city of Holden. The rapid expansion failed again due to a lack of money. The operation of the line initially brought little and the railway company went bankrupt on May 4, 1883 and ceased operations. The property of the railway company was sold on September 1st of that year. The Central Massachusetts Railroad Company was awarded the contract , which was then formally set up on November 10th. There was no money for the operation, so the route was still unused.
It was not until September 28, 1885 that operations were opened to Hudson and on December 14 of that year to Jefferson. However, the railway company did not manage the operation itself, but commissioned Boston & Lowell, which leased the route on December 7, 1886. At the same time, further construction was pushed ahead and in the course of 1887 the railway could be extended to Ware. In October 1887, the Boston and Maine Railroad took over operations after leasing the Boston & Lowell. Finally, on December 19, 1887, the remaining section to Northampton went into operation.
With the completion of the Poughkeepsie Bridge in 1889, Boston & Maine, along with other railroad companies, introduced an express train service called the Poughkeepsie Bridge Route . The trains ran from Washington, DC via Baltimore , Philadelphia , Easton , Poughkeepsie and Simsbury to Northampton, where they switched to the railroad to Boston. This was the first continuous train connection from Washington, Baltimore and Philadelphia to Boston. Until then, you had to change to a ferry in New York, as there was no rail link between New York City and Jersey City. In addition, all other trains from the south-west drove into the Boston head stations, where you first had to take the tram through central Boston to continue on to New Hampshire, Maine or Canada. Despite these advantages, the connection was not profitable and was already closed in May 1893 when the Philadelphia, Reading and New England Railroad went bankrupt. From this point on, the North Cambridge – Northampton railway had only a regional character, especially since in 1900 the formerly competing Fitchburg Railroad was also taken over by Boston & Maine. On February 20, 1902, the Central Massachusetts Railroad merged with Boston & Maine.
Relocation of the route
When the Wachusett Reservoir was built from 1903 , the route had to be relocated because the section from South Clinton to Oakdale would be flooded. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts therefore built a connecting line from West Berlin to Clinton Junction, where it joined the Worcester – Rochester railway , which also ran through Oakdale and which also belonged to Boston & Maine. The connecting line was opened on June 15, 1903 and handed over to Boston & Maine, which also shut down the original line from West Berlin to Oakdale. The trains now ran north around the reservoir and turned back on the route to Northampton in Oakdale. A track triangle was installed in Clinton Junction, which also allowed trains into the center of Clinton.
Decline and shutdown
In 1927 all passenger trains were directed over the Fitchburg main line to Boston and between North Cambridge and Clematis Brook passenger traffic on the Northampton line was suspended. On April 23, 1932, passenger services between Oakdale and Northampton ended. Parallel railway lines were able to cope with the sharp drop in transport volumes without any problems. Only two trains had last driven over this 100-kilometer section that day. The passenger trains were now going to Clinton. On June 1, 1938, freight traffic between Oakdale and Rutland also ended. During the flood disaster in September 1938, the route at Barre was badly damaged, so that traffic had to be stopped here too. In 1939 Boston & Maine closed the line from Oakdale to Wheelwright. From 1941, the remaining freight trains between Creamery Junction and Gibbs and between Canal Junction and Norwottuck ran on the adjacent Palmer – Winchendon of the Boston & Albany and New London – Brattleboro of the Central Vermont Railroad , after a right of use was agreed and track connections were installed, and the parallel sections of the Central Massachusetts line were closed. Only the connection to a paper mill in Ware remained and is still in operation today. The Hill Crossing – Clematis Brook section was also shut down in 1952, when the trains ran over the parallel Fitchburg main line.
Until 1956, most of the traffic on the route was carried out with steam locomotives, while diesel locomotives were already in use on almost all other routes on Boston & Maine. Passenger traffic between Hudson and Clinton Junction ended on May 11, 1958 and the section from Berlin to Clinton Junction was shut down the following year. The passenger trains no longer drove into Hudson station on the route to Northampton, but turned at Central Massachusetts Junction on the route towards Marlborough and ended at the station on this route. From January 15, 1965, passenger trains no longer ran between South Sudbury and Hudson. Budd Rail Diesel Cars operated the remaining section of the route until November 26, 1971. Freight traffic continued to decline and ended in 1974 between Bondsville and Gibbs. In 1980, freight trains of the Massachusetts Central Railroad , which had operated the Palmer – Winchendon route since 1979 , drove on this section for a few weeks . The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority bought the route from Clematis Brook to Berlin in 1976, but left the freight traffic to Boston & Maine. In March 1977 the last freight trains ran the section from Hudson to Berlin, 1979 between North Cambridge and Hill Crossing and between Bondsville and Canal Junction and 1980 between Waltham (North) and Hudson and between Norwottuck and Northampton. In 1980 all of these sections were shut down. In 1983 the short stretch from Creamery Junction to Wheelwright followed and in 1994 the section Clematis Brook-Waltham (North). In the meantime, Guilford Transportation had taken over Boston & Maine in 1983 and operated freight traffic on the short sections that were recently closed. The only only a few hundred meters long section of the former 158 km long railway line that is still used is the aforementioned connection to the paper mill in Ware, which is served by the Massachusetts Central Railroad. In the Gibbs freight yard, part of the route serves as a storage facility for the same railway company.
Route description
North Cambridge-South Sudbury
The line begins at North Cambridge Station, where it branches off the Somerville Junction – Lake Street railway line, and heads west. Shortly afterwards, the route crosses the West Cambridge – Middlesex Junction railway line . From here to the former Hill Crossing stop on Brighton Street, the Fitchburg Cutoff Bikepath is on the disused railway line. Until 1979, the freight trains ran in the direction of Fitchburg to Hill Crossing, where they switched to the Fitchburg main line via a connecting switch. The line to Northampton was right next to the Fitchburg main line and had the same stations, namely next to Hill Crossing in Belmont, Waverley and Clematis Brook. Part of the route can still be seen, but has been built over between Belmont and Waverley. After the Clematis Brook stop there was a connecting track from the Fitchburg main line towards Northampton, which was used from 1941.
Here the route of the Northampton line leaves the Fitchburg main line and continues westwards while the line to Fitchburg turns southwest into the center of Waltham. Waltham Station on the Northampton Line was north of the city center on Lexington Street and was renamed Waltham (North) after the Fitchburg was taken over by Boston & Maine in 1900 to avoid confusion. Near the city limits between Waltham and Weston, the route first crosses Interstate 95 and then the Fitchburg mainline over bridges, both of which are still in place. A high-voltage line was laid on the railway line from the motorway bridge to just before East Sudbury . The railroad tracks are also still in this area; they have only been removed at the level crossings. The Wayland station building, built in 1881, is located near Hudson Road and is a National Historic Landmark . Today it is used as a workshop. To the west of the passenger station was a locomotive shed that was demolished in 1917.
The bridge over the Sudbury River west of Wayland is still in place. After the East Sudbury stop on Landham Road, the route crosses a small stream on a bridge that is also still standing and then turns north-west. Along Station Road , the line led to South Sudbury Station, where it crossed the Framingham – Lowell railway at approximately right angles. A connecting curve consisted of the direction of Framingham towards Northampton.
South Sudbury-Clinton Junction
The route continues in a straight line through sparsely populated land. The bridge over the narrow Hopbrook, like many engineering structures, is still there on the eastern part of the route. Shortly after this bridge, in the middle of the forest, a connection from the US Army to a former military training area and later test drop area of the Natick Laboratories , which has been a nature reserve ( Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge ) since 2005, branched off in the middle of the forest via a generously laid out track triangle . The route to Northampton then reaches the Gleasondale district of the city of Stow. After the Gleasondale railway station, the line crossed the route of the also disused South Acton – Marlborough railway, as well as an overland tram running next to it on a bridge of which only the abutments are still standing. The crossing point was called Central Massachusetts Junction or Gleason Junction , there was no station here. A connecting track enabled trains from Boston to Marlborough. The three railway lines ran parallel from here to shortly before Hudson. The Northampton line had its own bridge over the Assabet River , a few meters north of Main Street, which was demolished after the closure. The overland tram that turned onto Main Street here and the rail line to Marlborough also used the road bridge. The railway line to Marlborough crossed Main Street at an acute angle and then continued south, while the line to Northampton north of the road continued west. About a kilometer further the route crosses the Bruces Pond . This bridge also no longer exists. Immediately afterwards the Hudson train station is reached.
From Hudson the route continues west through South Bolton and Berlin. West Street and the adjacent Framingham – Pratts Junction railway line was crossed by a bridge that was demolished today. Immediately thereafter, the route to Clinton Junction, built in 1903 as a replacement for the section of route flooded by the Wachusett Reservoir , begins . It turns north here, while the original route turns south. The new route ran parallel to West Street and turned west at about West Ledge Road. The ridge, on the back of which Wilson Street lies today, was crossed under a tunnel. A bridge over Boylston Street and the Nashua River was immediately adjacent to the western tunnel exit, directly north of the dam . The route now ran on the north bank of the reservoir and turned at its northern tip into the Worcester – Rochester railway via a triangular track. The narrow connecting curve towards Rochester was used by passenger trains on the route until 1958, which continued from here to Clinton and Lancaster.
West Berlin Junction goods
The original railway line, which was closed in 1903, initially turned south in West Berlin and then took a generous right-hand bend back to the northwest, where the South Clinton stop was located on Main Street. From here the route is flooded. It originally ran in the valley of the Nashua River in a south-westerly direction and turned again to the northwest before West Boylston. Sterling Street crosses the lake on a causeway today. Up until 1903 there was a level crossing over this street near the eastern bank, which at that time was a few meters lower. A little further to the northwest, the railway line reappears on the east bank of the lake and runs along the banks of the Thomas Basin to Oakdale. Immediately in front of Oakdale station, the line crossed the Stillwater River in a curve. The crossing station Oakdale, where there were connecting curves from Northampton both towards Worcester and towards Rochester to the railway line Worcester – Rochester crossing here at the same level, is still in the urban area of West Boylston.
From Oakdale the railway line continues in a westerly direction, but then turns south and after a short time reaches Quinapoxet. The route is used as a forest path from Oakdale to the former level crossing over River Street. It leads in a north-westerly direction out of Quinapoxet and shortly afterwards turns back to the south-west, where the level crossing of the Barber – Winchendon railway was. In the further course the route was built over by a housing estate. It is only there again from Princeton Street, where Jefferson Station was located. From here the route continues to the southern end of Muschopauge Pond , where there was a breakpoint. The railway line continues through Rutland and is built over in several places in the city. Rutland Station was on Maple Avenue.
The railway line now runs west through a forest and crosses Whitehall Pond and Muddy Pond on a causeway. Further parallel to Worcester Road, the route reaches the urban area of Barre, where it met the Palmer – Winchendon railway line. Between the stations Barre and Barre Plains there was a connecting track between the two lines, which run next to each other here. In the further course the two railway lines are partly separated by the Ware River , which is crossed several times. A section of the route is now used by Airport Road and the runway of Tanner-Hiller Airport . Another connecting track to the line in the direction of Palmer was available at the Creamery freight yard, where the lines are again next to each other. Shortly afterwards the routes cross and were separated again by the Ware River. They only met again in the Ware train station. In the station area, the route of the former line to Northampton is used as a siding.
Ware – Northampton
To the south of Ware station, the two railway lines separate again. The railway line to Northampton now serves as an access to the Ware paper mill, which was used to build over the route. In the further course, the two railway lines meet again at the Gibbs freight yard, where part of the former Northampton line is used as a siding. To the south-west of the station, the railway lines separate for good and the train to Northampton crosses the Ware River one last time. Almost all bridges over this river were not demolished after the closure in 1980 and are still standing. After crossing the river, the route climbs over the river valley. Just before State Street is the junction of the Hampden Railroad , the route of which is crossed under shortly afterwards. The route to Northampton turns north-west here and shortly afterwards reaches Bondsville station.
After leaving the station area, the railway line crosses the Swift River and the Athol – Athol Junction railway line on its north bank over a high bridge that was demolished after the line was closed. About six kilometers further on, the route reaches the New London – Brattleboro railway line at Canal Junction , next to which it runs to Norwottuck. The two lines intersect at Belchertown station. Almost the entire stretch from Canal Junction to Norwottuck is where the two lines are right next to each other. Only north of Arcadia Lake do they separate for a few hundred meters. While the route to Northampton runs along the north shore of Lake Holland , the railway to Brattleboro, which is still used today, runs in an arc north of the lake.
From Warren Wright Road, the rest of the route to Northampton now has a cycle path, the Norwottuck Rail Trail . Shortly before Norwottuck station there was another connecting track between the two railway lines that separate here. The Northampton line continues northwest to Amherst Station on Depot Road, while the Brattleboro line continues north to Amherst city center, where it has its own station. At Amherst the route turns southwest and passes through Hadley. The bridge over Russell Street in Hadley has been torn down and the bike path crosses the street at the same level. The route then crosses the Connecticut River . The bridge is still there and supports the bike path. Shortly thereafter, the route joins the Springfield – East Northfield railway and about 500 meters further, the terminus Northampton Union Station is reached. The station itself has been demolished as there is no longer any passenger traffic.
passenger traffic
At the end of 1892, in addition to the daily express train to Washington DC, there were three passenger trains on weekdays and a pair of passenger trains on Sundays. From Boston there were four additional suburban trains to Hudson and three trains to Wayland. From Northampton one suburban train went to Ware and three to Amherst. These suburban trains only ran on weekdays. After the route on the Wachusett reservoir was relocated, the trains that had previously ended in Hudson continued to Clinton, and some to Lancaster. After an intercity tram was opened between Northampton and Amherst, the suburban trains were discontinued on this route, only the pair of trains from Northampton to Ware remained on the timetable until the First World War.
After the cessation of passenger traffic west of Clinton, two pairs of trains ran on weekdays via Berlin to Lancaster, two to Clinton, one via Gleasondale to Marlborough and a Sunday train to Lancaster. 1960 only ran a train from Hudson to Boston Monday to Friday morning and a train in the opposite direction in the afternoon. In 1971, passenger traffic ended on the route.
Sources and further reading
- Individual evidence
- ↑ thewaylanddepot.com ( Memento of the original from March 24, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ see timetables of the route from the years mentioned.
- literature
- Ronald D. Karr: The Rail Lines of Southern New England. A Handbook of Railroad History. Branch Line Press, Pepperell, MA 1995. ISBN 0-942147-02-2
- Mike Walker: Comprehensive Railroad Atlas of North America. New England & Maritime Canada. (2nd edition) SPV-Verlag, Dunkirk (GB), 2010. ISBN 1-874745-12-9
- Web links
- B&M Corporate History, 1914, pages 61–65 (PDF; 6.9 MB) ( Memento from June 17, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) (English)
- List of stations (with miles) and staff from 1923 (scroll down) (English)