Thayer – Hudson railway line

Thayer MA-Hudson MA
Hudson map (1888) with route
Route length:	13.5 km
Gauge :	1435 mm ( standard gauge )
Society:	Lancaster Railroad
Legend from Worcester 0.0 Thayer MA (formerly South Lancaster) to Rochester Nashua River approx. 7 Bolton MA Great Brook Interstate 495 Mill Brook Bruces Pond North Cambridge – Northampton line from Marlborough 13.5 Hudson MA ( wedge station ) to South Acton

The railway Thayer-Hudson is a railway line in Massachusetts ( United States ). It is 13.5 kilometers long and connects the towns of Lancaster , Bolton and Hudson . The standard gauge line is closed.

history

In order to create a cross connection between the Worcester – Rochester railway on the Worcester and Nashua Railroad and the South Acton – Marlborough railway on the Fitchburg Railroad , the two railway companies planned a jointly operated railway line from South Lancaster on the W&N route to Hudson on the early 1870s Fitchburg range. It was also supposed to connect the town of Bolton, which until then had remained without a rail connection. When the Fitchburg line to Hudson was built, an extension to Lancaster and on to Sterling was planned at the end of the 1840s , but this had not been built. The Lancaster Railroad Company was founded in 1870 and should be leased for 50 years when the line opened by both railway companies. The line was built in the following years.

Meanwhile, however, the Massachusetts Central Railroad was planning the construction of the North Cambridge – Northampton railway , which should also run through Hudson and cross the W&N line in Oakdale. Since both railway companies no longer saw the benefit of the cross-connection, they refused to lease the line, which was completed in 1873. The Lancaster Railroad Company apparently did not want or could not operate the railroad itself and apart from an inspection train after completion, the route ran no train. In 1883 the Lancaster Railroad Company filed for bankruptcy and on November 28 of that year the line was sold to the Fitchburg Railroad, which it did not open because the Massachusetts Central Railroad had meanwhile opened. The line to Lancaster was finally dismantled in 1889.

Route description

The line branches off at Thayer Station, which was still called South Lancaster in the 19th century, and crosses the Nashua River. The route is winding uphill. Part of the embankment is still there to the west of the High Street. The route crosses the High Street and runs eastward parallel to Old Common Road. It crosses Wilder Road near Eastwood Cemetery and continues between Wilder Road and Forbush Mill Road to Bolton. The route in this area has also been preserved. The train then crosses Main Street in Bolton and continues parallel to it in a south-easterly direction. Near the church in Bolton the route crosses Main Street again and passes the Florence Sawyer School. The abutments of the bridge over the Great Brook in Bolton are still standing. The route then runs relatively straight in a south-easterly direction. Interstate 495 crosses the route at approximately a right angle. Passing Little Pond, the route then reaches Century Mill Road. The embankment is still clearly visible in this area. It continues parallel to Hudson Road and Lincoln Street. In the north of the city of Hudson, Lincoln Street is crossed and from here the former railway line is built over. On a yoke bridge it crossed the Bruces Pond in the center of Hudson, crossed the railway line of the then Massachusetts Central Railroad and joins the route of the former Fitchburg Railroad south of it.

Sources and further reading

Individual evidence

1. ^ Topographic map of Clinton / Lancaster
2. ^ Topographic map of Hudson / Bolton

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 .