Central Massachusetts Railroad
Encyclopedia
Boston and Albany Railroad
The Boston and Albany Railroad was a railroad connecting Boston, Massachusetts to Albany, New York, later becoming part of the New York Central Railroad system, Conrail and CSX. The line is used by CSX for freight...
and Fitchburg Railroad
Fitchburg Railroad
The Fitchburg Railroad is a former railroad company, which built a railroad line across northern Massachusetts, USA, leading to and through the Hoosac Tunnel. The Fitchburg was leased to the Boston and Maine Railroad in 1900...
. It later became part of the Boston and Maine Railroad
Boston and Maine Railroad
The Boston and Maine Corporation , known as the Boston and Maine Railroad until 1964, was the dominant railroad of the northern New England region of the United States for a century...
system, and now all but a few miles are abandoned.
History
The Massachusetts Central Railroad was chartered May 10, 1869 and organized September 2, 1869 to build a line from Boston west to Northampton and possibly beyond to the Hudson RiverHudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
across the middle of the state. (The Wayland and Sudbury Branch Railroad had been chartered in 1868 as a shorter version of the Central Mass, running only from the Fitchburg Railroad
Fitchburg Railroad
The Fitchburg Railroad is a former railroad company, which built a railroad line across northern Massachusetts, USA, leading to and through the Hoosac Tunnel. The Fitchburg was leased to the Boston and Maine Railroad in 1900...
in eastern Weston into Sudbury. In 1872, the South Mountain and Boston Rail Road was chartered as an extension southwest via the planned Poughkeepsie Bridge
Poughkeepsie Bridge
The Poughkeepsie Bridge is a steel cantilever bridge spanning the Hudson River between Poughkeepsie, New York on the east bank and Highland, New York on the west bank...
to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 49,528, making it the ninth largest city in Pennsylvania...
.)
The first section, from the Boston and Lowell Railroad
Boston and Lowell Railroad
The Boston and Lowell Railroad is a historic railroad that operated in Massachusetts. It was one of the first railroads in North America and the first major one in the state...
's Lexington and Arlington Branch at North Cambridge Junction west to Hudson, opened on October 1, 1881. A further extension to the Boston, Barre and Gardner Railroad in the Jefferson neighborhood of Holden
Holden, Massachusetts
Holden is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The town was founded in 1741, and the Town Square was donated by John Hancock, former Governor of Massachusetts.The population was 17,346 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...
opened in 1882, but the company failed, stopping all operations on May 4, 1883. On November 10, 1883 it was reorganized as the Central Massachusetts Railroad, and service began once again to Hudson on September 28, 1885, returning to Jefferson on December 14.
The stockholders voted on March 21, 1880 to lease the line to the Boston and Lowell Railroad
Boston and Lowell Railroad
The Boston and Lowell Railroad is a historic railroad that operated in Massachusetts. It was one of the first railroads in North America and the first major one in the state...
, but this did not happen until December 7, 1886, after which it became part of the Boston and Maine Railroad
Boston and Maine Railroad
The Boston and Maine Corporation , known as the Boston and Maine Railroad until 1964, was the dominant railroad of the northern New England region of the United States for a century...
system on April 7, 1887. The rest of the line opened on December 12, 1887 (with regular service beginning December 19), running west to the Connecticut River Railroad
Connecticut River Railroad
The Connecticut River Railroad was formed in 1845 by the merger of the Northampton and Springfield Railroad with the unbuilt Greenfield and Northampton Railroad....
in Northampton (part of the B&M after 1893). In March 1901 the B&M acquired a majority of Central Mass stock.
Some unused grading was built northwest from Hardwick center, now lying just east of the Quabbin Reservoir
Quabbin Reservoir
The Quabbin Reservoir is the largest inland body of water in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and was built between 1930 and 1939. Today along with the Wachusett Reservoir, it is the primary water supply for Boston, some to the east, as well as 40 other communities in Greater Boston...
; this was never used by the railroad, as a new alignment (south of the current location of the Quabbin) was chosen.
In 1900 the B&M took over the Fitchburg Railroad
Fitchburg Railroad
The Fitchburg Railroad is a former railroad company, which built a railroad line across northern Massachusetts, USA, leading to and through the Hoosac Tunnel. The Fitchburg was leased to the Boston and Maine Railroad in 1900...
, giving them a better route to the west. Prior to then, from 1890 to 1893, the Central Mass was part of the Poughkeepsie Bridge Route
Poughkeepsie Bridge Route
The Poughkeepsie Bridge Route was a passenger train route from Washington, D.C. to Boston, Massachusetts, via Baltimore, Maryland and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
, a long-distance route via the Poughkeepsie Bridge
Poughkeepsie Bridge
The Poughkeepsie Bridge is a steel cantilever bridge spanning the Hudson River between Poughkeepsie, New York on the east bank and Highland, New York on the west bank...
.
The Wachusett Reservoir
Wachusett Reservoir
The Wachusett Reservoir is the second largest body of water in the state of Massachusetts. It is located in central Massachusetts, northeast of Worcester. It is part of the water supply system for metropolitan Boston maintained by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority . It has an aggregate...
was built from 1897 to 1906, and flooded part of the Central Mass alignment in Boylston and West Boylston. A new alignment was built south of Clinton center, including a short tunnel
Tunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, completely enclosed except for openings for egress, commonly at each end.A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers...
. From Clinton to West Boylston, the new alignment used the Worcester, Nashua and Rochester Railroad
Worcester, Nashua and Rochester Railroad
The Worcester, Nashua and Rochester Railroad was a railroad line that was to link the city of Worcester, Massachusetts to the city of Portland, Maine via the New Hampshire cities of Nashua and Rochester, by merging several small railroads together....
, part of the B&M system, beginning in 1903.
The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad
New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad
The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad , was a railroad that operated in the northeast United States from 1872 to 1968 which served the states of Connecticut, New York, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts...
gained control of the B&M from 1907 to 1914, again making the Central Mass part of a major through route. The Hampden Railroad
Hampden Railroad
The Hampden Railroad built by the Boston and Maine Railroad and New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. The Hampden Railroad was chartered in 1910 and leased to the B&M in 1911, as a route from the Central Mass east of Bondsville west-southwest to Springfield, Massachusetts to connect to the...
was chartered in 1910 and leased to the B&M in 1911, as a route from the Central Mass east of Bondsville
Bondsville, Massachusetts
Bondsville is a village and former census-designated place located primarily in the town of Palmer in Hampden County in the western part of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. The CDP boundaries extend slightly into the adjacent town of Belchertown in Hampshire County. The population of the CDP was...
west-southwest to Springfield to connect to the NYNH&H's Hartford and Springfield Railroad
Hartford and Springfield Railroad
The Hartford and Springfield Railroad is the continuation of the Hartford and New Haven Railroad from the Connecticut state line to Springfield, Massachusetts. It was in length and was owned and run by the Connecticut company under the usual arrangements in such cases. It was opened to traffic and...
. In 1914 the near-monopoly
Monopoly
A monopoly exists when a specific person or enterprise is the only supplier of a particular commodity...
was broken up due to a legal campaign led by Louis D. Brandeis. The Hampden Railroad never opened, and was dismantled in 1921. Part of the right-of-way
Right-of-way (railroad)
A right-of-way is a strip of land that is granted, through an easement or other mechanism, for transportation purposes, such as for a trail, driveway, rail line or highway. A right-of-way is reserved for the purposes of maintenance or expansion of existing services with the right-of-way...
was later used for the Massachusetts Turnpike
Massachusetts Turnpike
The Massachusetts Turnpike is the easternmost stretch of Interstate 90. The Turnpike begins at the western border of Massachusetts in West Stockbridge connecting with the Berkshire Connector portion of the New York State Thruway...
.
The New England Hurricane of 1938
New England Hurricane of 1938
The New England Hurricane of 1938 was the first major hurricane to strike New England since 1869...
destroyed part of the line at Barre Plains in Barre, and in 1939 the line was abandoned from Wheelwright
Wheelwright, Massachusetts
Wheelwright is a village in the town of Hardwick, Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States, about 20 miles northwest of the city of Worcester, Massachusetts. Named after George W. Wheelwright who owned the paper mill around the turn of the 20th century...
in Hardwick
Hardwick, Massachusetts
Hardwick is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States, about west of the city of Worcester. It had a population of 2,990 at the 2010 census. It includes the villages of Hardwick, Gilbertville, Wheelwright and Old Furnace.- History :...
(at the old Hardwick station) to Oakdale in West Boylston.
Passenger service was cut to one daily round trip in 1928, and only ran east of Clinton after 1932. In 1958, this was cut yet further to Hudson; by 1964 these trains used the Fitchburg Line
Fitchburg Line
The Fitchburg Line is an MBTA line that runs from Boston's North Station to Fitchburg, Massachusetts. The line is along the tracks of the former Fitchburg Railroad, which was a railroad line across northern Massachusetts, United States, leading to and through the Hoosac Tunnel. It is one of the...
east of a junction in eastern Waltham. When the MBTA started to subsidize commuter rail on January 18, 1965, the line was cut back to South Sudbury. The rest was discontinued November 26, 1971. The route from Waltham to Berlin was bought by the MBTA on December 27, 1976, but has not seen service restored.
A small part of the line in Palmer is now in use for freight by the Massachusetts Central Railroad
Massachusetts Central Railroad
The Massachusetts Central Railroad is a short line railroad in western Massachusetts, USA. It was established in 1979 to provide railroad transportation services between Palmer and South Barre on the old Right of Way of the Ware River Railroad....
, from the former Springfield, Athol and North-eastern Railroad at Forrest Lake Junction west to Bondsville
Bondsville, Massachusetts
Bondsville is a village and former census-designated place located primarily in the town of Palmer in Hampden County in the western part of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. The CDP boundaries extend slightly into the adjacent town of Belchertown in Hampshire County. The population of the CDP was...
. That company started operations in 1979.
Rail trail plan
A multi-use trail, the Mass Central Rail-Trail, has been proposed along the entire route west from Waltham; short sections in Waltham and Cambridge are currently in use (the latter as the Fitchburg Cutoff PathFitchburg Cutoff Path
The Fitchburg Cutoff Path is a short, unpaved multi-use rail trail located in suburban Boston, Massachusetts.The 0.8 mile path runs from Brighton Street in Belmont, Massachusetts to the Alewife station at the northern end of the MBTA Red Line in Cambridge...
and part of the Cambridge Linear Park
Cambridge Linear Park
The Linear Park is a mixed-use path, about one mile long, running through Cambridge and Somerville , and connecting the Minuteman Bikeway and the Fitchburg Cutoff Path near Alewife with the Somerville Community Path at Davis Square. The path is used for bicycling, walking, jogging, and inline...
). The portion from Amherst to Northampton, including the bridge across the Connecticut River, currently is in use as a multi-use trail.
Station listing
| Milepost | City | Station | Opening date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cambridge | North Cambridge Junction | splits from Boston and Lowell Railroad Boston and Lowell Railroad The Boston and Lowell Railroad is a historic railroad that operated in Massachusetts. It was one of the first railroads in North America and the first major one in the state... Lexington and Arlington Branch (B&M) |
||
| at-grade crossing of the original Lexington and Arlington Railroad (B&M) | ||||
| Belmont | Hills Crossing | paralleling Fitchburg Line Fitchburg Line The Fitchburg Line is an MBTA line that runs from Boston's North Station to Fitchburg, Massachusetts. The line is along the tracks of the former Fitchburg Railroad, which was a railroad line across northern Massachusetts, United States, leading to and through the Hoosac Tunnel. It is one of the... |
||
| Belmont | paralleling Fitchburg Line Fitchburg Line The Fitchburg Line is an MBTA line that runs from Boston's North Station to Fitchburg, Massachusetts. The line is along the tracks of the former Fitchburg Railroad, which was a railroad line across northern Massachusetts, United States, leading to and through the Hoosac Tunnel. It is one of the... |
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| Waverly | paralleling Fitchburg Line Fitchburg Line The Fitchburg Line is an MBTA line that runs from Boston's North Station to Fitchburg, Massachusetts. The line is along the tracks of the former Fitchburg Railroad, which was a railroad line across northern Massachusetts, United States, leading to and through the Hoosac Tunnel. It is one of the... |
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| 8.30 | Clematis Brook | track connection to the Fitchburg Line Fitchburg Line The Fitchburg Line is an MBTA line that runs from Boston's North Station to Fitchburg, Massachusetts. The line is along the tracks of the former Fitchburg Railroad, which was a railroad line across northern Massachusetts, United States, leading to and through the Hoosac Tunnel. It is one of the... (B&M), moving to own right-of-way between this station and Linden St. |
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| 9.77 | Waltham | North Waltham | closed November 25, 1971 originally Waltham |
|
| 10.35 | Waltham Highlands | closed November 25, 1971 originally Hammond Street |
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| Weston | bridge over the Fitchburg Line Fitchburg Line The Fitchburg Line is an MBTA line that runs from Boston's North Station to Fitchburg, Massachusetts. The line is along the tracks of the former Fitchburg Railroad, which was a railroad line across northern Massachusetts, United States, leading to and through the Hoosac Tunnel. It is one of the... |
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| 12.93 | Weston | closed November 25, 1971 | ||
| 13.69 | Cherry Brook | closed November 25, 1971 | ||
| 15.24 | Wayland | Tower Hill | closed November 25, 1971 | |
| 16.50 | Wayland | closed November 25, 1971 | ||
| 18.55 | Sudbury | East Sudbury | closed November 25, 1971 | |
| 19.70 | South Sudbury | closed November 25, 1971 junction with the Lowell and Framingham Railroad (NYNH&H) |
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| Approx 21.96 | Wayside Inn | closed [?] | ||
| 23.84 | Hudson | Ordway | closed January 17, 1965 | |
| 25.35 | Gleasondale | closed January 17, 1965 originally Rockbottom. Renamed April 2, 1900. |
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| 26.09 | Gleason Junction | not a station bridge over and junction with the Lancaster and Sterling Railroad (B&M) |
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| 27.69 | Hudson | closed January 17, 1965 at-grade crossing of the never-opened Lancaster Railroad (B&M) |
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| Bolton | South Bolton | |||
| 31.42 | Berlin | Berlin | ||
| West Berlin | bridge over the Boston, Clinton, Fitchburg and New Bedford Railroad (NYNH&H) | |||
| 35.34 | Clinton | Reservoir Switch | closed [?] | |
| 36.00 | East Switch | closed [?] | ||
| 36.50 | Clinton Junction | Northern junction with the Worcester, Nashua and Rochester Railroad (B&M) | ||
| Boylston | South Clinton | closed ca. 1900 | ||
| Boylston | closed ca. 1900 | |||
| West Boylston | West Boylston | closed ca. 1900 | ||
| Oakdale | junction with the Worcester, Nashua and Rochester Railroad (B&M) | |||
| Holden | Quinapoxet | |||
| Holden Junction | not a station junction with the Boston, Barre and Gardner Railroad (B&M) |
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| Jefferson | ||||
| Rutland | Muschopauge | |||
| Rutland | ||||
| West Rutland | ||||
| Oakham | Coldbrook | |||
| Barre | Barre | track connection to the Ware River Railroad (B&A) | ||
| Barre Plains | ||||
| Hardwick | Hardwick | |||
| New Braintree | New Braintree | |||
| Hardwick | track connection to and at-grade crossing of the Ware River Railroad (B&A) | |||
| Gilbertville | ||||
| Ware | Ware | track connection to the Ware River Railroad (B&A) | ||
| Palmer | junction with the never-opened Hampden Railroad Hampden Railroad The Hampden Railroad built by the Boston and Maine Railroad and New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. The Hampden Railroad was chartered in 1910 and leased to the B&M in 1911, as a route from the Central Mass east of Bondsville west-southwest to Springfield, Massachusetts to connect to the... (B&M/NYNH&H) |
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| bridge under the never-opened Hampden Railroad Hampden Railroad The Hampden Railroad built by the Boston and Maine Railroad and New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. The Hampden Railroad was chartered in 1910 and leased to the B&M in 1911, as a route from the Central Mass east of Bondsville west-southwest to Springfield, Massachusetts to connect to the... (B&M/NYNH&H) |
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| Bondville | ||||
| Belchertown Belchertown, Massachusetts As of the census of 2000, there were 12,968 people, 4,886 households, and 3,517 families residing in the town. The population density was 245.9 people per square mile . There were 5,050 housing units at an average density of 95.8 per square mile... |
bridge over the Springfield and North-Eastern Railroad (B&A) | |||
| Canal Junction | not a station track connection to the New London Northern Railroad New London Northern Railroad The New London Northern Railroad was a part of the Central Vermont Railway from New London, Connecticut, north to Brattleboro, Vermont. After a long period with the Canadian National Railway, it is now operated by the New England Central Railroad... (CN Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad".... ) |
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| Belchertown | at-grade crossing of and track connection to the New London Northern Railroad New London Northern Railroad The New London Northern Railroad was a part of the Central Vermont Railway from New London, Connecticut, north to Brattleboro, Vermont. After a long period with the Canadian National Railway, it is now operated by the New England Central Railroad... (CN Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad".... ) |
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| track connection to the New London Northern Railroad New London Northern Railroad The New London Northern Railroad was a part of the Central Vermont Railway from New London, Connecticut, north to Brattleboro, Vermont. After a long period with the Canadian National Railway, it is now operated by the New England Central Railroad... (CN Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad".... ) |
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| Amherst | Amherst | station and freight sheds now used by Amherst Farmer's Supply | ||
| Hadley | Hadley | Water tower remains, municipal water supply | ||
| Northampton | Northampton | junction with the Connecticut River Railroad (B&M) |