Essex Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Essex Railroad was a small independent railroad in the United States
that connected Salem, Massachusetts
to North Andover, Massachusetts
and was named for Essex County
as the traversed the county.
The railroad received its charter in 1846, with some backing from the Eastern Railroad
, and by the beginning of 1847, the first two miles of track was completed from Salem to Peabody
(then called South Danvers) and was operated by the Eastern while the remaining line to North Andover was constructed. In 1850, two new lines, the South Reading Branch Railroad
and the Salem and Lowell Railroad
rented this stretch to give the Essex badly needed revenue.
By September 1848, the Essex was completed to the Boston and Maine Railroad
's main line in North Andover and was given trackage rights to Lawrence
and South Lawrence over the B&M.
From the beginning, the Essex operation was under-capitalized and was soon in financial trouble. Operations were suspended three times and the line shut down. The first shut down was in April 1849 and the line remained closed for a year. The line reopened in the spring of 1850, but the financial woes of the company halted operations again by the fall. In October 1851, the Essex entered into a lease agreement with the Eastern and the line was reopened and run as the Eastern's Lawrence Branch.
When the Eastern was absorbed by the B&M in 1884, Essex Country was a dense network of rail lines through sparsely populated areas. The B&M could not justify keeping all these branch lines open. Freight service on the Essex had all but disappeared by 1925 and passenger service has lost riders to the trolley lines running through Danvers
and Middleton
. The only parts of the line where service was still strong were the factory workers in Lawrence who rode the line to and from work as far as the Steven Station in North Andover, along with freight service between Salem and Danvers Jct when the Essex crossed the Newburyport Branch
.
In 1927, the B&M abandoned the line between Stevens Station and Danvers Jct. The line continued to operate until the Stevens Mills closed in 1950s and freight service to the North Andover Machine Shop ended in 1981, the line was formally abandoned later that year. Commuter service between Danvers Jct and Salem picked up and remained strong until 1958, when passenger service stopped. In 1985, the Waters River Bridge caught fire and took the line out of service. Customers north of the bridge were serviced via the Newburyport branch until all service on that line was suspended around 2000. The line south of the bridge remains open for freight today and the MBTA has preliminary plans to reopen passenger service between Salem and Danvers Jct, replacing the old bridge to gain access to Danvers.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
that connected Salem, Massachusetts
Salem, Massachusetts
Salem is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 40,407 at the 2000 census. It and Lawrence are the county seats of Essex County...
to North Andover, Massachusetts
North Andover, Massachusetts
North Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. North Andover is the home of Merrimack College, a private, Catholic four-year institution ....
and was named for Essex County
Essex County, Massachusetts
-National protected areas:* Parker River National Wildlife Refuge* Salem Maritime National Historic Site* Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site* Thacher Island National Wildlife Refuge-Demographics:...
as the traversed the county.
The railroad received its charter in 1846, with some backing from the Eastern Railroad
Eastern Railroad (Massachusetts)
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 those two cities, until the Boston & Maine finally put an end to the competition by leasing the Eastern in December...
, and by the beginning of 1847, the first two miles of track was completed from Salem to Peabody
Peabody, Massachusetts
Peabody is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population is about 53,000. Peabody is located in Boston's North Shore suburban area.- History :...
(then called South Danvers) and was operated by the Eastern while the remaining line to North Andover was constructed. In 1850, two new lines, the South Reading Branch Railroad
South Reading Branch Railroad
The South Reading Branch Railroad or just South Reading Railroad, was a short line railroad that ran from Wakefield, Massachusetts to Peabody, Massachusetts and was named for town of South Reading, which changed its name to Wakefield in 1868....
and the Salem and Lowell Railroad
Salem and Lowell Railroad
The Salem and Lowell Railroad was a branch line of the Boston and Lowell Railroad and ran off the Essex Railroad in Peabody, Massachusetts to Tewksbury, Massachusetts where it met the Lowell and Lawrence Railroad at Tewksbury Jct....
rented this stretch to give the Essex badly needed revenue.
By September 1848, the Essex was completed to 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...
's main line in North Andover and was given trackage rights to Lawrence
Lawrence, Massachusetts
Lawrence is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States on the Merrimack River. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a total population of 76,377. Surrounding communities include Methuen to the north, Andover to the southwest, and North Andover to the southeast. It and Salem are...
and South Lawrence over the B&M.
From the beginning, the Essex operation was under-capitalized and was soon in financial trouble. Operations were suspended three times and the line shut down. The first shut down was in April 1849 and the line remained closed for a year. The line reopened in the spring of 1850, but the financial woes of the company halted operations again by the fall. In October 1851, the Essex entered into a lease agreement with the Eastern and the line was reopened and run as the Eastern's Lawrence Branch.
When the Eastern was absorbed by the B&M in 1884, Essex Country was a dense network of rail lines through sparsely populated areas. The B&M could not justify keeping all these branch lines open. Freight service on the Essex had all but disappeared by 1925 and passenger service has lost riders to the trolley lines running through Danvers
Danvers, Massachusetts
Danvers is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. Located on the Danvers River near the northeastern coast of Massachusetts, Danvers is most widely known for its association with the 1692 Salem witch trials, and for its famous asylum, the Danvers State Hospital.-17th century:The land...
and Middleton
Middleton, Massachusetts
Middleton is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 8,987 at the 2010 census.- History :Middleton was first settled in 1659 and was officially incorporated in 1728. Prior to 1728 it was considered a part of Salem, and contains territory previously within the...
. The only parts of the line where service was still strong were the factory workers in Lawrence who rode the line to and from work as far as the Steven Station in North Andover, along with freight service between Salem and Danvers Jct when the Essex crossed the Newburyport Branch
Newburyport Railroad
The Newburyport Railroad was a railroad that came about from the merger of three small rail companies into one large company to compete with the Eastern Railroad....
.
In 1927, the B&M abandoned the line between Stevens Station and Danvers Jct. The line continued to operate until the Stevens Mills closed in 1950s and freight service to the North Andover Machine Shop ended in 1981, the line was formally abandoned later that year. Commuter service between Danvers Jct and Salem picked up and remained strong until 1958, when passenger service stopped. In 1985, the Waters River Bridge caught fire and took the line out of service. Customers north of the bridge were serviced via the Newburyport branch until all service on that line was suspended around 2000. The line south of the bridge remains open for freight today and the MBTA has preliminary plans to reopen passenger service between Salem and Danvers Jct, replacing the old bridge to gain access to Danvers.