South Reading Branch Railroad
Encyclopedia
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.
In 1848, a group of investors from Salem
and Danvers
were granted a charter to build a railroad line from South Reading to South Danvers. The line took two years to build and opened for business in 1850 and opened up another Boston to Salem route as it was given trackage rights to Salem on the Essex Railroad
.
The Boston to Salem route had long been monopolized by the Eastern Railroad
and when the South Reading line was opened, it took quite a bit of the business away with lower fares and the fact that passengers had a direct link to downtown Boston via the Boston and Maine Railroad
, the Eastern's most heated rival. Whereas the Eastern had to ferry their passengers from East Boston across the harbor to get to and from Boston, may passengers preferred to take the B&M to Wakefield and go to Salem via the South Reading.
In 1851, the Eastern Railroad, fearing that the B&M would take over the South Reading, in self defense took over the line at steep cost and the Massachusetts State Legislature for years, forced the Eastern to keep the Boston to Salem route open via the South Reading despite the fact that the Eastern had built an extension of its main line to reach downtown Boston from Revere
through Chelsea
, Everett
and Charlestown
.
In 1868, when South Reading became Wakefield and South Danvers changed to Peabody, and the line was renamed the Wakefield Branch, but its old name stuck with passengers and rail fans today.
When the B&M took over the Eastern RR in December 1884, the South Reading line became obsolete as the B&M had other lines that went to Salem via the Newburyport Branch
and the former Boston and Lowell Railroad
branch line, the Salem and Lowell Railroad
.
In 1925, the B&M received permission to abandon the line and the tracks were removed from Wakefield Center (where the line split from the Newburyport Branch) to Peabody. In the 1950s, the abandoned ROW became part of MA state highway 128 in the Montrose section of Wakefield. In 1965, the first two miles of the line was rebuilt between Peabody and South Peabody to service a new industrial park and remains in service today. Portions of the ROW in Lynnfield & Wakefield are still traceable.
Wakefield, Massachusetts
-History:-Geography:The diagram above shows what is to the east, west, north, south, and other directions of the center of Wakefield. Towns with population above 25,000 are in bold italics.-Demographics:-Notable residents:...
to Peabody, Massachusetts
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 :...
and was named for town of South Reading, which changed its name to Wakefield in 1868.
In 1848, a group of investors from Salem
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...
and 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...
were granted a charter to build a railroad line from South Reading to South Danvers. The line took two years to build and opened for business in 1850 and opened up another Boston to Salem route as it was given trackage rights to Salem on the Essex Railroad
Essex Railroad
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 Boston to Salem route had long been monopolized by 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 when the South Reading line was opened, it took quite a bit of the business away with lower fares and the fact that passengers had a direct link to downtown Boston via 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...
, the Eastern's most heated rival. Whereas the Eastern had to ferry their passengers from East Boston across the harbor to get to and from Boston, may passengers preferred to take the B&M to Wakefield and go to Salem via the South Reading.
In 1851, the Eastern Railroad, fearing that the B&M would take over the South Reading, in self defense took over the line at steep cost and the Massachusetts State Legislature for years, forced the Eastern to keep the Boston to Salem route open via the South Reading despite the fact that the Eastern had built an extension of its main line to reach downtown Boston from Revere
Revere, Massachusetts
Revere is a city in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States, and located approximately from downtown Boston. It is named after the American patriot Paul Revere. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 51,755.- History :...
through Chelsea
Chelsea, Massachusetts
Chelsea is a city in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States directly across the Mystic River from the city of Boston. It is the smallest city in Massachusetts in land area, and the 26th most densely populated incorporated place in the country.-History:...
, Everett
Everett, Massachusetts
Everett is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, near Boston. The population was 41,667 at the 2010 census.Everett is the last city in the United States with a bicameral legislature, which is composed of a seven-member Board of Aldermen and an 18-member Common Council...
and Charlestown
Charlestown, Massachusetts
Charlestown is a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and is located on a peninsula north of downtown Boston. Charlestown was originally a separate town and the first capital of the Massachusetts Bay Colony; it became a city in 1847 and was annexed by Boston on January 5, 1874...
.
In 1868, when South Reading became Wakefield and South Danvers changed to Peabody, and the line was renamed the Wakefield Branch, but its old name stuck with passengers and rail fans today.
When the B&M took over the Eastern RR in December 1884, the South Reading line became obsolete as the B&M had other lines that went to Salem via 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....
and the former 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...
branch line, 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....
.
In 1925, the B&M received permission to abandon the line and the tracks were removed from Wakefield Center (where the line split from the Newburyport Branch) to Peabody. In the 1950s, the abandoned ROW became part of MA state highway 128 in the Montrose section of Wakefield. In 1965, the first two miles of the line was rebuilt between Peabody and South Peabody to service a new industrial park and remains in service today. Portions of the ROW in Lynnfield & Wakefield are still traceable.