Watertown Branch Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Watertown Branch Railroad was a branch loop of the Fitchburg Railroad
that was meant to serve the town of Watertown
, and the City of
Waltham
, Middlesex County
, Massachusetts
as an independent short line railroad. It also serviced the Watertown Arsenal
. The line is no longer in use and portions are being converted into a rail trail
. A small portion in Waltham has been converted into a park called Chemistry Station Park after the railroad station once located there.
. In order to keep it out of the hands of its rivals, the Fitchburg took control of both companies before any track was laid and merged them into the Watertown Branch.
Construction began from West Cambridge in 1847 and was completed to Bemis two years later. By 1851 it reached the Fitchburg's main line at the downtown Waltham station and the branch served as the main passenger line between Boston
and Waltham. It was one of the few branch lines to be double tracked, as the line saw quite heavy traffic, especially in the 1880s and 1890s. But things went downhill once the Boston and Maine Railroad
took over the Fitchburg in 1900.
Passenger service on the line ended in 1938 and the second track was removed by early 1940. The middle section of the line from the Waltham/Watertown line through Watertown Square to East Watertown was abandoned in 1960. This split the branch line in two, but traffic continued on both sides through the remainder of the 20th century. In 1991, about a half mile of track was abandoned on the west side of the line at Bemis, and the remainder of the line back to Waltham was abandoned in 2000.
west of the Sherman Street at-grade crossing. The branch line proceeds west, and then south, where it has further at-grade crossings at New Street, Concord Avenue, and the entrance road to the Walter J. Sullivan Water Treatment Facility at the Fresh Pond reservoir. From there, the line proceeds to several underpasses, namely one below a second road into the reservoir, one at Huron Avenue, and one at Mount Auburn Street, where it then crosses the town boundary of Watertown.
_-_olmsted_landscaping_plan.jpg)
The line crosses Cottage Street at grade and Grove Street below grade. Further at-grade crossings were at School Street and at Mount Auburn Street just outside Watertown Square.
near the Bleachery Dam. The line then crossed Calvary Street, then Newton Street, and proceeded across Pine Street before heading northwest, where it re-crossed the Charles, parallel to Elm Street. It then reached the Central Square area
, and looped back into the Fitchburg Railroad
main line.
, known as the Charles River/Alewife Connector. The condition of the tracks was deemed so poor that trains traveling at a mere 3 mph could derail.
In 1999, the Executive Office of Transportation
purchased segments of the right-of-way from Guilford Transportation. This trail segment was later transferred administratively to the MDC (currently known as the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation
(DCR).
On the east side of the branch, service was only to one customer, Newly Weds Foods,http://www.newlywedsfoods.com/ until service ended in 2007. The entire branch is now abandoned and out of service. Litter and downed trees are prevalent on the Fresh Pond–Watertown portion of the track.
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...
that was meant to serve the town of Watertown
Watertown, Massachusetts
The Town of Watertown is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 31,915 at the 2010 census.- History :Archeological evidence suggests that Watertown was inhabited for thousands of years before the arrival of settlers from England...
, and the City of
Waltham
Waltham, Massachusetts
Waltham is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, was an early center for the labor movement, and major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution. The original home of the Boston Manufacturing Company, the city was a prototype for 19th century industrial city planning,...
, Middlesex County
Middlesex County, Massachusetts
-National protected areas:* Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge* Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge* Longfellow National Historic Site* Lowell National Historical Park* Minute Man National Historical Park* Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
as an independent short line railroad. It also serviced the Watertown Arsenal
Watertown Arsenal
The Watertown Arsenal was a major American arsenal located on the northern shore of the Charles River in Watertown, Massachusetts. Its site is now registered on the ASCE's List of Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks and on the U.S.'s National Register of Historic Places, and it is home to the...
. The line is no longer in use and portions are being converted into a rail trail
Rail trail
A rail trail is the conversion of a disused railway easement into a multi-use path, typically for walking, cycling and sometimes horse riding. The characteristics of former tracks—flat, long, frequently running through historical areas—are appealing for various development. The term sometimes also...
. A small portion in Waltham has been converted into a park called Chemistry Station Park after the railroad station once located there.
History
The railroad was chartered in 1846 and a second company, the Waltham and Watertown Railroad, was chartered to extend the line to the neighborhood just southeast of downtown Waltham, MassachusettsWaltham, Massachusetts
Waltham is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, was an early center for the labor movement, and major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution. The original home of the Boston Manufacturing Company, the city was a prototype for 19th century industrial city planning,...
. In order to keep it out of the hands of its rivals, the Fitchburg took control of both companies before any track was laid and merged them into the Watertown Branch.
Construction began from West Cambridge in 1847 and was completed to Bemis two years later. By 1851 it reached the Fitchburg's main line at the downtown Waltham station and the branch served as the main passenger line between Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
and Waltham. It was one of the few branch lines to be double tracked, as the line saw quite heavy traffic, especially in the 1880s and 1890s. But things went downhill once 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...
took over the Fitchburg in 1900.
Passenger service on the line ended in 1938 and the second track was removed by early 1940. The middle section of the line from the Waltham/Watertown line through Watertown Square to East Watertown was abandoned in 1960. This split the branch line in two, but traffic continued on both sides through the remainder of the 20th century. In 1991, about a half mile of track was abandoned on the west side of the line at Bemis, and the remainder of the line back to Waltham was abandoned in 2000.
Cambridge
The line begins in North CambridgeNorth Cambridge, Massachusetts
North Cambridge, also known as "Area 11", is a neighborhood of Cambridge, Massachusetts bounded by Porter Square and the Fitchburg Line railroad tracks on the south, the city of Somerville on the northeast, Alewife Brook and the town of Arlington on the northwest, and the town of Belmont on the west...
west of the Sherman Street at-grade crossing. The branch line proceeds west, and then south, where it has further at-grade crossings at New Street, Concord Avenue, and the entrance road to the Walter J. Sullivan Water Treatment Facility at the Fresh Pond reservoir. From there, the line proceeds to several underpasses, namely one below a second road into the reservoir, one at Huron Avenue, and one at Mount Auburn Street, where it then crosses the town boundary of Watertown.
East Watertown
West Watertown to Waltham
The western portion of the branch continued past the Town Hall area, then headed southwest toward Main and Pleasant Streets (near Bacon and Howard Streets) and across Bridge Street in the Bemis Neighborhood of Watertown. Although much of the area has been built over, from there the line ran adjacent to Pleasant Street through what are now mainly parking lot areas, through the Quincy Cold Storage property (now Repton Place) on Pleasant Street, through the former Raytheon property in Waltham, and across River Street near Willow Street before crossing the Charles RiverCharles River
The Charles River is an long river that flows in an overall northeasterly direction in eastern Massachusetts, USA. From its source in Hopkinton, the river travels through 22 cities and towns until reaching the Atlantic Ocean at Boston...
near the Bleachery Dam. The line then crossed Calvary Street, then Newton Street, and proceeded across Pine Street before heading northwest, where it re-crossed the Charles, parallel to Elm Street. It then reached the Central Square area
Central Square Historic District (Waltham, Massachusetts)
Central Square Historic District is a historic district roughly bounded by Church, Carter, Moody, Main and Lexington Streets in Waltham, Massachusetts.It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989....
, and looped back into 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...
main line.
Linear park initiative
State and local collaboration has been ongoing for transformation of the rail corridor into a rail trailRail trail
A rail trail is the conversion of a disused railway easement into a multi-use path, typically for walking, cycling and sometimes horse riding. The characteristics of former tracks—flat, long, frequently running through historical areas—are appealing for various development. The term sometimes also...
, known as the Charles River/Alewife Connector. The condition of the tracks was deemed so poor that trains traveling at a mere 3 mph could derail.
In 1999, the Executive Office of Transportation
Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation oversees roads, public transit, aeronautics, and transportation licensing and registration in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts...
purchased segments of the right-of-way from Guilford Transportation. This trail segment was later transferred administratively to the MDC (currently known as the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation
Department of Conservation and Recreation (Massachusetts)
The Department of Conservation and Recreation is a state agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, situated in the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. It is best known for its parks and parkways. As of May 24, 2011 the Commissioner of the DCR is Edward M. Lambert, Jr...
(DCR).
On the east side of the branch, service was only to one customer, Newly Weds Foods,http://www.newlywedsfoods.com/ until service ended in 2007. The entire branch is now abandoned and out of service. Litter and downed trees are prevalent on the Fresh Pond–Watertown portion of the track.
Timeline
The path construction process has moved faster in Watertown than in Cambridge.- 1996: Study to link Charles River & Alewife suggests using the rail right-of-way (ROW) through Watertown
- 1998: Town of Watertown rezones unused RR property as Open Space.
- 1999: State purchases ROW from School Street to Grove Street to develop a multi-use path.
- 2003: State selects Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. (VHB) as Path designer.
- 2004: State gives VHB notice to proceed with design contract.
- 2010: MassDOT begins construction on the School Street to Arlington Street section.
External links
- Cambridge Community Development department: Roadway, Sidewalk and Path Improvements
- Watertown Bicycle & Pedestrian Committee, Official website
- Overview of the Watertown Bicycle & Pedestrian Committee, with updates on the process.
- Watertown Bicycle & Pedestrian Committee presentation (PDF): April 24, 2009
- Watertown's sidepath to nowhere - Photos and commentary by John Allen
- Flickr photo archive: Old Watertown Branch Line