Watuppa branch

Watuppa branch
Overview
Other name(s)	North Dartmouth Industrial Track
Status	Operational
Owner	Massachusetts Department of Transportation
Locale	Bristol County, Massachusetts
Termini	Mount Pleasant Junction North Westport
Service
Type	Freight rail
System	Bay Colony Railroad
Operator(s)	Bay Colony Railroad
Technical
Line length	6 miles (9.7 km)
Number of tracks	1
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Route map Watuppa branch Mount Pleasant Junction New Bedford Secondary MA Route 140 crossing Mount Pleasant station (closed) North Dartmouth station (closed) Hicksville station (closed) Westport Factory (closed) Interstate 195 crossing Hemlock station (closed) end of active railroad trackage MA Route 88 crossing North Westport station (closed) start of Quequechan River Rail Trail Flint Village station (closed) Watuppa station (closed)

The Watuppa branch (alternatively referred to as the North Dartmouth Industrial track or the Dartmouth Line) is a roughly six-mile freight railroad line in southeastern Massachusetts. The track originates at Mount Pleasant Junction, where it diverges from the New Bedford Secondary, and runs through Dartmouth before terminating in north Westport. The line is owned by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and is operated by Bay Colony Railroad, which interchanges with Massachusetts Coastal Railroad at the junction in New Bedford.

History

Map of all Old Colony Railroad lines from 1893. The Watuppa branch is the segment of track extending westward from New Bedford and terminating near Fall River. The current track terminates in Westport instead, with the extension to Fall River having been removed and partially replaced with a rail trail.

The Watuppa branch was formerly operated by Old Colony Railroad passenger trains in the 19th century, and originally extended from the junction in New Bedford all the way into Fall River. At some point following the closure of Old Colony Railroad, the track between Westport and Fall River was removed and partially replaced with rail trail; the current track ends shortly after the Massachusetts Route 88 crossing in the town of Westport.

Beginning in 1982, Bay Colony Railroad took over all freight operations on the line. While most of Bay Colony's operations were subsequently taken over by Massachusetts Coastal Railroad in 2007, the Watuppa branch remains under the operation of Bay Colony.

Route

The Watuppa branch originates in New Bedford, where it diverges from the New Bedford Secondary and passes beneath MA Route 140. After traveling through the western portion of downtown New Bedford, the railroad crosses into Dartmouth and travels just north of downtown, passing through the "Dartmouth Business Park II" before crossing into Westport. After crossing the border, the track passes beneath Interstate 195 and continues for just over a mile, until passing beneath MA Route 88, at which point active trackage ends and only abandoned, disused track remains. The disused track continues for another short distance until it terminates near Watuppa Ponds, at which point the Quequechan River Rail Trail eventually takes over where the track formerly lied.