Old Colony Railroad
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- This article is about the large system that started with the incorporation of the line between Boston and Plymouth in 1844. For the earlier Old Colony Railroad, incorporated in 1838, see New Bedford and Taunton Railroad, its name from 1839 to 1873.
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| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Locale | Boston, MA to southeastern Massachusetts and Providence, RI |
| Dates of operation | 1845– |
The Old Colony Railroad was a major railroad system, mainly covering southeastern Massachusetts, USA. Old Colony trains ran from Boston to points such as Provincetown, the tip of Cape Cod, and Providence, Rhode Island via its Boston and Providence Railroad. Except to Providence, passenger service stopped in 1959, but it has since been partially restored by the MBTA in the 1990s (on the Plymouth/Kingston Line and Middleborough/Lakeville Line). The controversial Greenbush Line and the [[Greenbush Line] opened in 2007. The term as it is used now does not typically include the Providence line.
The former Old Colony system is also used to haul trash from Cape Cod; the Cape Cod Canal Railroad Bridge, a lift bridge over the Cape Cod Canal, was recently refurbished and reopened in 2003. A tourist train (the Cape Cod Central Railroad) operates on the Cape and there have been proposals to restore passenger service to Hyannis to relieve severe traffic congestion at the two highway bridges over the canal.
The Old Colony and Newport Scenic Railway operates on part of the line to Newport, Rhode Island.
Some outlying portions of the Old Colony right-of-way on Cape Cod have been converted to a rail trail, and there are efforts to do the same with the branch to Woods Hole.
History
The earliest predecessor of the Old Colony system was the Granite Railway, in fact the first chartered railroad in Massachusetts (and one of the first railroads in the United States), incorporated in 1826 and opened soon after. This however did not become part of the Old Colony system until 1871, when the Old Colony and Newport Railroad bought it.
The first major part of the system was the Boston and Providence Railroad, incorporated in 1831 and opened in 1834 and 1835 between Boston and Providence. As with the Granite Railway, this line however did not fall under Old Colony control until rather late, when it was leased by the Old Colony in 1888.
The first railroad known as the Old Colony Railroad was incorporated April 13, 1838 to run from the end of the Taunton Branch Railroad - which ran from the Boston and Providence to Taunton - to New Bedford. This however was renamed as the New Bedford and Taunton Railroad on March 26, 1839, before construction began, and only became part of the Old Colony system in 1879, when the Old Colony leased the Boston, Clinton, Fitchburg and New Bedford Railroad into which it had been merged.
The true origin of the Old Colony system was the second Old Colony Railroad, incorporated March 16, 1844 and organized June 25. Construction began immediately, and the main line from South Boston to Plymouth opened on November 10, 1845.
The Fall River Branch Railroad was incorporated March 14, 1844, and construction began soon after, on a line from Myricks on the New Bedford and Taunton Railroad southwest to Fall River. The Randolph and Bridgewater Railroad was incorporated March 25, 1845 as a branch from the Old Colony at Braintree via Randolph to Bridgewater, and the Middleborough Railroad was incorporated the next day to continue that line past Bridgewater through Middleborough to Myricks, to form a continuous line to Fall River. The three companies were consolidated August 8, 1845 into the Fall River Railroad (confirmed April 16, 1846 by the legislature), and the whole line was opened December 16, 1846, having opened previously in 1845 between Myricks and Fall River.
The Old Colony Railroad and Fall River Railroad merged on March 25, 1854 (effected July 1), forming the Old Colony and Fall River Railroad, which owned a two-pronged line from Boston to Plymouth and Fall River, splitting at Braintree.
The Newport and Fall River Railroad was incorporated in May 1846, opening on February 25, 1864 as a continuation of the Fall River line to Newport, Rhode Island. Prior to its opening, it was merged into the Old Colony, forming the Old Colony and Newport Railroad in July 1863. Additionally, a new shorter line to Fall River and Newport was completed by the Dighton and Somerset Railroad in 1866.
The Cape Cod Branch Railroad was incorporated April 8, 1846 and organized in July as a branch of the Fall River Railroad at Middleborough onto Cape Cod, ending at Hyannis. The first section to Onset opened January 31, 1848, with the section to Sandwich opening in May 29, and the rest to Hyannis in 1854 (with steamboat service to Nantucket). The Cape Cod Central Railroad was incorporated May 28, 1861 as a branch of the Cape Cod Branch Railroad, running from Yarmouth east and northeast to Orleans, and opening in 1865. The two companies were consolidated May 1, 1868 into the Cape Cod Railroad, and the line was later extended to Provincetown, at the tip of Cape Cod, opening July 23, 1873.
The Old Colony and Newport Railroad bought the Cape Cod Railroad on May 1, 1872, and the two companies were consolidated on October 1, forming a new Old Colony Railroad. This formed a system with three branches, the original two splitting at Braintree to Plymouth and Newport (extended from Fall River), and a third splitting from the Newport branch at Middleborough to Provincetown, with a branch via the original Cape Cod Branch Railroad to Hyannis. Numerous other branch lines were leased or owned by the company (see below).
In 1874, Old Colony founded the Martha's Vineyard Railroad, built across nine miles of sand on the island of Martha's Vineyard, running from the Oak Bluffs steamer wharf to Mattakeeset Lodge in Katama, Edgartown. The locomotive Active (later renamed the South Beach) was the sole operating train. This branch existed until 1896.[1]
On March 1, 1893 the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad leased the massive Old Colony system, which by then included the Boston and Providence Railroad and everything substantially east of it, as well as long branches northwest to Fitchburg and Lowell. Along with the lease of the New England Railroad in 1898, this gave the New Haven a virtual monopoly on rail transport in New England south of the Boston and Albany Railroad.
The NYNH&H merged into Penn Central in 1969, which was in turn merged into Conrail in 1976.
Except on the Boston and Providence (which is not usually considered part of the Old Colony system), passenger service was eliminated in 1959. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority restored service on the Plymouth/Kingston Line and Middleborough/Lakeville Line in the 1990s, and the Greenbush Line (part of the South Shore Branch) is planned to open in 2007.
Lines and branches
The three original trunk lines, as discussed above, ran from Boston to Plymouth, Provincetown and Newport. A dense network of branches filled the area between these.
Other main lines
- New Fall River/Newport line
The Easton Branch Railroad was chartered in 1852, incorporated in 1854 and opened in 1855, as a continuation of the Stoughton Branch Railroad from Stoughton to Easton. It was at first operated by the Boston and Providence Railroad, the operator of the Stoughton Branch. In 1865 the Old Colony and Newport acquired the line, using it as part of their new route towards Fall River and Newport, incorporated in 1864 as the Dighton and Somerset Railroad. This line split from the old line at Braintree Highlands and ran southwest to Stoughton Junction, where the Easton Branch Railroad was followed to Easton. From there, the line continued south via Taunton to merge with the old line at Somerset Junction. The Old Colony and Newport acquired the Dighton and Somerset in 1865, opening it in 1866.
- Boston and Providence
The Boston and Providence Railroad was incorporated and chartered in 1831, opening a line from Boston to Providence in 1834 and 1835. Eventually it had branches to Dedham, Stoughton, North Attleborough and East Providence; see its article for more details. The Old Colony leased the B&P in 1888.
Additionally, the B&P owned the Providence, Warren and Bristol Railroad, running from East Providence to Bristol, and its branch to Fall River, the Fall River, Warren and Providence Railroad. The Old Colony bought the latter directly in 1875, the year the bridge connecting it to the Newport line in Fall River opened; the former was directly leased to the Old Colony in 1891 (despite already being controlled through the B&P).
- Boston, Clinton, Fitchburg and New Bedford
The Taunton Branch Railroad was incorporated in 1835 as a branch of the Boston and Providence Railroad from Mansfield to Taunton. It was built from 1835 to 1836, and operated at first by the B&P. The New Bedford and Taunton Railroad was incorporated in 1838 at the Old Colony Railroad, changing its name in 1839 to the New Bedford and Taunton. Construction ran from 1839 into 1840, extending the line to New Bedford, at which time the Taunton Branch split from the B&P and ran concurrently with the NB&T. In Taunton was a short branch, known as the Weir Branch or Taunton River Branch, owned jointly by the two companies. In 1873 the two merged into one, forming the New Bedford Railroad.
On the other end of the eventual route, the Fitchburg and Worcester Railroad was chartered in 1846, organized in 1847, and built from 1848 to 1850, running from Fitchburg south to Sterling Junction on the Worcester and Nashua Railroad. At the time it was owned by the same company as the Worcester and Nashua.
The Boston and Worcester Railroad's Framingham Branch, running from Framingham on their main line northwest to Framingham Centre, opened in 1849. The Agricultural Branch Railroad was incorporated in 1847 and opened in 1855 from Framingham Centre to Northborough, and in 1866 the rest of the way to Pratt's Junction on the Fitchburg and Worcester. The Boston and Worcester leased the line beginning in 1853. Branches were also built to Marlborough and Lancaster Mills. The Agricultural Branch changed its name to the Boston, Clinton and Fitchburg Railroad in 1867, taking over the Framingham Branch from the Boston and Worcester, and in 1869 it merged the Fitchburg and Worcester into itself.
The final section was incorporated in 1867 and opened in 1870 as the Mansfield and Framingham Railroad, connecting the Boston, Clinton and Fitchburg at Framingham with the Taunton Branch at Mansfield. Since opening, the line was leased by the Boston, Clinton and Fitchburg, and in 1874 the newly-formed New Bedford Railroad was leased to the BC&F. In 1876 the BCF and New Bedford merged to form the Boston, Clinton, Fitchburg and New Bedford Railroad, though the Mansfield and Framingham remained separate but leased. In 1879 the Old Colony leased the combined company, merging it into itself in 1883.
The Framingham and Lowell Railroad was chartered in 1870, and opened and leased to the Boston, Clinton and Fitchburg in 1871. It ran as a branch of the BCF at Framingham Centre north to Lowell. In 1882 the line was reorganized as the Lowell and Framingham Railroad, merging into the Old Colony in 1886. Regular passenger traffic on the branch ceased in the mid 1930s although, the New Haven Railroad used it to route north bound ski trains through the 1950s. When the New Haven Railroad was absorbed into Conrail, this line was not, save a small portion in Framingham. The ownership of the line passed to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts who contracted with Conrail to provide service. During the 1980s the Framingham to Concord Section was abandon, and service was contracted to the Bay Colony RR to supply North Acton based lumber yards from West Concord (aka Concord Junction). Service stopped in the early 1990s. By late 2005, all grade crossing had been removed by Mass Highway. The line is slated to be converted to the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail.
Several branches were built from the south part of the BCF&NB. A branch from Attleboro Junction, north of Taunton, west to the Boston and Providence Railroad in Attleboro, opened in 1871 as a shortcut between Taunton and Providence. In 1882, a cutoff opened between the new Fall River/Newport line at Raynham (north of Taunton) to the BCF&NB at Whittenton Junction, northwest of Taunton, allowing trains on the new line to stop in downtown Taunton, rathern than stopping in the eastern part of downtown.
The Fall River Railroad was chartered in 1874 and opened in 1875, running from the BCF&NB in northern New Bedford west to the outskirts of downtown Fall River. The Old Colony leased it in 1882, and merged it in 1896.
- Wrentham Branch
The first section of the Wrentham Branch was opened in 1890, connecting the Boston, Clinton, Fitchburg and New Bedford Railroad at Walpole Junction to the Attleborough Branch Railroad (a branch of the Providence and Boston Railroad) at North Attleborough. The next section opened in 1892, continuing northeast from Walpole Junction to Norwood, ending at a junction with the New England Railroad. The rest of the branch opened in 1903, continuing south past North Attleborough to Adamsdale Junction on the Rhode Island and Massachusetts Railroad, after which the New Haven (now the owner of all these lines) gave up the Attleborough Branch, which became a streetcar line.
Branches north of Braintree
In Braintree, the Plymouth line split from the line to Middleborough (which split there towards Cape Cod and Newport). South of that junction, the new line towards Newport split from the Middleborough line. Also in Braintree, north of the other junctions, the South Shore Branch (see below) split to the east. Branches north of Braintree served suburbs of Boston.
- Milton and Shawmut
The Dorchester and Milton Branch Railroad was incorporated and chartered in 1846, leased to the Old Colony in 1847 and opened in 1848, running from the Old Colony at Neponset west through southern Dorchester and northern Milton to Mattapan. It was merged into the Old Colony in 1887.
The Shawmut Branch Railroad was incorporated in 1870 and built in 1872, running from the main line at Harrison Square southwest and south through Dorchester to the Dorchester and Milton Branch.
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority bought the whole Shawmut Branch and part of the Dorchester and Milton Branch in 1926, using the rights-of-way for their Dorchester Extension and Ashmont-Mattapan High Speed Line, now two parts of the Red Line.
- Granite
The Granite Railway was incorporated in 1826 and opened soon after, running from granite quarries in Quincy north to the Neponset River in Milton. The Granite Branch Railroad was incorporated in 1870, and built a line from the Old Colony in Braintree north to and along the Granite Railway, then east back to the Old Colony at Atlantic. The Old Colony and Newport bought the line in 1871, along with the original Granite Railway.
Plymouth line branches
- South Shore
The South Shore Railroad was chartered in 1846 and built from 1847 to 1849, running from the Old Colony in Braintree to Cohasset. From opening until 1854 it was leased by the Old Colony; the Old Colony (as the Old Colony and Newport) again leased it in 1870, consolidating it in 1876.
The Duxbury and Cohasset Railroad, chartered in 1870, extended the South Shore Railroad. It opened in 1871 to Duxbury and 1874 to Kingston on the Plymouth line. It was jointly operated by the South Shore and Old Colony, and merged into the Old Colony in 1878.
- Nantasket
The Nantasket Beach Railroad was chartered and opened in 1880, running from Nantasket Junction on the South Shore Railroad north to Pemberton. It was reorganized in 1884 and leased to the Old Colony in 1888.
- Hanover
The Hanover Branch Railroad was chartered in 1866 and opened in 1868, running from the Plymouth line at North Abington east to Hanover. The Old Colony bought it in 1887.
- Bridgewater
The Bridgewater Branch Railroad, owned by the Old Colony and Newport, ran from Whitman on the Plymouth line to Bridgewater Junction in northern Bridgewater on the Middleborough line. A short connection, known as the Elmwood Branch, connected the branch to the Middleborough Line entirely within East Bridgewater, north of Bridgewater.
Braintree-Middleborough branches
- Easton
The Easton Branch opened in 1888, running from the main line at Matfield west to the new main line at Easton.
- Plymouth and Middleborough
The Plymouth and Middleborough Railroad was chartered in 1890 and opened in 1892, connecting the Newport/Cape Cod line at Middleborough to the Plymouth line at Plymouth. The Old Colony leased it just before opening.
- Middleborough and Taunton
The Taunton and Middleborough Railroad was incorporated in 1848. It was reorganized in 1853 as the Middleborough and Taunton Railroad, opening in 1856 between the Old colony at Middleborough and the Boston, Clinton, Fitchburg and New Bedford Railroad at Middleboro Junction south east of Taunton, and operated as an Old Colony branch. It was merged into the Old Colony in 1874.
Cape Cod line branches
- Fairhaven
The Fairhaven Branch Railroad ran from West Wareham on the Cape Cod main line southwest to Fairhaven, across the Acushnet River from New Bedford. It was incorporated in 1849, chartered in 1851 and built from 1852 to 1854. The New Bedford and Taunton Railroad bought the line in 1861, with a ferry connection at New Bedford and Fairhaven. It was merged into the Old Colony Railroad in 1883, four years after the Old Colony leased the Boston, Clinton, Fitchburg and New Bedford Railroad (the successor of the New Bedford and Taunton).
- Wareham
The Cape Cod Branch Railroad opened the Wareham Branch in early 1849, running a short distance to the wharves at Wareham.
- Onset
- Woods Hole
The Vineyard Sound Railroad was incorporated in 1861, reorganized as the Plymouth and Vineyard Sound Railroad in 1868, and consolidated into the Old Colony in 1872. The Old Colony built the line, splitting from the main line at Buzzards Bay and running south to Woods Hole.
- Hyannis
The Hyannis Branch was part of the original Cape Cod Branch Railroad, opened in 1854, but was bypassed by the later extensions. The branch ran from the main line at Yarmouth to the wharf at Hyannis.
- Chatham
The Chatham Railroad was chartered in 1887 and opened later in the year, as a branch of the Cape Cod line from Harwich to Chatham. The Old Colony leased it in 1888.
Station listing
For stations on any branch besides the main trunk lines, see the article on that branch. For stations on the Plymouth line, see Plymouth/Kingston Line. For stations on the trunk line north of Middleborough, see Middleborough/Lakeville Line.
Fall River/Newport line
| State | Milepost | City | Station | Opening date | Connections and notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MA | Middleborough |  Middleborough/Lakeville
|
southern terminal of MBTA Commuter Rail Middleborough/Lakeville Line (though relocated onto the Cape Cod line) split with Cape Cod line and Middleborough and Taunton Railroad (OCRR) | ||
| Lakeville | Lakeville | ||||
| Berkley | Myricks | junction with the Boston, Clinton, Fitchburg and New Bedford Railroad (OCRR) | |||
| Freetown | Assonet | ||||
| Fall River | Somerset Junction | not a station merge with the Dighton and Somerset Railroad (new OCRR Fall River line) | |||
| Bowenville | junction with the Fall River, Warren and Providence Railroad (OCRR) | ||||
| Fall River | |||||
| RI | Tiverton | Tiverton | |||
| Portsmouth | Bristol Ferry | ||||
| Coal Mines | |||||
| Portsmouth Grove | |||||
| Middletown | Newport | Old Colony and Newport Scenic Railroad and Newport Dinner Train excursion trains |
Cape Cod line
| State | Milepost | City | Station | Opening date | Connections and notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MA | Middleborough | Middleborough/Lakeville
|
southern terminal of MBTA Commuter Rail Middleborough/Lakeville Line split with Fall River/Newport line and Middleborough and Taunton Railroad (OCRR) | ||
| Rock | |||||
| South Middleboro | |||||
| Wareham | Tremont | junction with the Fairhaven Branch Railroad (OCRR) | |||
| South Wareham | |||||
| Wareham | |||||
| Agawam | |||||
| Bourne | Cohasset Narrows | junction with the Plymouth and Vineyard Sound Railroad (OCRR) | |||
| Monument | |||||
| North Sandwich | |||||
| West Sandwich | |||||
| Sandwich | Sandwich | Cape Cod Central Railroad excursion trains | |||
| Barnstable | West Barnstable | ||||
| Barnstable | |||||
| Yarmouth | Yarmouth | junction with the Hyannis Branch | |||
| South Yarmouth | |||||
| Dennis | South Dennis | ||||
| Harwich | North Harwich | ||||
| Harwich | junction with the Chatham Railroad | ||||
| Brewster | Brewster | ||||
| East Brewster | |||||
| Orleans | Orleans | ||||
| Eastham | Eastham | ||||
| North Eastham | |||||
| Wellfleet | South Wellfleet | ||||
| Wellfleet | |||||
| Truro | South Truro | ||||
| Truro | |||||
| North Truro | |||||
| Provincetown | Provincetown |
Notes
- ^ Hough, Henry Beetle. Martha's Vineyard, Summer Resort, 1835-1935 (Tuttle Publishing Co., 1936.)
References
- Railroad History Database
- Edward Appleton, Massachusetts Railway Commissioner, History of the Railways of Massachusetts (1871)
- The Chronology of Railroading in Walpole, Massachusetts
- Hough, Henry Beetle. Martha's Vineyard, Summer Resort, 1835-1935 (Tuttle Publishing Co., 1936.)