Old Colony Railroad

This article is about the large railroad system in southeastern Massachusetts. For the earlier "Old Colony Railroad", see New Bedford and Taunton Railroad.
Old Colony Railroad

OC's Boston Kneeland Street Depot
Locale Boston, Massachusetts
Providence, Rhode Island
Dates of operation 1845–1893
Successor New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad
Track gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Length 617 mi (993 km) (1893)[1]
Headquarters Boston, Massachusetts
Map of Old Colony Railroad network, about 1893
The Governor Bradford, an early OC locomotive built in 1845 by Hinkley & Drury
Map of Old Colony and Fall River lines, 1846
Old Colony & Fall River Rail Road seal from 1854 stock certificate
The Pilgrim, of the Fall River Line, operated by the Old Colony Railroad Company
1870 Notice for Old Colony & Newport Railway
Martha's Vineyard Railroad

The Old Colony Railroad (OC) was a major railroad system, mainly covering southeastern Massachusetts and parts of Rhode Island. It operated from 1845 to 1893. Old Colony trains ran from Boston to points such as Plymouth, Fall River, New Bedford, Newport, Providence, Fitchburg, Lowell and Cape Cod. For many years the Old Colony Railroad Company also operated steamboat and ferry lines, including those of the Fall River Line with express train service from Boston to its wharf in Fall River where passengers boarded luxury liners to New York City. The company also briefly operated a railroad line on Martha's Vineyard, as well as the freight-only Union Freight Railroad in Boston. The OC was named after the "Old Colony", the nickname for the Plymouth Colony.

From 1845 to 1893, the OC network grew extensively largely through a series of mergers and acquisitions with other established railroads, until it was itself acquired by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad under lease agreement on March 1, 1893 for its entire 617-mile (993 km) network.[2] After this date, all trains, lines, and stations became known as the "Old Colony Division" of the huge "New Haven" system. During this period, the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad enjoyed a virtual monopoly on all passenger and freight rail service in southern New England.

Passenger service on the New Haven Railroad's Old Colony Division ended in 1959, except for the main line between Boston and Providence, which continues to be used for passenger service by Amtrak and the MBTA. Since 1997, other former OC lines have been reopened to passenger service, including the MBTA's Old Colony Lines with service from Boston to Plymouth and Middleborough/Lakeville. In 2007, MBTA passenger service was restored on the Greenbush Line between Braintree and Greenbush Station in Scituate. The MBTA currently has plans to also restore passenger service to Fall River and New Bedford as part of its proposed South Coast Rail project.

Other parts of the former OC system continue to be used for freight service by CSX Transportation and other short line railroads, including the Massachusetts Coastal Railroad which operates on Cape Cod and in southeastern Massachusetts. Parts of the former OC on Cape Cod are also still used to operate the Cape Cod Central Railroad tourist train from Hyannis to Buzzards Bay during the summer and fall months. Another tourist railroad, the Old Colony and Newport Scenic Railway operates on part of the former OC from Newport, Rhode Island on Aquidneck Island.

Several abandoned portions of the OC have been converted into multi-use rail trails. These include the East Bay Bike Path in Rhode Island,[3] as well as others in Lowell, Mansfield and Fairhaven, Massachusetts and the Cape Cod Rail Trail on Cape Cod.[4]

History

Old Colony Railroad (1844–1854)

By the early 1840s, the city of Boston had six major rail lines connecting it with other places including Lowell, Maine, Fitchburg, and Salem to the north, Worcester to the west and Providence, Rhode Island to the southwest. The southeastern part of Massachusetts had yet to be served by a rail link to Boston.

On March 16, 1844 the Old Colony Railroad Corporation was formed to provide a rail connection between Boston and Plymouth, Massachusetts. Construction of the line began in South Boston in June 1844 and the 36.8-mile (59.2 km) line opened to Plymouth on November 10, 1845. The extension from South Boston to the newly completed Kneeland Street in Boston opened on June 19, 1847. Kneeland Street Station also served as the headquarters for the OC until the 1893 consolidation.

There had previously been an Old Colony Railroad formed in 1838 for a line between Taunton and New Bedford, but the name was changed to the New Bedford and Taunton Railroad in 1839 before service began in 1840. This line would later become part of OC in 1879.

John Sever of Kingston, Massachusetts served as the first president of the Old Colony Railroad Corporation from 1844-1845. Nathan Carruth served as the second president of the corporation from 1845 to 1848. Carruth was a successful businessman and enthusiastic supporter of the expansion of railroads in Massachusetts and elsewhere in New England. With the opening of the Old Colony line through Dorchester in 1845, Carruth became actively involved in the development of the area.[5] He built an estate on the east side of Dorchester Avenue called Beechmont/Beaumont which would become one of the first railroad suburbs in America.[6]

All OC locomotives were named until 1884, when they were just simply numbered. Among the early engines were the Mayflower, Governor Carver, Governor Bradford and Miles Standish. The new railroad company also built the Samoset Hotel near the end of its line in Plymouth.[7]

In 1847, the OC completed a short 6.2-mile (10.0 km) connector line from its main line at Whitman to the Fall River Railroad line at Bridgewater Junction. On April 1, 1849, OC signed a lease of the South Shore Railroad for a period of five years. By 1851, traffic on the line had increased enough to warrant the opening of a second track running between Boston and South Braintree.

Old Colony and Fall River Railroad (1854–1863)

The OC and Fall River Railroad merged with a joint stock vote on June 20, 1854, forming the Old Colony and Fall River Railroad Company,[8] which provided a two-pronged line from Boston to Plymouth and Boston to Fall River, splitting at South Braintree. Alexander Holmes from Kingston served as company president during this period, from 1854 to 1866.

The Fall River Railroad had been formed on August 8, 1845 with consolidation of three companies; the Fall River Branch Railroad, the Randolph and Bridgewater Railroad and the Middleborough Railroad. The Fall River Railroad was led by Richard Borden, a prominent mill owner in Fall River who wanted a direct route from his city to Boston, which did not require use of the Boston and Providence Railroad lines. The line from South Braintree to Myricks in the town of Berkley opened on December 16, 1846 as an extension of the Fall River Branch Railroad which had been completed in 1845.

On May 19, 1847, the first "boat train" left the OC's Kneeland Street Station in Boston bound for Fall River where passengers would board a steamship for New York City. Over the years, the Old Colony Steamboat Express train would become the most famous line of the Old Colony Railroad, with the finest and most up-to-date engines, cars and attention to detail.

In 1863 the Old Colony and Fall River Railroad acquired the Dorchester and Milton Branch Railroad Company, which it had been leasing since 1848.

Old Colony and Newport Railroad (1863–1872)

The Old Colony and Newport Railway was formed in July 1863 when the Old Colony and Fall River Railroad merged with the Newport and Fall River Railroad, which had been incorporated in 1846 to build a road from Newport, Rhode Island to the Massachusetts state line at Fall River. However, the road from Fall River to the Rhode Island state line was not authorized by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts until 1860. The newly formed and renamed Old Colony and Newport Railway Company completed the final section of the line from Fall River to Newport which finally opened for service on February 5, 1864.

In 1865, the Old Colony and Newport Railway Company acquired the Dighton and Somerset Railroad, and completed a new, more direct route between Fall River and Boston via South Braintree on September 24, 1866. Part of the new route was over the Easton Branch Railroad between Stoughton and North Easton. In 1871 the Old Colony purchased the Easton Branch.

A portion of the old Granite Railway line was acquired in 1870, and later extended to form a loop through West Quincy off the original Plymouth line. In 1872, the Old Colony & Newport Railway Corporation built the Shawmut Railroad as a connection between the Dorchester and Milton Branch and the main line to Boston.

Old Colony Railroad (1872–1893)

The Old Colony and Newport Railroad merged with the Cape Cod Railroad on May 1, 1872, and the two companies were consolidated on October 1, forming a new Old Colony Railroad Company under the leadership of Onslow Stearns, who served as president of the company from 1866 to 1877.

The 1872 merger formed a system with three main branches; Boston to Plymouth, South Braintree to Fall River, extending to Newport, Rhode Island and a third splitting from the Newport branch at Middleborough to Hyannis. At this point, the newly acquired lines became known as the Cape Cod Division, with a new superintendent's office located at Hyannis.

The Cape Cod Railroad Company had been established in 1846 as the Cape Cod Branch Railroad with a line off the Fall River Railroad from Middleborough to Sandwich opening in 1848. Among the proponents of the Cape Cod Branch Railroad were Richard Borden of Fall River, who saw the new line as an opportunity to bring more traffic and business through his hometown.[9] In 1853, the extension of the line to Hyannis was started, reaching West Barnstable on December 22, 1853. On February 22, 1854, the Cape Cod Branch Railroad was renamed the Cape Cod Railroad Company. In the spring of 1854, construction continued, with the railroad reaching Barnstable village May 8, Yarmouth Port May 19, and finally Hyannis on July 8, 1854. Connecting steamboat service to Nantucket commenced from Hyannis in late September and would continue until 1872, when the railroad branch to Woods Hole was opened.

The Cape Cod Central Railroad was incorporated 1861 as a branch from the Cape Cod Railroad, running from Yarmouth east and northeast to Orleans, and opening in 1865. The Cape Cod Central was purchased by the Cape Cod Railroad April 21, 1868, and the two railroads were consolidated on July 28, 1868.

The newly formed Old Colony Railroad extended the line to Provincetown, at the tip of Cape Cod, opening July 23, 1873.

In 1874, Old Colony founded the Martha's Vineyard Railroad, built across 9 miles (14.5 km) 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.[10]

The Old Colony Railroad acquired the Middleborough and Taunton Railroad in 1874 and the South Shore Railroad in 1877, which it had once leased until 1854. A year later in 1878 it acquired the Duxbury and Cohasset Railroad which gave the Old Colony a connection with its original 1845 main line at Kingston. Beginning in 1874, the Old Colony operated the "South Shore, Duxbury and Cohasset and Plymouth Express" between Boston and Plymouth on this line.[11]

In 1875 the Old Colony Railroad began operating the Fall River, Warren and Providence Railroad, which had been formed in 1863 as a merger between the Warren and Fall River and Fall River and Warren Railroad Companies. The Old Colony would later acquire this line outright in 1892.

In 1879, the Old Colony Railroad greatly expanded its network into Central Massachusetts by leasing the Boston, Clinton, Fitchburg and New Bedford Railroad for 999 years, then purchasing it outright in 1883. The acquisition of this line provided important connections for the Old Colony, such as with the Boston and Providence Railroad at Mansfield, the Boston and Albany Railroad at South Framingham and the Fitchburg Railroad at Fitchburg, among others. This deal also gave the Old Colony Railroad direct access to the important industrial port of New Bedford. Upon this acquisition, the lines of the former Boston, Clinton and Fitchburg Railroad became known as the Old Colony's "Northern Division", with headquarters in Fitchburg, while the older OCRR lines became known as the "Central Division" with headquarters in Boston.

In 1886 the Old Colony Railroad acquired the Lowell and Framingham Railroad, which had previously been known as the Framingham and Lowell Railroad before 1871.

In 1887 the Old Colony Railroad acquired the Hanover Branch Railroad. On April 1, 1888, the Old Colony Railroad signed a 99-year lease agreement the Nantasket Beach Railroad with service to Hull, Massachusetts.

Several days later, on April 7, 1888 the OCRR signed a 99-year lease on the Boston and Providence Railroad, one of New England's earliest railroads, which had been chartered in Massachusetts in 1831 and began service between Providence and Boston in 1835. This major agreement gave the Old Colony Railroad operating rights on the busy double-tracked main line between the two capital cities, along with other branches to Dedham and Stoughton. The deal also included use of the Boston and Providence Railroad's Park Square Station in Boston.

In 1891 the OCRR signed a 99 years lease of the Providence, Warren and Bristol Railroad. In December 1892, the OCRR signed a 99-year lease of the Plymouth and Middleborough Railroad properties.

In 1896 the OCRR acquired the Fall River Railroad (1874) line between Fall River and New Bedford, which it had been leasing since 1882.

Old Colony Division of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad (1893–1969)

On March 1, 1893 the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad (NYNH&H) leased the entire Old Colony system for 99 years, which by then included the leased 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, the 1893 lease arrangement gave the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad a virtual monopoly on rail transport in southern New England.

With the opening of South Station in 1899, Kneeland Street Station taken over by the Boston and Albany Railroad as a local freight office. It was demolished in 1918 after being deemed unsafe.

Despite high ridership, this line had been a source of problems for the New Haven Railroad, which leased the system. In 1935, the bankrupt New Haven attempted to default on its lease and return ownership of the line to the Old Colony stockholders, however, this drove the Old Colony, which had not run trains in over thirty years, to bankruptcy in one day and the New Haven was forced to run the trains by court order, with a provision that if losses exceeded a certain amount they could abandon the line. The Old Colony Division enjoyed a brief renaissance in the early 1950s under the pro-commuter term of President Frederick C. Dumaine, Jr., however this was not to last. The New Haven's accountants used somewhat dubious practices to shift a greater amount of debt to the Old Colony Division, and the railroad announced that all passenger service would end in 1958. An emergency subsidy was approved by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for another year, and service finally ended in 1959 with the opening of the Southeast Expressway, which along with Route 24 runs alongside or parallel to the former Old Colony right-of-ways in many sections.

The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad merged into Penn Central in 1969, which was in turn merged into Conrail in 1976.

History since 1969

Since the early 1970s, Amtrak has provided passenger service from South Station in Boston over the former Boston and Providence lines of the Old Colony Railroad. Since December, 2000, Amtrak has also used this line for the Acela Express high-speed passenger rail service to Washington, D.C.. Between 1986 and 1996 Amtrak also operated regular passenger service between New York City and Hyannis on Cape Cod during the summer months.[12]

With the establishment of Conrail, freight service continued over various portions of the former Old Colony network after 1976. Beginning in 1982, the Bay Colony Railroad provided freight service on various lines which the Commonwealth of Massachusetts had purchased from Conrail, including lines on Cape Cod and in Middlesex County. Since 1999, CSX has provided freight service over several portions of the former Old Colony Railroad network, including lines in Taunton, Fall River, New Bedford and Leominster. Since 2008, the Massachusetts Coastal Railroad has taken over operation of the state-owned freight lines on Cape Cod from the Bay Colony Railroad.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority currently operates passenger service on portions of the network, including the Red Line rapid transit service to Quincy and Braintree, and the Ashmont–Mattapan High Speed Line. The MBTA also currently operates commuter rail service over portions of the former Old Colony Railroad network, including its Providence/Stoughton Line and portions of the Needham Line. The MBTA also restored service on the Plymouth/Kingston Line and Middleborough/Lakeville Line in the 1990s, and the Greenbush Line (part of the South Shore Branch) opened in 2007.

Two portions of the OC network are also currently used for tourist trains during certain parts of the year, including the Cape Cod Central Railroad and the Old Colony and Newport Scenic Railway.

Presidents of the Old Colony Railroad

Lines and branches

The following is a description of the Old Colony Railroad lines and branches at about the time of the 1893 lease to the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad, and shortly thereafter.

Line Segment / Branch Opened Length
(miles or km)		 Built By Acquired by
OCRR		 Notes
Plymouth Line
(Central Division)		 Boston to Plymouth November 10, 1845 36.8 mi or 59.2 km Old Colony Railroad Corporation 1845 Line completed 0.5-mile (0.8 km) from South Boston to Boston on June 19, 1847 with the opening of Kneeland Street Station; line between Boston and South Braintree doubled in 1848; line now part of MBTA Red Line to Braintree, MBTA Plymouth commuter rail Line, ending in North Plymouth
Whitman to Bridgwater Junction June 21, 1847 6.2 mi or 10.0 km Old Colony Railroad Corporation 1847 Connection with Fall River Railroad; this line has been abandoned
Neponset to Mattapan December 1, 1847 3.3 mi or 5.3 km Dorchester and Milton Branch Railroad Company 1848 leased/operated by Old Colony Railroad from 1848 to 1863; merged in 1863
Granite Branch October 7, 1826 1.8 mi or 2.9 km Granite Railway Company 1871 lines extended in 1873 and 1876 by Old Colony Railroad to connect with Plymouth line, forming a loop to West Quincy and East Milton
Shawmut Branch December 2, 1872 2.2 mi or 3.5 km Old Colony and Newport Railway Company 1872 The MBTA 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 MBTA Red Line.
Braintree to Cohasset January 1, 1849 11.5 mi or 18.5 km South Shore Railroad Company 1877 leased by Old Colony Railroad from 1849 to 1854; now part of MBTA Greenbush commuter rail line
Westdale to Elmwood April 1, 1885 0.75 mi or 1.21 km Old Colony Railroad 1885 short connector between Fall River-Middleborough line and Bridgewater-Whitman line
Hanover Branch July 18, 1868 7.8 mi or 12.6 km Hanover Branch Railroad Company 1887 continued to carry freight to a wood box factory in West Hanover into the 1960s
Matfield Junction to Easton January 1, 1888 7.6 mi or 12.2 km Old Colony Railroad Company 1888 also known as the Easton Branch[14]
Nantasket Beach Branch July 10, 1880 7.0 mi or 11.3 km Nantasket Beach Railroad Company 1888 leased to Old Colony Railroad from April 1, 1888; deeded outright to OCRR February 24, 1906; The Nantasket Beach Branch of the New York, New Haven and Hartford railway had the first electric train in the U.S. It had its first run on Sunday, June 30, 1895.[15]
Union Freight Railroad 2.2 mi or 3.5 km
Plymouth to Middleborough November 30, 1892 15.0 mi or 24.1 km Plymouth and Middleborough Railroad 1892 this line has been abandoned
Cohasset to South Duxbury 1871 17.5 mi or 28.2 km Duxbury and Cohasset Railroad Company 1904 line now part of MBTA Greenbush commuter rail line; other parts have been abandoned
South Duxbury to Kingston 1874 3.2 mi or 5.1 km Duxbury and Cohasset Railroad Company 1904 this line has been abandoned
Fall River &
Newport Lines
(Central Division)		 South Braintree to Myricks December 31, 1846 30.5 mi or 49.1 km Fall River Railroad (1846) 1854 consolidation of Randolph and Bridgewater Railroad with Middleborough Railroad and Fall River Branch Railroad; this line now used by MBTA Middleborough/Lakeville commuter rail line; portion between Middleborough and Myricks has been abandoned
Myricks to Fall River June 9, 1845 10.8 mi or 17.4 km Fall River Branch Railroad 1854 still used by CSX for freight; sold to Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 2010 for proposed South Coast Rail project.
Fall River to Newport February 5, 1864 19.0 mi or 30.6 km Old Colony and Newport Railway Company 1864 segment completed after 1863 merger of Newport and Fall River Railroad Company with Old Colony and Fall River Railroad Company
Mayflower Park (Braintree Highlands) to Somerset Junction (Fall River) September 24, 1866 32.8 mi or 52.8 km Old Colony and Newport Railway Company 1866 utilized part of Easton Branch Railroad between Stoughton and North Easton
Stoughton to North Easton May 16, 1855 3.8 mi or 6.1 km Easton Branch Railroad Company 1869 operated by Boston and Providence Railroad from 1855 to 1856; operated by Old Colony and Newport Railway from 1866 to 1871
Middleborough to Taunton July 4, 1856 8.0 mi or 12.9 km Middleborough and Taunton Railroad Corporation 1874 originally Taunton and Middleborough Railroad Corporation, name changed in 1853 before line built; still used by CSX for freight
Warren to Fall River 1875 8.0 mi or 12.9 km Fall River, Warren and Providence Railroad Company 1875 completed from Warren to Somerset by April, 1875; extended to Fall River with opening of Slade's Ferry Bridge; operated by Old Colony Railroad from December 1, 1865; deeded to Old Colony Railroad in 1892
Whittenton Branch September 10, 1882 2.5 mi or 4.0 km Old Colony Railroad Company 1882 first 0.8-mile (1.3 km) segment from Taunton Branch Railroad line to Whittenton Mills opened in 1881; connected to Mayflower Park-Somerset line at Raynham in 1882; allowed Somerset line trains to stop at Taunton Central Station, instead of Dean Street Station, east of downtown Taunton
Cape Cod Division Middleborough to Wareham January 26, 1848 14.7 mi or 23.7 km Cape Cod Branch Railroad Company 1872 name change to Cape Cod Railroad in 1854
Wareham to Sandwich May 29, 1848 12.9 mi or 20.8 km Cape Cod Branch Railroad Company 1872 name change to Cape Cod Railroad in 1854
Sandwich to Hyannis July 8, 1854 16.7 mi or 26.9 km Cape Cod Railroad Company 1872 name changed from Cape Cod Branch Railroad on February 22, 1854
Yarmouth to Orleans December 1, 1865 18.7 mi or 30.1 km Cape Cod Central Railroad Company 1872
Buzzards Bay to Woods Hole July 20, 1872 17.5 mi or 28.2 km Old Colony Railroad 1872 section from North Falmouth to Woods Hole is now the Shining Sea Bikeway
Orleans to Wellfleet December 29, 1870 11.6 mi or 18.7 km Cape Cod Railroad Company 1872 now part of Cape Cod Rail Trail
Wellfleet to Provincetown July 23, 1873 14.3 mi or 23.0 km Old Colony Railroad Company 1873 this segment of line has been abandoned
Harwich to Chatham November 21, 1887 7.1 mi or 11.4 km Chatham Railroad Company 1905 Acquired by New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad in 1905
West Wareham to Fairhaven October 2, 1854 15.9 mi or 25.6 km Fairhaven Branch Railroad 1879 deeded to New Bedford and Taunton Railroad in 1861; leased in 1879 by OCRR and merged in 1883 with the Boston, Clinton, Fitchburg and New Bedford Railroad; also included ferry from New Bedford to Fairhaven
Martha's Vineyard Railroad August 7, 1874 9.0 mi or 14.5 km Martha's Vineyard Railroad 1892 sold to Old Colony Steamboat Company in 1892, closed in 1896
Taunton &
New Bedford Lines		 Mansfield to Taunton August 1836 10.9 mi or 17.5 km Taunton Branch Railroad 1883 operated by Old Colony Railroad from 1879 to 1883 by lease from Boston, Clinton, Fitchburg and New Bedford Railroad; also Weir Branch, opened in 1840 with New Bedford and Taunton Railroad
Taunton to New Bedford July 2, 1840 20.0 mi or 32.2 km New Bedford and Taunton Railroad 1883 operated by Old Colony Railroad from 1879 to 1883 by lease from Boston, Clinton, Fitchburg and New Bedford Railroad
Taunton to Attleborough August 1, 1871 5.6 mi or 9.0 km Taunton Branch Railroad 1883 operated by Old Colony Railroad from 1879 to 1883 by lease from Boston, Clinton, Fitchburg and New Bedford Railroad
New Bedford to Fall River December 16, 1875 12.4 mi or 20.0 km Fall River Railroad (1874) 1896 leased by Old Colony Railroad from 1882 to 1893
Northern Division Mansfield to Framingham May 1, 1870 22.1 mi or 35.6 km Mansfield and Framingham Railroad 1883 operated by Old Colony Railroad from 1879 to 1883 by lease from Boston, Clinton, Fitchburg and New Bedford Railroad
Framingham to Northborough December 1, 1855 13.2 mi or 21.2 km Agricultural Branch Railroad 1883 operated by Old Colony Railroad from 1879 to 1883 by lease from Boston, Clinton, Fitchburg and New Bedford Railroad
Northborough to Pratts Junction July 1866 14.0 mi or 22.5 km Agricultural Branch Railroad 1883 operated by Old Colony Railroad from 1879 to 1883 by lease from Boston, Clinton, Fitchburg and New Bedford Railroad
Fitchburg to Sterling Junction February 11, 1850 18.7 mi or 30.1 km Fitchburg and Worcester Railroad 1883 operated by Old Colony Railroad from 1879 to 1883 by lease from Boston, Clinton, Fitchburg and New Bedford Railroad
Marlborough Branch June 1855 1.5 mi or 2.4 km Agricultural Branch Railroad 1883 operated by Old Colony Railroad from 1879 to 1883 by lease from Boston, Clinton, Fitchburg and New Bedford Railroad
Framingham to Lowell October 1, 1871 26.1 mi or 42.0 km Framingham and Lowell Railroad 1886 later operated by Conrail and Bay Colony Railroad into the 1990s; now being converted into the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail
Boston & Providence
Division		 Boston to Readville June 4, 1834 8.1 mi or 13.0 km 1888
Readville to Providence
(India Point)		 August, 1835 33.4 mi or 53.8 km
Seekonk Branch 1838 0.25 mi or 0.40 km Seekonk Branch Railroad Company 1888
Readville to Dedham June, 1842 2.1 mi or 3.4 km 1888
Stoughton Branch April 7, 1845 3.4 mi or 5.5 km Stoughton Branch Railroad Company 1888
East Junction to Blackstone River October, 1847 4.0 mi or 6.4 km Boston and Providence Railroad 1888
Blackstone River to Providence October, 1847 5.4 mi or 8.7 km Boston and Providence Railroad and Transportation Company 1888 one-half of right of way deeded to Providence and Worcester Railroad in 1853
Forest Hills to Dedham June, 1850 5.3 mi or 8.5 km Boston and Providence Railroad 1888
Bristol, Attleboro
& Wrentham lines		 Providence to Bristol July 12, 1855 14.1 mi or 22.7 km Providence, Warren and Bristol Railroad Company 1891 leased to the Old Colony Railroad from July 1, 1891; now used for East Bay Bike Path
Attleborough Branch[16] 1871 4.6 mi or 7.4 km Attleborough to North Attleborough; became a streetcar line after 1903 when Adamsdale Branch opened and NY,NH&H ended its lease of this line[17]
Wrentham Branch (Walpole Junction to North Attleborough) December 1, 1890 12.8 mi or 20.6 km Old Colony Railroad 1890
East Walpole Branch (Walpole Junction to Norwood) February 15, 1892 5.7 mi or 9.2 km 1896 also known as East Walpole Branch Railroad; connected with the New York and New England Railroad at Norwood
Adamsdale Branch June 27, 1903 9.6 mi or 15.4 km 1903 extension of Wrentham Branch from North Attleborough to Adamsdale; connected with Rhode Island and Massachusetts Railroad near state line
1850 Christmas Excursion

Station listing

See main article:List of Old Colony Railroad stations

References

  1. ↑ Report of the Board of Railroad Commissioners, Feb 15, 1911, page 418
  2. ↑ Report of the Board of Railroad Commissioners, Feb 15, 1911, page 417
  3. ↑ East Bay Bike Path
  4. ↑ Cape Cod Rail Trail
  5. ↑ Dorchester Gas and Light History - Nathan Carruth
  6. ↑ Dorchester History.
  7. ↑ The Story of the Old Colony Railroad, 1919
  8. ↑ Report of the Board of Railroad Commissioners, Feb 15, 1911, page 410
  9. ↑ The Story of the Old Colony Railroad, 1919
  10. ↑ Hough, Henry Beetle. Martha's Vineyard, Summer Resort, 1835-1935 (Tuttle Publishing Co., 1936.)
  11. ↑ The Story of the Old Colony Railroad, 1919
  12. ↑ Cape Cod Rails
  13. ↑ The Story of the Old Colony Railroad, 1919
  14. ↑ Massachusetts Atlas of 1891
  15. ↑ Nantasket Beach Branch: Transportation Bulletin No. 90, Jan.-Dec. 1981 by Bob McGarigle, Warehouse Pt. CT, Connecticut Valley Chapter, National Railway Historical Society, 1981 (ISBN 0-910506-21-3) Hardcover, 76 pages with historic photographs and foldout map.
  16. ↑ Norfolk's Railroads
  17. ↑ Images of America, North Attleborough

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