Lexington and West Cambridge Railroad
The Lexington and West Cambridge Railroad was a railroad company chartered in 1845 and opened in 1846 that operated in eastern Massachusetts.[1] It and its successors provided passenger service until 1977 and freight service until 1980 or early 1981.
History
A single track line
The
The independent
The Boston and Maine Railroad purchased all of the Boston and Lowell in 1887. Double-tracking from Somerville Junction to Lexington was instituted just prior to the B&M era, in 1885–86, and discontinued in 1927.[9] Double width bridge abutments can be found in Arlington. The branch eventually ended service, as it had begun, as a single track line.[10] Grade crossings from Grove Street in Arlington Center to Park Avenue at Arlington Heights were eliminated in 1900, with modifications to Arlington Heights and Brattles stations.[11]
Around the turn of the 20th century, there were 19 daily round trips through Arlington.[3] In January 1926, the B&M proposed to cut 7 of the 10 remaining round trips; all service to Lake Street, North Cambridge, West Somerville, and Somerville Highlands was to end.[12] The B&M reached an agreement with a committee representing several municipalities in March, and with Somerville in April. Five daily round trips (six on Saturdays) were kept, including one round trip to Lowell; some service was maintained to the four stations.[13][14] This schedule took effect on April 26, at which time two trains were given names - the Patriot and the Paul Revere Express.[15] Later that year, the B&M began reconstruction of the original route between East Arlington and the Fitchburg mainline as part of reconstruction of its Boston terminal area.[16] On April 24, 1927, passenger service was rerouted over the rebuilt line; the Fitchburg Cutoff became freight-only, with North Cambridge, West Somerville, and Somervile Highlands stations closed.[17]
On April 24, 1926, the state approved discontinuance of passenger service on the Reformatory Branch.
In 1962, the Boston and Maine abandoned both segments north and west of Bedford. It was noted at the time that the Bedford-Concord section had only seen 19 trains in 19 years.[22] The town of Bedford purchased the rights of way within its boundaries in 1963.[1]
By 1965, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority was subsidizing a single daily passenger train (using Budd Rail Diesel Cars) between Boston and Bedford.[1] On December 26, 1976, the MBTA purchased the rights of way and passenger equipment from the Boston and Maine (which retained freight trackage rights). Operation of MBTA Commuter Rail was contracted at that time to the Boston and Maine, and later was awarded to other private companies. Beginning on January 10, 1977, a snowstorm blocked the line for a few days, after which the MBTA announced it would not resume passenger service.
The B&M filed for abandonment of the branch in March 1979; hearings were held a year later.[23] The Interstate Commerce Commission soon gave permission for the B&M to stop running freights on the line. Common power on the branch at that time was SW # 1227. The last freight train to ply the line was hauled by a GP9, with 23 cars. According to one source[3] the final trip was in 1980, and the same year the tracks were severed from the main line. Another source gives the date of the final run as January 31, 1981.[1]
In 1980, a federal judge ruled that the Lexington Branch must be restored after construction of the parking garage at Alewife station over the right-of-way.[24] In 1981, the MBTA entered into an agreement with the Town of Arlington to advocate that the Lexington Branch be abandoned. In return for the MBTA's support for converting the railroad to a bikeway, Arlington allowed the MBTA to use some of its land as a construction staging area for the Red Line extension project.[1]
Route maps
[left]: The full route of the Lexington and West Cambridge Railroad and its successors.
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Rail trails
The
The Minuteman Bikeway opened between Alewife and Bedford in 1993. A former Boston and Maine Rail Diesel Car (RDC) of the type used on the line was purchased and is on display at the western end of the trail at Bedford Depot Park.
The
The Bedford Narrow Gauge Rail Trail connects at Bedford Depot and heads north toward Billerica, passing Fawn Lake (also known as Hayden Pond). The current connection is indirect; the Minuteman ends at South Road, but the Narrow Gauge begins at Loomis Street just east of Hartford Street.[29] The Bedford DPW is planning a more direct, 10-foot (3.0 m) sidewalk connection. It is named after the Billerica and Bedford Railroad, even though a standard-gauge railroad succeeded it. A historical recreation of the narrow-gauge predecessor has been installed near Loomis Street. The trail is paved only from Loomis Street to Great Road; after that it is improved with stone dust. The public portion of the trail ends after five miles (8 km) at the Bedford/Billerica town line (marked with a pair of gates in the middle of the woods), after which it becomes sandy (requiring a mountain bike or walking on foot) and continues on private property.[30] The Bedford section of the trail was originally constructed (with stone dust) in 1998.[31]
The Reformatory Branch Rail Trail follows the old right-of-way from Railroad Avenue at Bedford Depot Park to Concord, though the bridges over the Sudbury River and Assabet River near Egg Rock no longer exist. The unimproved dirt hiking trail passes the Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. From Railroad Avenue, it is 4 miles (6.4 km) to Lowell Road in Concord, and then another 2.5 miles (4.0 km) on the other side of the river to the Concord State Prison.
The Narrow Gauge and Reformatory Branch Rail Trails are part of the
References and notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k About the Lexington Branch
- ^ Atlas of the City of Cambridge, Philadelphia: G.M. Hopkins & Co. (1873)
- ^ a b c Worden, John L. III (1991). Arlington's Little Local Railroad. The Arlington Historical Society.
- ^ The area north of the Fitchburg Line right-of-way is now included in North Cambridge, Neighborhood 11
- ^ The park was dedicated on September 25, 2008. "City of Somerville: Park at Somerville Junction". Archived from the original on 2010-05-27. Retrieved 2009-05-22.
- ^ "Guide to the Reformatory Branch Trail" (PDF). Friends of Bedford Depot Park. 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-04-24. Retrieved 2009-06-28.
- ^ Cosgro, Matt. "Nashua, Acton & Boston Railroad". Nashua City Station. Retrieved 2009-06-28.
- ^ The Billerica & Bedford Railroad
- ^ Archival research Accessed 2010-04-18
- ISBN 0-9640356-5-0.
- ^ "Arlington's Hopes at Last to be Realized". Boston Globe. May 23, 1900. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Towns Hard Hit, Trains Cut Off". Boston Globe. January 21, 1926. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Compromise Schedule on Lexington Branch". Boston Globe. March 23, 1926. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Lexington Branch Changes Approved". Boston Globe. April 15, 1926. p. 23 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Names Assigned to Two Lexington Branch Trains". Boston Globe. April 23, 1926. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Two Railroad Lines Being Built by B. & M. for Total of Two Miles". Boston Globe. October 28, 1926. p. 36 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Train Diversion Starts April 24th". Boston Globe. April 16, 1927. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Train Service Cut Approved". Boston Globe. April 24, 1926. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
- ISBN 9780685412947.
- ^ Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation and Construction (22 April 1976). Capital needs developed at the corridor level: core and west (Report). Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation and Construction. p. 101.
- ^ Belcher, Jonathan. "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). Boston Street Railway Association.
- ISBN 0-942147-04-9.
- ^ "[Untitled legal notice]". Boston Globe. March 20, 1980. p. 48 – via Newspapers.com.
- ISBN 0-942147-02-2.
- ^ April 30, 1967 B&M Employee Timetable No. 15
- ^ "Lexington Branch Passenger Schedule" (PDF). Boston and Maine Railroad. 1923. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
- ^ Worden, John L. III (1991). Arlington's Little Local Railroad. The Arlington Historical Society.
- ^ "About the Lexington Branch". BedfordDepot.org. 24 April 2015.
- ^ "Bedford Narrow Gauge Rail Trail Map". Arrtinc.org. Archived from the original on 2013-03-05. Retrieved 2013-08-15.
- ^ The Narrow-Gauge Rail-Trail
- ^ Hinkle, Alice (May 24, 1998). "Residents face bikeway issues in communities across region". Boston Globe. p. 83 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Bay Circuit Trail map
External links
- Masterson, Les (October 18, 2006). "Trains brought faster service". The Arlington Advocate. Archived from the original on February 10, 2013. Retrieved 2009-05-22.
- Map of historical railroads North and West of Boston The Lexington and West Cambridge R/R is shown in red.