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{{Short description|Defunct railroad in Massachusetts}}
{{Short description|Defunct railroad in Massachusetts}}
{{good article}}
{{Infobox Railroad
{{Infobox Railroad
|name=Boston, Barre and Gardner Railroad
|name=Boston, Barre and Gardner Railroad
|system_map={{maplink-road|from=Boston, Barre and Gardner Railroad.map}}
|defunct=1885
|defunct=1885
|successor=[[Fitchburg Railroad]]
|successor=[[Fitchburg Railroad]]
|start_year=1871
|start_year=1871
|image=Depot, Holden MA.jpg
|image=Depot, Holden MA.jpg
|image_caption=The former Holden station next to active tracks
|image_caption=The former [[Holden, Massachusetts|Holden]] station next to active tracks
|length={{convert|36.0|mi}}
|length={{convert|36.0|mi}}
|gauge={{track gauge|ussg|allk=on}}|operator=[[Providence and Worcester Railroad]] <br/> [[Pan Am Railways]]}}
}}


The '''Boston, Barre and Gardner Railroad''' was a railroad in [[Massachusetts]], which connected [[Worcester, Massachusetts|Worcester]] and [[Winchendon, Massachusetts|Winchendon]]. It was originally chartered as the '''Barre and Worcester Railroad''' in 1847. Construction to its northern terminus of Winchendon was finished in January 1874. The railroad operated independently until it was taken over by the [[Fitchburg Railroad]] in 1885. Despite the company's name, it never served [[Boston]] or [[Barre, Massachusetts|Barre]]. The line was abandoned between Winchendon and Gardner in 1959 by successor [[Boston and Maine Railroad]]. In the 21st century, freight service on the remainder of the line is operated by the [[Providence and Worcester Railroad]] between Worcester and Gardner, and by [[Pan Am Railways]] on a short segment in Gardner.
The '''Boston, Barre and Gardner Railroad''' was a railroad in [[Massachusetts]] that connected [[Worcester, Massachusetts|Worcester]] and [[Winchendon, Massachusetts|Winchendon]] via [[Gardner, Massachusetts|Gardner]]. It was originally chartered as the '''Barre and Worcester Railroad''' in 1847, before being renamed the Boston, Barre and Gardner Railroad in 1849. The company was unable to raise funds for construction until 1869; service between Worcester and Gardner began in 1871. An extension northward to Winchendon was completed in January 1874. The Boston, Barre and Gardner operated independently until it was taken over by the [[Fitchburg Railroad]] in 1885. Despite the company's name, it never served [[Boston]] or [[Barre, Massachusetts|Barre]]. The line was abandoned between Winchendon and Gardner in 1959 by the Fitchburg's successor, the [[Boston and Maine Railroad]]. In the 21st century, freight service on the remainder of the line is operated by the [[Providence and Worcester Railroad]] between Worcester and Gardner, and by [[Pan Am Railways]] on a short segment in Gardner.


== History ==
== History ==
=== Formation and construction ===
=== Formation and construction ===
Originally chartered by businessmen in Worcester in 1847, the company changed its name to the Boston, Barre and Gardner Railroad in 1849.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Karr|first=Ronald Dale|url=https://www.worldcat.org/title/rail-lines-of-southern-new-england-a-handbook-of-railroad-history/oclc/1038017689?referer=br&ht=edition|title=The Rail Lines of Southern New England|publisher=Branch Line Press|year=2017|isbn=978-0-942147-12-4|edition=2nd|location=Pepperell, Massachusetts|pages=229-231}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite news|date=February 11, 1869|title=The Steam Railroads of Massachusetts|work=[[Boston Daily Evening Transcript]]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zTozAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA2|access-date=October 26, 2021}}</ref> It was originally intended to connect Worcester with Barre and [[Palmer, Massachusetts|Palmer]], and its charter authorized it along a westward route towards those two cities.<ref name=":0" /> The railroad's promoters could not raise funds to begin construction at the time, leaving the company a railroad only in name until 1869.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> In September of that year, the city of Worcester voted by an overwhelming margin to give the company $200,000 in aid, allowing construction to begin.<ref>{{Cite news|date=September 25, 1869|title=Brief Mention|work=Hartford Weekly Times|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GdQyAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA5|access-date=October 26, 2021}}</ref>
Originally chartered as the Barre and Worcester Railroad by businessmen in Worcester in 1847, the company changed its name to the Boston, Barre and Gardner Railroad in 1849.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Karr|first=Ronald Dale|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1038017689|title=The Rail Lines of Southern New England|publisher=Branch Line Press|year=2017|isbn=978-0-942147-12-4|edition=2nd|location=Pepperell, Massachusetts|pages=229–231|oclc=1038017689 }}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite news|date=February 11, 1869|title=The Steam Railroads of Massachusetts|work=[[Boston Daily Evening Transcript]]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zTozAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA2|access-date=October 26, 2021}}</ref> It was originally intended to connect Worcester with [[Barre, Massachusetts|Barre]] and [[Palmer, Massachusetts|Palmer]], and its charter authorized it along a westward route towards those two cities.<ref name=":0" /> The railroad's promoters could not raise funds to begin construction at the time, leaving the company a railroad only in name until 1869.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> In September of that year, the city of Worcester voted by an overwhelming margin to give the company $200,000 in aid, allowing construction to begin.<ref>{{Cite news |date=October 2, 1869 |title=Brief Mention |work=Hartford Weekly Times |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GdQyAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA4 |access-date=October 26, 2021}}</ref>


With the passage of 20 years since the original charter, the railroad changed its original plans and decided instead to build northward towards [[Gardner, Massachusetts|Gardner]], and requested a modification of its charter by the [[Massachusetts General Court]] in late 1869. The legislature approved this change, and the railroad formally changed its route in March 1870.<ref name=":4">{{Cite news|date=March 23, 1870|title=Barre & Gardner Railroad|work=[[Boston Daily Evening Transcript]]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QyEzAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA4|access-date=October 27, 2021}}</ref> An additional change was made to route the railroad directly through the town of [[Holden, Massachusetts|Holden]], which had contributed $30,000 towards the railroad's construction and offered an additional $14,800 on the condition that the company directly served the town.<ref name=":4" /> Construction was completed from Worcester to Gardner in 1871, and the railroad ran its first trains that year.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|date=December 2, 1872|title=A Visit to Gardner|work=[[Boston Daily Evening Transcript]]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c-UzAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA5|access-date=October 26, 2021}}</ref>
With the passage of 20 years since the original charter, the company changed its original plans and decided instead to build northward towards [[Gardner, Massachusetts|Gardner]], and requested a modification of its charter by the [[Massachusetts General Court]] in late 1869. The legislature approved this change, and the Boston, Barre and Gardner formally changed its route in March 1870.<ref name=":4">{{Cite news|date=March 23, 1870|title=Barre & Gardner Railroad|work=[[Boston Daily Evening Transcript]]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QyEzAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA4|access-date=October 27, 2021}}</ref> An additional change was made to route the railroad directly through the town of [[Holden, Massachusetts|Holden]], which had contributed $30,000 towards the railroad's construction and offered an additional $14,800 on the condition that the company directly served the town.<ref name=":4" /> Construction was completed from Worcester to Gardner in 1871, and the company ran its first trains that year.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|date=December 2, 1872|title=A Visit to Gardner|work=[[Boston Daily Evening Transcript]]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c-UzAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA5|access-date=October 26, 2021}}</ref> The change to the company's route meant it never reached Barre, and despite its name the company never planned to directly serve Boston.<ref name=":0" />


=== Operating history ===
=== Operating history ===
By 1872, the railroad was described as "a decided success" on account of brisk traffic, and began plans to built further north from Gardner to [[Winchendon, Massachusetts|Winchendon]], a distance of {{Convert|10|mi|km}}.<ref name=":2" /> This extension was opened in January 1874.<ref name=":0" /> In August 1874, the railroad's board of directors voted to lease the [[Monadnock Railroad]], which extended the Boston, Barre and Gardner's tracks from Winchendon to [[Peterborough, New Hampshire]].<ref name=":3">{{Cite news|date=August 13, 1874|title=Telegraphic Dispatches|work=Manufacturers and Farmers Journal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CLtiAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA4|access-date=October 26, 2021}}</ref> The railroad also decided to extend the Monadnock from its Peterboro terminus northward {{Convert|18|mi|km}} to [[Hillsboro, New Hampshire|Hillsboro]], where it would connect with the [[Contoocook River Railroad]], providing a route to [[Concord, New Hampshire|Concord]].<ref name=":3" /> This lease was ended in 1880, as the railroad could no longer afford to pay it.<ref name=":0" />
By 1872, the railroad was described as "a decided success" on account of brisk traffic, and began plans to build further north from Gardner to [[Winchendon, Massachusetts|Winchendon]], a distance of {{Convert|10|mi|km}}.<ref name=":2" /> This extension was opened in January 1874.<ref name=":0" /> In August 1874, the railroad's board of directors voted to lease the [[Monadnock Railroad]], extending the Boston, Barre and Gardner's tracks from Winchendon to [[Peterborough, New Hampshire]].<ref name=":3">{{Cite news|date=August 13, 1874|title=Telegraphic Dispatches|work=Manufacturers and Farmers Journal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CLtiAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA4|access-date=October 26, 2021}}</ref> The railroad also decided to extend the Monadnock from its Peterborough terminus northward {{Convert|18|mi|km}} to [[Hillsboro, New Hampshire|Hillsboro]], where it would connect with the [[Contoocook River Railroad]], providing a route to [[Concord, New Hampshire|Concord]].<ref name=":3" /> This lease was ended in 1880, as the railroad could no longer afford to pay it.<ref name=":0" />


A major collision occurred on the railroad on December 20, 1876 in [[Princeton, Massachusetts|Princeton]] when a northbound passenger train collided head on with a southbound [[mixed train]]. The accident resulted in three deaths and two injuries.<ref>{{Cite news|date=December 21, 1876|title=A Fatal Railroad Accident|work=Manufacturers and Farmers Journal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CW9bAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA10|access-date=October 27, 2021}}</ref>
A major collision occurred on the railroad on December 20, 1876, in [[Princeton, Massachusetts|Princeton]] when a northbound passenger train collided head on with a southbound [[mixed train]]. The accident resulted in one fatality and four injuries, two potentially fatal.<ref>{{Cite news|date=December 21, 1876|title=A Fatal Railroad Accident|work=Manufacturers and Farmers Journal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CW9bAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA10|access-date=October 27, 2021}}</ref> In December 1881, the [[Central Massachusetts Railroad]] completed a connection to the Boston, Barre and Gardner in Holden, allowing the latter company a connection to Boston.<ref>{{Cite news|date=December 9, 1881|title=Railroad Items|work=The Southbridge Journal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ky0_AAAAIBAJ&pg=PA3|access-date=October 27, 2021}}</ref>


In December 1881, the [[Central Massachusetts Railroad]] completed a connection to the Boston, Barre and Gardner in Holden, allowing the latter company a connection to Boston.<ref>{{Cite news|date=December 9, 1881|title=Railroad Items|work=The Southbridge Journal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ky0_AAAAIBAJ&pg=PA3|access-date=October 27, 2021}}</ref>
A second disaster struck the railroad on November 28, 1883. In North Worcester, a passenger train derailed and "the rear car, containing about 65 persons, was hurled from the track and rolled down a 25 feet embankment, rolling twice and a half times over and landing on its side. All the seats were wrenched from their positions and the passengers thrown about in inextricable confusion."<ref name=":5">{{Cite news|date=November 29, 1883|title=Perils of the Rail|work=The Providence Morning Star|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UBNhAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA1|access-date=October 27, 2021}}</ref> As a result of the derailment, at least 30 people were severely injured and at least seven killed.<ref name=":5" />

A second disaster struck the railroad on November 28, 1883. In North Worcester, a passenger train derailed and, "the rear car, containing about 65 persons, was hurled from the track and rolled down a 25 feet embankment, rolling twice and a half times over and landing on its side. All the seats were wrenched from their positions and the passengers thrown about in inextricable confusion."<ref name=":5">{{Cite news|date=November 29, 1883|title=Perils of the Rail|work=The Providence Morning Star|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UBNhAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA1|access-date=October 27, 2021}}</ref> As a result of the derailment, at least 30 people were severely injured and at least seven killed.<ref name=":5" />


=== Merger into the Fitchburg ===
=== Merger into the Fitchburg ===
The Fitchburg Railroad concluded an agreement to purchase the Boston, Barre, and Gardner Railroad in early 1885, with the Fitchburg taking over operations on March 4 pending legislative approval.<ref>{{Cite news|date=March 4, 1885|title=Boston, Barre & Gardner|work=[[Boston Evening Transcript]]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9xA0AAAAIBAJ&pg=PA4|access-date=October 26, 2021}}</ref> The following month, the Massachusetts General Court authorized the Fitchburg to consolidate the Boston, Barre, and Gardner, formally ending its existence as a railroad company.<ref>{{Cite news|date=April 29, 1885|title=Local Railroad Notes|work=[[Boston Evening Transcript]]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y0MzAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA2|access-date=October 26, 2021}}</ref> As a part of the Fitchburg system, the Boston, Barre and Gardner's lines remained busy, with the Fitchburg describing its purchase of the company as "very satisfactory" in 1887.<ref>{{Cite news|date=January 20, 1887|title=Annual Report of the Fitchburg|work=[[Boston Evening Transcript]]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iuozAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA2|access-date=October 26, 2021}}</ref>
The [[Fitchburg Railroad]] concluded an agreement to purchase the Boston, Barre, and Gardner Railroad in early 1885, with the Fitchburg taking over operations on March 4 pending legislative approval.<ref>{{Cite news|date=March 4, 1885|title=Boston, Barre & Gardner|work=[[Boston Evening Transcript]]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9xA0AAAAIBAJ&pg=PA4|access-date=October 26, 2021}}</ref> The following month, the Massachusetts General Court authorized the Fitchburg to consolidate the Boston, Barre, and Gardner, formally ending the latter's existence as a railroad company.<ref>{{Cite news|date=April 29, 1885|title=Local Railroad Notes|work=[[Boston Evening Transcript]]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y0MzAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA2|access-date=October 26, 2021}}</ref> As a part of the Fitchburg system, the Boston, Barre and Gardner's lines remained busy, with the Fitchburg describing its purchase of the company as "very satisfactory" in 1887.<ref>{{Cite news|date=January 20, 1887|title=Annual Report of the Fitchburg|work=[[Boston Evening Transcript]]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iuozAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA2|access-date=October 26, 2021}}</ref>


=== To the present day ===
=== To the present day ===
In 1900, the Fitchburg was leased by the [[Boston and Maine Corporation|Boston and Maine Railroad]].<ref name=":0" /> The B&M continued to operate the line between Winchendon and Worcester until 1959, when the final {{Convert|10|mi|km}} between Winchendon and Gardner were abandoned, leaving only a {{Convert|1|mi|km}} long stub track north of the former Fitchburg line that met the Boston, Barre and Gardner in downtown Gardner.
In 1900, the Fitchburg was leased by the [[Boston and Maine Corporation|Boston and Maine Railroad]] (B&M).<ref name=":0" /> The B&M continued to operate the line between Winchendon and Worcester until 1959, when the final {{Convert|10|mi|km}} between Winchendon and Gardner were abandoned, truncating the line {{Convert|1|mi|km}} north of the former Fitchburg line that met the Boston, Barre and Gardner in downtown Gardner.<ref name=":0" />

⚫
Falling on hard times in the 1970s, the Boston and Maine abandoned nearly all of the line in 1972, leaving only the stub track in Gardner. The portion of the former Boston, Barre and Gardner route south of Gardner was saved when the newly independent [[Providence and Worcester Railroad]] (P&W) purchased the line and reopened it in 1974, as a means of connecting with the Boston and Maine.<ref name=":0" /> As of 2021, the P&W (owned by shortline railroad holding company [[Genesee & Wyoming]] since 2016) continues to operate its portion of the Boston, Barre and Gardner between Worcester and Gardner, while Boston and Maine successor [[Pan Am Railways]] operates the remaining portion of the line in Gardner.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=Maps and Routing Guide|url=http://www.panamrailways.com/maps-and-routing-guide|access-date=2021-10-26|website=Pan Am Railways|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Providence and Worcester Railroad – A Genesee & Wyoming Company|url=https://www.gwrr.com/pw/|access-date=2021-10-26|language=en-US}}</ref>


Portions of the right-of-way in Winchendon and northern Gardner have been converted to a rail trail, the '''North Central Pathway'''. In 2022, the state awarded $200,000 for design of an extension into downtown Gardner.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mass.gov/doc/2022-masstrails-grant-awards/download |title=2022 MassTrails Awards (81 Projects) |date=June 2022 |publisher=Commonwealth of Massachusetts |page=4}}</ref>
⚫
Falling on hard times in the 1970s, the Boston and Maine abandoned nearly all of the line in 1972, excepting only the stub track in Gardner. The portion of the former Boston, Barre and Gardner route south of Gardner was saved when the newly independent [[Providence and Worcester Railroad]] purchased the line and reopened it in 1974, as a means of connecting with the Boston and Maine.<ref name=":0" /> As of 2021, the P&W continues to operate its portion of the Boston, Barre and Gardner between Worcester and Gardner, while Boston and Maine successor [[Pan Am Railways]] operates the remaining portion of the line in Gardner.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=Maps and Routing Guide|url=http://www.panamrailways.com/maps-and-routing-guide|access-date=2021-10-26|website=Pan Am Railways|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Providence and Worcester Railroad – A Genesee & Wyoming Company|url=https://www.gwrr.com/pw/|access-date=2021-10-26|language=en-US}}</ref>


==Station and junction listing==
==Station and junction listing, 1917==
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
!Miles (km)<ref name=1917timetable>{{cite book |title-link=:commons:File:Boston and Maine Railroad 1917 timetable.pdf |title=Local Train Service |date=September 30, 1917 |publisher=Boston and Maine Railroad |pages=67, 68 |via=Wikimedia Commons}}</ref>
!Miles (km)<ref name=1917timetable>{{cite book |title-link=:commons:File:Boston and Maine Railroad 1917 timetable.pdf |title=Local Train Service |date=September 30, 1917 |publisher=Boston and Maine Railroad |pages=67, 68 |via=Wikimedia Commons}}</ref>
Line 77: Line 79:
|-
|-
|{{convert|10.14|miles|1|adj=ri1|abbr=values}}
|{{convert|10.14|miles|1|adj=ri1|abbr=values}}
|{{sdash}}
|colspan=2|[[Central Massachusetts Railroad]] crossed on a bridge, with a junction track slightly north
|Crossing of [[Central Massachusetts Railroad]] on a bridge, with a junction track slightly north
|-
|-
|{{convert|11.2|miles|1|adj=ri1|abbr=values}}
|{{convert|11.2|miles|1|adj=ri1|abbr=values}}
Line 95: Line 98:
|[[Hubbardston, Massachusetts|Hubbardston]]
|[[Hubbardston, Massachusetts|Hubbardston]]
|Hubbardston
|Hubbardston
|
|-
|-
|{{convert|26.3|miles|1|adj=ri1|abbr=values}}
|{{convert|26.3|miles|1|adj=ri1|abbr=values}}
Line 119: Line 123:


== External links ==
== External links ==
{{Commons category inline}}
{{Commons category-inline}}


{{Fitchburg Railroad}}
{{Fitchburg Railroad}}


[[Category:Companies affiliated with the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad]]
[[Category:Companies affiliated with the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad]]
[[Category:Massachusetts railroads]]
[[Category:Defunct Massachusetts railroads]]
[[Category:Regional railroads in the United States]]
[[Category:Railway companies established in 1847]]
[[Category:Railway companies disestablished in 1885]]

Latest revision as of 23:50, 3 July 2023

Boston, Barre and Gardner Railroad
Map
The former Holden station next to active tracks
Übersicht
Current operatorProvidence and Worcester Railroad
Pan Am Railways
Dates of operation1871–1885
SuccessorFitchburg Railroad
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Length36.0 miles (57.9 km)

The Boston, Barre and Gardner Railroad was a railroad in Massachusetts that connected Worcester and Winchendon via Gardner. It was originally chartered as the Barre and Worcester Railroad in 1847, before being renamed the Boston, Barre and Gardner Railroad in 1849. The company was unable to raise funds for construction until 1869; service between Worcester and Gardner began in 1871. An extension northward to Winchendon was completed in January 1874. The Boston, Barre and Gardner operated independently until it was taken over by the Fitchburg Railroad in 1885. Despite the company's name, it never served Boston or Barre. The line was abandoned between Winchendon and Gardner in 1959 by the Fitchburg's successor, the Boston and Maine Railroad. In the 21st century, freight service on the remainder of the line is operated by the Providence and Worcester Railroad between Worcester and Gardner, and by Pan Am Railways on a short segment in Gardner.

History

[edit]

Formation and construction

[edit]

Originally chartered as the Barre and Worcester Railroad by businessmen in Worcester in 1847, the company changed its name to the Boston, Barre and Gardner Railroad in 1849.[1][2] It was originally intended to connect Worcester with Barre and Palmer, and its charter authorized it along a westward route towards those two cities.[1] The railroad's promoters could not raise funds to begin construction at the time, leaving the company a railroad only in name until 1869.[1][2] In September of that year, the city of Worcester voted by an overwhelming margin to give the company $200,000 in aid, allowing construction to begin.[3]

With the passage of 20 years since the original charter, the company changed its original plans and decided instead to build northward towards Gardner, and requested a modification of its charter by the Massachusetts General Court in late 1869. The legislature approved this change, and the Boston, Barre and Gardner formally changed its route in March 1870.[4] An additional change was made to route the railroad directly through the town of Holden, which had contributed $30,000 towards the railroad's construction and offered an additional $14,800 on the condition that the company directly served the town.[4] Construction was completed from Worcester to Gardner in 1871, and the company ran its first trains that year.[5] The change to the company's route meant it never reached Barre, and despite its name the company never planned to directly serve Boston.[1]

Operating history

[edit]

By 1872, the railroad was described as "a decided success" on account of brisk traffic, and began plans to build further north from Gardner to Winchendon, a distance of 10 miles (16 km).[5] This extension was opened in January 1874.[1] In August 1874, the railroad's board of directors voted to lease the Monadnock Railroad, extending the Boston, Barre and Gardner's tracks from Winchendon to Peterborough, New Hampshire.[6] The railroad also decided to extend the Monadnock from its Peterborough terminus northward 18 miles (29 km) to Hillsboro, where it would connect with the Contoocook River Railroad, providing a route to Concord.[6] This lease was ended in 1880, as the railroad could no longer afford to pay it.[1]

A major collision occurred on the railroad on December 20, 1876, in Princeton when a northbound passenger train collided head on with a southbound mixed train. The accident resulted in one fatality and four injuries, two potentially fatal.[7] In December 1881, the Central Massachusetts Railroad completed a connection to the Boston, Barre and Gardner in Holden, allowing the latter company a connection to Boston.[8]

A second disaster struck the railroad on November 28, 1883. In North Worcester, a passenger train derailed and "the rear car, containing about 65 persons, was hurled from the track and rolled down a 25 feet embankment, rolling twice and a half times over and landing on its side. All the seats were wrenched from their positions and the passengers thrown about in inextricable confusion."[9] As a result of the derailment, at least 30 people were severely injured and at least seven killed.[9]

Merger into the Fitchburg

[edit]

The Fitchburg Railroad concluded an agreement to purchase the Boston, Barre, and Gardner Railroad in early 1885, with the Fitchburg taking over operations on March 4 pending legislative approval.[10] The following month, the Massachusetts General Court authorized the Fitchburg to consolidate the Boston, Barre, and Gardner, formally ending the latter's existence as a railroad company.[11] As a part of the Fitchburg system, the Boston, Barre and Gardner's lines remained busy, with the Fitchburg describing its purchase of the company as "very satisfactory" in 1887.[12]

To the present day

[edit]

In 1900, the Fitchburg was leased by the Boston and Maine Railroad (B&M).[1] The B&M continued to operate the line between Winchendon and Worcester until 1959, when the final 10 miles (16 km) between Winchendon and Gardner were abandoned, truncating the line 1 mile (1.6 km) north of the former Fitchburg line that met the Boston, Barre and Gardner in downtown Gardner.[1]

Falling on hard times in the 1970s, the Boston and Maine abandoned nearly all of the line in 1972, leaving only the stub track in Gardner. The portion of the former Boston, Barre and Gardner route south of Gardner was saved when the newly independent Providence and Worcester Railroad (P&W) purchased the line and reopened it in 1974, as a means of connecting with the Boston and Maine.[1] As of 2021, the P&W (owned by shortline railroad holding company Genesee & Wyoming since 2016) continues to operate its portion of the Boston, Barre and Gardner between Worcester and Gardner, while Boston and Maine successor Pan Am Railways operates the remaining portion of the line in Gardner.[1][13][14]

Portions of the right-of-way in Winchendon and northern Gardner have been converted to a rail trail, the North Central Pathway. In 2022, the state awarded $200,000 for design of an extension into downtown Gardner.[15]

Station and junction listing, 1917

[edit]
Miles (km)[16] City Station Connections and notes
0.0 (0.0) Worcester Worcester Junction with Boston and Albany Railroad, Norwich and Worcester Railroad, and Providence and Worcester Railroad
0.8 (1.3) Lincoln Square
2.9 (4.7) Barbers Junction with Worcester, Nashua and Rochester Railroad
4.4 (7.1) North Worcester
6.2 (10.0) Holden Chaffin
7.3 (11.7) Dawson
8.3 (13.4) Holden
9.5 (15.3) Jefferson
10.1 (16.3) — Crossing of Central Massachusetts Railroad on a bridge, with a junction track slightly north
11.2 (18.0) North Woods
13.1 (21.1) Princeton Brooks
16.0 (25.7) Princeton
20.1 (32.3) Hubbardston Hubbardston
26.3 (42.3) Gardner Gardner Junction with Fitchburg Railroad
27.1 (43.6) Heywood
32.4 (52.1) Winchendon Red School
36.0 (57.9) Winchendon Junction with Cheshire Railroad, Ware River Railroad, and Monadnock Railroad

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Karr, Ronald Dale (2017). The Rail Lines of Southern New England (2nd ed.). Pepperell, Massachusetts: Branch Line Press. pp. 229–231. ISBN 978-0-942147-12-4. OCLC 1038017689.
  2. ^ a b "The Steam Railroads of Massachusetts". Boston Daily Evening Transcript. February 11, 1869. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  3. ^ "Brief Mention". Hartford Weekly Times. October 2, 1869. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Barre & Gardner Railroad". Boston Daily Evening Transcript. March 23, 1870. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  5. ^ a b "A Visit to Gardner". Boston Daily Evening Transcript. December 2, 1872. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  6. ^ a b "Telegraphic Dispatches". Manufacturers and Farmers Journal. August 13, 1874. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  7. ^ "A Fatal Railroad Accident". Manufacturers and Farmers Journal. December 21, 1876. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  8. ^ "Railroad Items". The Southbridge Journal. December 9, 1881. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  9. ^ a b "Perils of the Rail". The Providence Morning Star. November 29, 1883. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  10. ^ "Boston, Barre & Gardner". Boston Evening Transcript. March 4, 1885. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  11. ^ "Local Railroad Notes". Boston Evening Transcript. April 29, 1885. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  12. ^ "Annual Report of the Fitchburg". Boston Evening Transcript. January 20, 1887. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  13. ^ "Maps and Routing Guide". Pan Am Railways. Retrieved 2021-10-26.
  14. ^ "Providence and Worcester Railroad – A Genesee & Wyoming Company". Retrieved 2021-10-26.
  15. ^ "2022 MassTrails Awards (81 Projects)". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. June 2022. p. 4.
  16. ^ Local Train Service. Boston and Maine Railroad. September 30, 1917. pp. 67, 68 – via Wikimedia Commons.
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