Boston, Barre and Gardner Railroad
This article is missing information about a station list.(December 2015) |
Übersicht | |
---|---|
Dates of operation | 1871–1885 |
Successor | Fitchburg Railroad |
The Boston, Barre and Gardner Railroad was a railroad in Massachusetts, which connected Worcester and Winchendon. It was originally chartered as the Barre and Worcester Railroad in 1847.[1] 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.[1]
History
Originally chartered by businessmen in Worcester in 1847, the company changed its name to the Boston, Barre and Gardner Railroad in 1849.[1][2] 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] The railroad reported it was beginning construction in February of the following year.[4] Construction was completed to Gardner in 1871, and the railroad ran its first trains that year.[5] 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, a distance of 10 miles.[5]
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 Peterboro, New Hampshire.[6] The railroad also decided to extend the Monadnock from its Peterboro terminus northward 18 miles to Hillsboro, where it would connect with the Contoocook River Railroad, providing a route to Concord.[6]
Lease and consolidation
The Fitchburg Railroad concluded an agreement to lease the Boston, Barre, and Gardner Railroad in early 1885, with the Fitchburg taking over operations on March 4.[7] 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.[8]
References
- ^ a b c d 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.
- ^ a b "The Steam Railroads of Massachusetts". Boston Daily Evening Transcript. February 11, 1869. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
- ^ "Brief Mention". Hartford Weekly Times. September 25, 1869. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
- ^ "The Steam Railroads of Massachusetts". Boston Daily Evening Transcript. February 10, 1870. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
- ^ a b "A Visit to Gardner". Boston Daily Evening Transcript. December 2, 1872. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
- ^ a b "Telegraphic Dispatches". Manufacturers and Farmers Journal. August 13, 1874. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
- ^ "Boston, Barre & Gardner". Boston Evening Transcript. March 4, 1885. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
- ^ "Local Railroad Notes". Boston Evening Transcript. April 29, 1885. Retrieved October 26, 2021.