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Boston, Barre and Gardner Railroad

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Boston, Barre and Gardner Railroad
At the junction in Gardner, the former Boston, Barre and Gardner rail line can be seen in the background, today operated by the Providence and Worcester Railroad
Overview
Dates of operation1871–1885
SuccessorFitchburg 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]

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.[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

  1. ^ 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.
  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. September 25, 1869. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  4. ^ "The Steam Railroads of Massachusetts". Boston Daily Evening Transcript. February 10, 1870. Retrieved October 26, 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. ^ "Boston, Barre & Gardner". Boston Evening Transcript. March 4, 1885. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  8. ^ "Local Railroad Notes". Boston Evening Transcript. April 29, 1885. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
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