Those are now valuable green spaces to put in hiking and bike trails. ( non motorized ) Don't lose them I've hiked the Bruce Trail end to end. Often enough the trail ran through towns and cities along a narrow green space corridor
Strange how they considered a plan to reopen passenger service to Berlin with a parking lot right off 495. So much of the line east of 495 had already been removed and bridges taken out in Hudson alone, it would have been a very expensive project to put all that back in. All those wooden bridges between 495 and 128 would have to be replaced, and replace the others taken out, and there would have been a lot of opposition to having trains operating again in those neighborhoods in Hudson were the tracks came very close to homes.
Clarification: Coburn Rd. at the end of track point in Berlin was always there since the 1930s and probably sooner. There was no relocation of that road. There was a bridge for the tracks over the road. In 1959, all track between Clinton and Berlin were torn up making this end of track point the end of the line. Only freight came this far to serve a small lumber yard near Berlin station, passenger trains only ran as far as the Hudson station on the Marlboro branch, no longer utilizing the Central Mass Hudson station. When abandonments continued years later, it cost more to rip up the tracks then to leave them in place, so the B&M simply didn't bother ripping them out. Also its interesting to note that there was at one time a connecting track at West Berlin Jct. with the Agricultural Branch, hence the name West Berlin Jct. However this connection was not utilized for very long once the Central Mass made it into Clinton. Also note we were not at the approximate location of Clinton Jct station, we were actually just south of it. However we were at the approximate location of where the tracks of the Central Mass and the WN&R connected. Also, there was always a connecting track from the Central Mass to Clinton station. It was not put in after the abandonment west of Oakdale. It was there from time the Wachusett Reservoir was created.
@@SilhouetteJudas I think I would promote express service from Boston to the Framingham Centre split to stations to be determined on the Fitchburg Branch possibly as far as Clinton. Also from Framingham Centre to Sudbury. I dont imagine the replacement of railroad already torn up anywhere, except the piece from Needham Junction to Medfield Junction and on to Woodside.
@@SilhouetteJudas What bothers me most was that Penn Central and Conrail were in a great hurry to jettison lines. I was in freight service and watching the traffic decline was disheartening. When a line was shortened or shut it wasn't coming back. Now an almost insurmountable task in convincing markets, freight and passenger, to return has to be faced.
Surprised to see that in some parts the tracks are well preserved. Almost looks like they could run on those tracks today. Thanks for the videos, and the information !
I wish there were pictures of that bridge at West Berlin and Rt. 62. I haven't seen any on the internet. The one shown in the book "The Central Mass" is not a very good one.
No. Conrail (New Haven) can be seen from the right of way. When I ran CJ-1, JC-2 the NH freighthouse was still standing and granite abutments were visible. Nearby there was a flood control project. I may be mistaken ( not really ) but there was an ice cream stand near the freighthouse. Uphill up to Clinton....or switch for Lancaster valley track for Reisner Junk and a cereal company. Correction Conrail did operate freight on their tracks. In the end of my time it was symbol BX-10.
Those are now valuable green spaces to put in hiking and bike trails. ( non motorized ) Don't lose them
I've hiked the Bruce Trail end to end. Often enough the trail ran through towns and cities along a narrow green space corridor
Strange how they considered a plan to reopen passenger service to Berlin with a parking lot right off 495. So much of the line east of 495 had already been removed and bridges taken out in Hudson alone, it would have been a very expensive project to put all that back in. All those wooden bridges between 495 and 128 would have to be replaced, and replace the others taken out, and there would have been a lot of opposition to having trains operating again in those neighborhoods in Hudson were the tracks came very close to homes.
Clarification: Coburn Rd. at the end of track point in Berlin was always there since the 1930s and probably sooner. There was no relocation of that road. There was a bridge for the tracks over the road. In 1959, all track between Clinton and Berlin were torn up making this end of track point the end of the line. Only freight came this far to serve a small lumber yard near Berlin station, passenger trains only ran as far as the Hudson station on the Marlboro branch, no longer utilizing the Central Mass Hudson station. When abandonments continued years later, it cost more to rip up the tracks then to leave them in place, so the B&M simply didn't bother ripping them out. Also its interesting to note that there was at one time a connecting track at West Berlin Jct. with the Agricultural Branch, hence the name West Berlin Jct. However this connection was not utilized for very long once the Central Mass made it into Clinton. Also note we were not at the approximate location of Clinton Jct station, we were actually just south of it. However we were at the approximate location of where the tracks of the Central Mass and the WN&R connected. Also, there was always a connecting track from the Central Mass to Clinton station. It was not put in after the abandonment west of Oakdale. It was there from time the Wachusett Reservoir was created.
the commuter rail will probably expand there eventually
It may come through Framingham since that railroad is in place.
@@ruffian2952 Would probably have to add new stops to the F/W line then
@@SilhouetteJudas I think I would promote express service from Boston to the Framingham Centre split to stations to be determined on the Fitchburg Branch possibly as far as Clinton. Also from Framingham Centre to Sudbury. I dont imagine the replacement of railroad already torn up anywhere, except the piece from Needham Junction to Medfield Junction and on to Woodside.
@@ruffian2952 Hopefully they’ll execute another South Coast Rail-esque project with some of these abandoned rail lines sometime in the future
@@SilhouetteJudas What bothers me most was that Penn Central and Conrail were in a great hurry to jettison lines. I was in freight service and watching the traffic decline was disheartening. When a line was shortened or shut it wasn't coming back. Now an almost insurmountable task in convincing markets, freight and passenger, to return has to be faced.
Surprised to see that in some parts the tracks are well preserved. Almost looks like they could run on those tracks today. Thanks for the videos, and the information !
So the when was the last train that ran through there? Perhaps when the lumber yard closed??
the South Bolton Station was moved a short distance north as a private home.
I wish there were pictures of that bridge at West Berlin and Rt. 62. I haven't seen any on the internet. The one shown in the book "The Central Mass" is not a very good one.
It's available in one of the local history photo books many Town have
was alot of this conrail?
No. Conrail (New Haven) can be seen from the right of way. When I ran CJ-1, JC-2 the NH freighthouse was still standing and granite abutments were visible. Nearby there was a flood control project. I may be mistaken ( not really ) but there was an ice cream stand near the freighthouse. Uphill up to Clinton....or switch for Lancaster valley track for Reisner Junk and a cereal company. Correction Conrail did operate freight on their tracks. In the end of my time it was symbol BX-10.