Fitchburg Railroad

Fitchburg Railroad
Company type	Railroad
Industry	Rail transport
Founded	1842
Fate	Leased by Boston and Maine Railroad in 1900
Headquarters	Massachusetts, United States
Products	Rail transport services

The Fitchburg Railroad played a significant role in American rail transport by constructing a route across northern Massachusetts, which included passage through the Hoosac Tunnel. In 1900, it entered into a lease agreement with the Boston and Maine Railroad, becoming its Fitchburg Division. Presently, the MBTA operates the main line from Boston to Fitchburg as the Fitchburg Line, while freight operations on segments of the track are handled by Pan Am Railways.

Early history

In 1828, plans emerged for a horse-powered railroad linking Boston to Brattleboro, Vermont via Fitchburg. The Charlestown Branch Railroad was established in 1835 as a brief spur off the Boston and Lowell Railroad near Cambridge, extending to the Charlestown waterfront and commencing horse-drawn service in 1840.

The Fitchburg Railroad was chartered in 1842 with the objective of connecting Boston and Fitchburg. The following year, it secured land adjoining the Charlestown Branch and began construction. The railway opened progressively: reaching Waltham in December 1843, Concord by June 1844, Acton in October 1844, Shirley in December 1844, and finally Fitchburg in March 1845. The Fitchburg Railroad leased the Charlestown Branch in 1845 before acquiring it outright in 1846.

Initially ending near City Square in Charlestown, the line was redirected in 1848 to cross a new Charles River bridge leading to a downtown Boston terminal on Causeway Street; this station was replaced by North Union Station in 1893.

Henry David Thoreau mentioned the Fitchburg Railroad near Walden Pond in his work Walden (1854), highlighting its early influence on the area. In 1886, a third track was added between Waltham and Roberts.

Starting July 1, 1900, the Boston and Maine Railroad leased the Fitchburg for a term of 99 years, fully integrating it into their network.

Grade crossing eliminations

The original railroad included multiple level crossings within Somerville. In 1857, the diamond crossing with the Boston and Lowell Railroad was replaced by the elevated Lowell "Red Bridge." Subsequently, Washington Street and Prospect Street crossings were elevated onto bridges; pedestrian underpasses were constructed at Sacramento Street and Kane Street during the 1890s. Beginning in 1900, plans were developed to remove eleven remaining grade crossings throughout Somerville, including five located along the Fitchburg mainline.

A 1906 proposal aimed to elevate approximately 1.8 miles of track between Beacon Street and Somerville Avenue to eliminate five crossings but was ultimately rejected. Nevertheless, between 1908 and 1909, a road bridge replaced the Somerville Avenue crossing along with the adjacent Grand Junction Branch, followed by Webster Street’s replacement bridge in 1911. By early 1913, Dane Street featured a road bridge and Medford Street an underpass, leaving only Park Street with a grade crossing.

Additional grade crossing removals took place across Massachusetts during the 1930s. On the Fitchburg Route, these included crossings at Boston Post Road (Route 20) in Stony Brook (1930), Beaver Brook (1936), Mohawk Trail in Littleton (1932), and Leominster–Shirley Road in Lunenburg (circa 1936). In 1935 Somerville requested a Works Progress Administration-funded bridge to replace Park Street crossing; however, this project did not materialize, resulting in ongoing accidents there. In 1952, tracks were lowered through Waverley Square to remove two additional grade crossings.

Reductions

On January 19, 1958, the route from Troy to Williamstown experienced service cuts. The Cheshire Branch along with the Maynard–South Acton line were discontinued on May 18 as part of broader system reductions. Service beyond Greenfield was terminated on December 30, 1958, removing stops such as Williamstown, North Adams, Hoosac Tunnel, Zoar, Charlemont, and Shelburne Falls. Another wave of cutbacks on June 14, 1959 eliminated seven stations between Greenfield and Fitchburg—Montague, Lake Pleasant, Erving, Royalston, Baldwinville, East Gardner, South Ashburnham—as well as Stony Brook. On April 23, 1960, the four daily round trips west of Fitchburg ended, ending service to Greenfield, Millers Falls, Athol, Orange, and Gardner.

Service was scaled back to West Concord on January 18, 1965 but was reinstated to Ayer by June 28 of the same year. Further reduction took place on March 1, 1975 when service was cut to South Acton. The MBTA purchased the Boston-to-Fitchburg route from B&M on December 27, 1976. Service was restored through Fitchburg and extended to Gardner on January 13, 1980; however, Gardner service ceased on January 1, 1987 due to a disagreement between Amtrak and Guilford since MBTA's ownership only extended to Fitchburg. In 2016, service was once again extended to Wachusett station.

Guilford Transportation assumed control of the former B&M in June 1983. The segment of the Fitchburg Line west of the former Stony Brook Railroad is currently part of Pan Am Railways’ primary corridor linking Mattawamkeag, Maine with Mechanicville, New York.

Harvard

Incorporated in 1849, the Harvard Branch Railroad diverged from the Fitchburg line in Somerville and ran to Harvard Square. It was neither leased nor owned by Fitchburg and closed in 1855 due to poor performance.

Lexington

The Lexington and West Cambridge Railroad, chartered in 1845 and operational by 1846, branched off near present-day North Cambridge toward Lexington. Fitchburg managed operations from inception and leased it between 1847 and 1859. Renamed the Lexington and Arlington Railroad in 1868, it was acquired by the Boston and Lowell Railroad in 1870. Passenger services ended after a blizzard in 1977; freight operations stopped in 1981. The corridor was abandoned in 1991 and converted into the Minuteman Commuter Bike Trail.

Watertown

The Watertown Branch Railroad, incorporated in 1847 and soon absorbed by Fitchburg, ran from Cambridge through Watertown to Waltham. Opened in 1851 with double tracks on portions of the line, it served as a vital passenger route between Boston and Waltham. Passenger services were discontinued in 1938; partial abandonment followed in 1960 with most of the line gone by 2000. The eastern section served a single customer until early 2007 before final operations concluded in 2008. Today, this corridor has been transformed into the Watertown-Cambridge Greenway rail trail.

Marlborough

The Lancaster and Sterling Railroad, incorporated in 1846 and immediately merged into Fitchburg, extended southwest from South Acton to Hudson, opening in 1850. The Marlborough Branch Railroad, formed in 1852 and leased by Fitchburg starting in 1853, stretched from Hudson to Marlborough, which was fully acquired by Fitchburg in 1863. South Acton became an important junction point with maintenance facilities. Passenger service from Marlborough ended in 1932; segments between Maynard and Hudson were abandoned by 1943. The Hudson-Marlborough section saw its last passenger trains via the Central Massachusetts Railroad in 1939; Hudson continued receiving service under MBTA subsidy until abandonment by 1980. Passenger traffic to Maynard stopped in 1958; formal abandonment occurred in 1979 with conversion into the Assabet River Rail Trail.

Peterborough and Shirley

The Peterborough and Shirley Railroad was established in 1845 and commenced operations from Fitchburg to Ayer reaching West Townsend by 1848. By 1850, the line extended further to Mason, New Hampshire. It was leased by the Fitchburg Railroad in 1847 and fully absorbed in 1860, with its reach expanded to Greenville, New Hampshire by 1876.

In 2020, the Squannacook River Rail Trail was inaugurated as a 3.7-mile pathway running between Townsend and the Bertoxxi Wildlife Management Area. State funds facilitated the removal of tracks and paving on the western portion, with additional financial support granted in 2022 for a 0.6-mile extension in Groton.

Milford

Formed in 1892, the Brookline and Milford Railroad connected Peterborough and Shirley at Squannacook Junction to the Wilton Railroad in Milford, New Hampshire. It became part of the Fitchburg Railroad through a merger in 1895.

Vermont and Massachusetts Railroad

Chartered in 1844, the Vermont and Massachusetts Railroad immediately incorporated the Brattleborough and Fitchburg Railroad from Vermont. Its initial segment between Fitchburg and Baldwinville opened in 1847 and was operated by Fitchburg until 1849. Subsequent expansions reached Athol and Miller's Falls by 1848, extending to Brattleboro, Vermont in 1850. Branch lines were constructed to Greenfield (1850) and Turner's Falls (1870-71).

The northern main line from Miller's Falls was leased to the Rutland Railroad in 1870 before transferring to the Vermont Central Railroad (later known as the Central Vermont Railroad) during 1871-72. The Fitchburg Railroad leased the remaining V&M routes in 1874, further extending westward to Greenfield via the Troy and Greenfield Railroad.

Ashburnham

The Ashburnham Railroad, chartered in 1871 and operational from 1874 between V&M at South Ashburnham to Ashburnham, was acquired by Fitchburg Railroad in 1885.

Turners Falls

Opened in 1871, the Turners Falls Branch linked the main line at Turners Falls Junction directly to Turners Falls, Massachusetts.

Cheshire

The Cheshire Railroad was chartered in New Hampshire in 1844 and combined with Massachusetts' Winchendon Railroad in 1845. Its initial stretch from South Ashburnham to Winchendon opened in 1847, extending that year to Troy, New Hampshire. By 1849, it reached Keene, New Hampshire, and Bellows Falls, Vermont. This route connected the Fitchburg Railroad with the Vermont Central Railroad through trackage rights over the Vermont and Massachusetts Railroad.

Incorporated into Fitchburg as the Cheshire Branch in 1890, passenger service ceased by 1958. Following the Rutland Railroad's bankruptcy in 1970, sections of the line were gradually abandoned until complete closure by 1984.

Monadnock

The Monadnock Railroad, incorporated in 1848, began service between Winchendon and Jaffrey, New Hampshire, in 1870, extending to Peterborough a year later. The Boston, Barre and Gardner Railroad leased it in 1874 but transferred this lease to Cheshire Railroad in 1880 to block acquisition by Boston and Albany. Control ultimately passed to Fitchburg Railroad in 1890.

Boston, Barre and Gardner

Initially chartered as the Barre and Worcester Railroad in 1847, this line was reorganized in 1857 under the name Boston, Barre and Gardner Railroad (BB&G). It commenced operations in 1871, linking Barber (near Worcester) to Gardner. By 1874, the railroad extended its reach to connect with the Cheshire Railroad at Winchendon.

In 1874, BB&G leased the Monadnock Railroad but transferred the lease to the Cheshire Railroad in 1880. Ultimately, BB&G was merged into the Fitchburg Railroad in 1885.

Troy and Greenfield

The Troy and Greenfield Railroad was chartered in 1848 with plans to construct a route from Williamstown, Vermont, eastward through the Hoosac Tunnel to Greenfield. The segment from the Vermont border to North Adams became operational in 1859, while the Hoosac Tunnel itself opened in 1875. Before its incorporation into Fitchburg in 1887, the Troy and Boston Railroad had leased Troy and Greenfield.

Chartered in 1848 as well, the Southern Vermont Railroad aimed to link Troy and Greenfield via southwestern Vermont to New York state. It began service in 1859 and was leased by Troy and Boston Railroad until Troy and Greenfield purchased it in 1860. Fitchburg directly acquired Southern Vermont in 1891.

The Troy and Boston Railroad extended westward reaching Troy, New York, before merging into Fitchburg in 1887. The Troy and Bennington Railroad constructed a branch line from Hoosick Junction toward Bennington, Vermont, which opened in 1852. This line later became part of the Western Vermont Railroad, leased by Troy and Boston until its reorganization as the Bennington and Rutland Railway in 1865.

Boston, Hoosac Tunnel and Western

Operations of the Boston, Hoosac Tunnel and Western Railway commenced in 1879 between the Massachusetts border and Mechanicville, New York, running parallel to the Troy and Boston line from Johnsonville eastward. By 1884, it had extended westward to Rotterdam Junction. The Fitchburg Railroad obtained controlling stock interest in 1887 and completed full acquisition by 1892. While there were intentions to expand further west to Buffalo and Oswego, these plans were overtaken by development of the West Shore Railroad.

Two railways chartered in 1880—the Hoosac Tunnel and Saratoga Railway and the Saratoga Lake Railway—were leased by BHT&W in 1882 and merged into the Troy, Saratoga and Northern Railroad by 1886. This combined route ran from Mechanicville northward to Saratoga Springs, including a branch line extending to Schuylerville. The Fitchburg Railroad took on a lease of this line in 1887.

Station and junction listing

The following table enumerates all stations and junctions along the original Fitchburg Railroad route between Boston and Fitchburg. Minor relocations of stations are not included here. A separate list provides current station information.

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