Old Colony Lines
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Railroad |
| Founded | 1844 |
| Founder | John Sever, Nathan Carruth |
| Defunct | 1893 |
| Fate | Leased by New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad |
| Headquarters | Boston , United States |
Area served | Southeastern Massachusetts, Rhode Island |
Key people | John Sever (first president), Nathan Carruth, Alexander Holmes, Onslow Stearns |
| Products | Rail transport, steamboat and ferry operations (including Fall River Line) |
The Old Colony Railroad (OC) operated as a prominent rail system in southeastern Massachusetts and parts of Rhode Island from 1845 until 1893. Its lines linked Boston with significant destinations such as Plymouth, Fall River, New Bedford, Newport, Providence, Fitchburg, Lowell, and Cape Cod. Beyond rail service, the company managed steamboat and ferry operations, most notably the Fall River Line, which provided express train connections from Boston to Fall River for passengers transferring to luxury liners bound for New York City. For a brief period, OC also oversaw the Martha's Vineyard Railroad and the freight-exclusive Union Freight Railroad located in Boston. The railroad’s name originates from the historic "Old Colony," referring to Plymouth Colony.
From its inception in 1845 until 1893, OC pursued an aggressive growth strategy through mergers and acquisitions, expanding its network extensively. On March 1, 1893, the company was leased by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad, becoming the "Old Colony Division" within a dominant New England rail system that controlled nearly all regional passenger and freight transportation.
Passenger rail service on the Old Colony Division largely ended by 1959 except on key corridors such as the Boston-Providence main line. Nevertheless, several routes were restored for passenger use: the Plymouth/Kingston and Middleborough/Lakeville Lines resumed operations in 1997; the Greenbush Line followed in 2007. The South Coast Rail initiative extended service to Fall River and New Bedford by 2025.
Freight operations on former OC tracks continue under companies like CSX Transportation as well as regional short-line railroads including the Massachusetts Coastal Railroad serving Cape Cod. Heritage railways also run on portions of the old OC system, such as the Cape Cod Central Railroad between Hyannis and Buzzards Bay and the Old Colony and Newport Scenic Railway on Aquidneck Island.
Numerous disused OC corridors have been transformed into multi-purpose rail trails that contribute to local recreational amenities. Prominent examples include Rhode Island’s East Bay Bike Path and Massachusetts’ Cape Cod Rail Trail, along with trails located in Lowell, Mansfield, and Fairhaven.
Old Colony Railroad (1844–1854)
During the early 1840s, Boston was connected by six primary railroads to cities including Lowell, Maine, Fitchburg, Salem, Worcester, and Providence; however, southeastern Massachusetts remained without direct rail access to Boston.
The Old Colony Railroad Corporation was chartered on March 16, 1844, with a mission to link Boston and Plymouth. Construction commenced in South Boston in June 1844, culminating in the opening of the 36.8-mile route to Plymouth on November 10, 1845. The extension reaching Kneeland Street Station in Boston began service on June 19, 1847; this station also housed OC’s headquarters until its consolidation in 1893.
An earlier entity named Old Colony Railroad was established in 1838 to operate a Taunton-New Bedford route but changed its name to New Bedford and Taunton Railroad in 1839 before beginning operations in 1840. This line was eventually incorporated into OC’s system in 1879.
John Sever of Kingston served as OC’s inaugural president from 1844 to 1845, succeeded by Nathan Carruth (1845–1848), a businessman who championed railroad development. Carruth was instrumental in Dorchester’s growth following the arrival of OC service there in 1845 and developed Beechmont/Beaumont estate—considered among America’s earliest railroad suburbs.
OC locomotives bore names until 1884; early engines included Mayflower, Governor Carver, Governor Bradford, and Miles Standish. Additionally, the company constructed the Samoset Hotel near its Plymouth terminus.
In 1847, OC completed a 6.2-mile connection from Whitman to the Fall River Railroad at Bridgewater Junction. On April 1, 1849, it leased the South Shore Railroad for a five-year term. By 1851, increasing traffic volumes led to installation of a second track between Boston and South Braintree.
Old Colony and Fall River Railroad (1854–1863)
On June 20, 1854, the Old Colony and Fall River Railroad combined to establish the Old Colony and Fall River Railroad Company, operating routes from Boston to Plymouth and Boston to Fall River, diverging at South Braintree. Alexander Holmes of Kingston held the presidency from 1854 through 1866.
The Fall River Railroad, created in 1845 through the consolidation of three firms, was headed by Richard Borden, a notable mill owner from Fall River who aimed to secure a direct Boston connection independent of the Boston and Providence Railroad. The segment from South Braintree to Myricks commenced service on December 16, 1846, extending the earlier Fall River Branch Railroad completed in 1845.
The inaugural "boat train" departed Boston's Kneeland Street Station for Fall River on May 19, 1847, facilitating passenger transfers to steamships bound for New York City. The Old Colony Steamboat Express became the railroad’s premier offering, recognized for its state-of-the-art locomotives and superior passenger amenities.
In 1863, the company purchased the Dorchester and Milton Branch Railroad, which it had been leasing since 1848.
Old Colony and Newport Railway (1863–1872)
In July 1863, a merger between the Old Colony and Fall River Railroad and the Newport and Fall River Railroad (incorporated in 1846) resulted in the formation of the Old Colony and Newport Railway. The final stretch connecting Fall River to Newport opened on February 5, 1864, following Massachusetts' approval in 1860.
The company acquired the Dighton and Somerset Railroad in 1865 and established a more direct route between Fall River and Boston via South Braintree on September 24, 1866. This route utilized the Easton Branch Railroad between Stoughton and North Easton; Old Colony purchased this branch outright in 1871.
In 1870, Old Colony obtained a portion of the Granite Railway line and subsequently extended it to form a loop through West Quincy branching off from the original Plymouth line. The Shawmut Railroad was constructed in 1872 to link the Dorchester and Milton Branch with the main Boston line.
Old Colony Railroad (1872–1893)
The Old Colony and Newport Railway merged with the Cape Cod Railroad on May 1, 1872; by October 1 that year they consolidated into the Old Colony Railroad Company, led by president Onslow Stearns (serving from 1866 to 1877).
This consolidation created a network consisting of three principal branches: Boston to Plymouth; South Braintree to Fall River and Newport; and a branch extending from Newport at Middleborough to Hyannis. These routes formed the Cape Cod Division, managed out of Hyannis.
Originally chartered in 1846 as the Cape Cod Branch Railroad, the Cape Cod Railroad Company extended service from Middleborough to Sandwich by 1848. Richard Borden of Fall River championed this line for its commercial prospects. By 1854, tracks reached Hyannis, initiating steamboat connections to Nantucket until the Woods Hole branch opened in 1872.
The Cape Cod Central Railroad, incorporated in 1861, extended from Yarmouth to Orleans by 1865 and was acquired by the Cape Cod Railroad in 1868. Service expanded further when Old Colony reached Provincetown in 1873.
In 1874, Old Colony introduced the Martha's Vineyard Railroad, a nine-mile route linking Oak Bluffs steamer wharf with Mattakeeset Lodge in Katama; it operated until ceasing service in 1896.
Growth continued through acquisitions such as the Middleborough and Taunton Railroad (1874), South Shore Railroad (1877), and Duxbury and Cohasset Railroad (1878), which connected back to its original main line at Kingston. Starting in 1874, express trains ran between Boston and Plymouth.
Operations of the Fall River, Warren and Providence Railroad began under Old Colony management in 1875; full ownership was secured by 1892.
In 1879, Old Colony entered into a 999-year lease agreement for the Boston, Clinton, Fitchburg and New Bedford Railroad, purchasing it outright in 1883. This acquisition provided vital links to industrial centers like New Bedford while connecting with major railroads such as Boston and Providence at Mansfield and Boston and Albany at South Framingham. These lines were designated as Old Colony's "Northern Division," headquartered in Fitchburg; older routes comprised the "Central Division" based in Boston.
A leasing agreement in 1882 granted control over a line between Fall River and New Bedford owned by the Fall River Railroad (1874). Subsequent purchases included the Lowell and Framingham Railroad in 1886 and the Hanover Branch Railroad in 1887.
April 1888 saw Old Colony secure a ninety-nine-year lease for the Nantasket Beach Railroad serving Hull. Shortly thereafter came a landmark ninety-nine-year lease of the historic Boston and Providence Railroad, granting operational rights over its busy main line connecting Providence with Boston as well as branches to Dedham and Stoughton. This arrangement included access to Boston’s Park Square Station.
Additional leases encompassed the Providence, Warren and Bristol Railroad (1891) and properties of the Plymouth and Middleborough Railroad (1892). By 1896, Old Colony fully acquired ownership of the previously leased Fall River Railroad (1874).
Beyond expansions through rail lines, Old Colony invested significantly in station landscaping; by 1891 its Halifax greenhouses produced tens of thousands of plants annually for beautification across station grounds.
New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad control (1893–1969)
On March 1, 1893, the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad (NYNH&H), commonly called the New Haven Railroad, secured a 99-year lease of the entire Old Colony system, which also included the leased Boston and Providence Railroad along with branches extending to Fitchburg and Lowell. This 1893 agreement, together with the 1898 lease of the New England Railroad, granted NYNH&H near-total dominance over rail transportation in southern New England. On September 22, 1895, the New Haven transitioned all former Old Colony lines from left-hand to right-hand traffic.
A new route segment was inaugurated in 1902 between Broadway and Crescent Avenue station, removing a grade crossing at Dorchester Avenue. Following the opening of Boston's South Station in 1899, Kneeland Street Station was converted for freight use before being demolished in 1918.
By the 1930s, the largest freight terminal and sole steam locomotive facility of the New Haven were situated on former Old Colony tracks; more passengers traveled into Boston via Old Colony routes than entered New York on the New Haven system. Nevertheless, during its bankruptcy from 1935 to 1947, New Haven aimed to divest unprofitable Old Colony segments. Although trustees rejected the Old Colony lease in 1936, court mandates compelled continued operation. In the 1938 88 stations case, numerous stations across Massachusetts and Rhode Island were closed; following a Supreme Court decision in Palmer v. Massachusetts (1939), some stations reopened in 1940. Despite efforts between 1939 and 1941 to terminate Boston-area passenger service, New Haven maintained operations amid ongoing restructuring discussions.
The demands of World War II increased passenger and freight volumes, strengthening New Haven’s financial status. The reorganization plan required continued Old Colony passenger services unless annual losses surpassed $850,000. Emerging from bankruptcy in September 1947, New Haven fully absorbed Old Colony soon after; however, the B&P remained a distinct subsidiary. The Palmer v. Massachusetts case was among eight Supreme Court rulings connected to this reorganization. By October 1948, losses on Old Colony routes became severe; after threatening complete service cessation, New Haven scaled back Boston Group operations to a peak-only schedule of 26 trains by March 1949.
During President Frederic C. Dumaine Jr.’s tenure (1951–1954), passenger service increased through use of economical Budd Rail Diesel Cars, reaching a total of 86 trains by April 1954. Still, growing deficits resulted in substantial cutbacks during the late 1950s: all services to Taunton, Fall River, and New Bedford were discontinued in 1958. Year-round operations on the Old Colony Division ended on June 30, 1959, following completion of the Southeast Expressway, although limited seasonal runs persisted for some years afterward. The NYNH&H merged into Penn Central in 1969, which later became part of Conrail in 1976.
History since 1969
Starting in the early 1970s, Amtrak has provided passenger service from Boston’s South Station along former Boston and Providence lines originally part of the Old Colony Railroad. Since December 2000, this corridor has also accommodated the Acela Express connecting Boston to Washington, D.C. From 1986 through 1996, Amtrak operated seasonal passenger trains between New York City and Hyannis on Cape Cod.
Following Conrail’s creation in 1976, freight operations persisted on sections of the Old Colony network. Beginning in 1982, the Bay Colony Railroad managed freight services on state-acquired lines from Conrail, including routes across Cape Cod and parts of Middlesex County. Since 1999, CSX has overseen freight traffic on former Old Colony tracks serving Taunton, Fall River, New Bedford, and Leominster. In 2008, the Massachusetts Coastal Railroad took over Cape Cod state-owned freight operations from Bay Colony.
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), founded in 1964 to support commuter rail subsidies, continued service on ex-B&P lines now known as the Providence/Stoughton Line as well as portions of the Needham Line. From the 1980s onward, MBTA Commuter Rail expanded: service was restored on the Plymouth/Kingston Line (currently called the Kingston Line) and Middleborough/Lakeville Line (now referred to as the Fall River/New Bedford Line)—collectively termed the Old Colony Lines—in 1997; later additions included the Greenbush Line reopening in 2007. The MBTA introduced seasonal CapeFlyer service linking Boston and Hyannis starting in 2013. The Fall River/New Bedford Line extended service beyond Middleborough/Lakeville as of 2025.[1]
Two portions of the former Old Colony system are utilized for tourist rail excursions: the Cape Cod Central Railroad on Cape Cod and the Newport and Narragansett Bay Railroad operating on Aquidneck Island. Between 1986 and 2016, Fall River hosted the Old Colony & Fall River Railroad Museum, which featured four train cars alongside related exhibits.[2]
Old Colony Railroad Presidents
- John Sever (June 1844 – December 1845)
- Nathan Carruth (December 1845 – January 1848)
- Elias Hasket Derby (January 1848 – April 1850)
- Francis B. Crowninshield (April 1850 – June 1854)
- Alexander Holmes (June 1854 – July 1866)
- Onslow Stearns (July 1866 – November 1877)
- Charles F. Choate (November 1877 – April 1907)
Rail Lines and Branches
Presented below are the Old Colony Railroad’s lines and branches as they existed around the time of the 1893 lease to the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad.
Westdale to Elmwood Hanover Branch Matfield Junction to Easton Nantasket Beach Branch Union Freight RailroadPlymouth, Massachusetts to Middleborough, MassachusettsCohasset, Massachusetts to South Duxbury South Duxbury to Kingston, Massachusetts| Line | Segment / Branch | Opening Date | Length (miles or km) |
Original Builder | Acquired by OCRR |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plymouth Line (Central Division) |
Boston to Plymouth | November 10, 1845 | 36.8 mi or 59.2 km | Old Colony Railroad Corporation | 1845 | The line was extended 0.5-mile (0.8 km) from South Boston to Boston in 1847; the segment between Boston and South Braintree was doubled in 1848; currently incorporated into MBTA’s Red Line to Braintree and Plymouth commuter rail, terminating at North Plymouth |
| Whitman to Bridegwater Junction | June 21, 1847 | 6.2 mi or 10.0 km | Old Colony Railroad Corporation | 1847 | Linked with the Fall River Railroad; largely abandoned by 1937 | |
| Neponset to Mattapan | December 1, 1847 | 3.3 mi or 5.3 km | Dorchester and Milton Branch Railroad | 1848 | Leased by Old Colony starting in 1848; merged into OCRR in 1863 | |
| Granite Branch | October 7, 1826 | 1.8 mi or 2.9 km | Granite Railway Company | 1871 | Extended to form a loop connecting with the Plymouth line; currently abandoned | |
| Shawmut Branch | December 2, 1872 | 2.2 mi or 3.5 km | Shawmut Branch Railroad | 1872 | Rights-of-way now utilized by MBTA Red Line extensions and Ashmont–Mattapan High-Speed Line | |
| Braintree to Cohasset | January 1, 1849 | 11.5 mi or 18.5 km | South Shore Railroad | 1877 | Leased by OCRR from 1849 to 1854; presently part of the MBTA Greenbush commuter rail route | |
|
April 1, 1885 |
0.75 miles (1.21 km) |
Old Colony Railroad |
1885 |
Served as a short connector between Fall River-Middleborough and Bridgewater-Whitman lines | ||
|
July 18, 1868 |
7.8 miles (12.6 km) |
Hanover Branch Railroad |
1887 |
Freight operations continued into the 1960s; subsequently abandoned | ||
|
January 1, 1888 |
7.6 miles (12.2 km) |
Old Colony Railroad Company |
1888 |
Also referred to as the West Bridgewater Branch; linked Fall River and Duxbury & Somerset mainlines | ||
|
July 10, 1880 |
7.0 miles (11.3 km) |
Nantasket Beach Railroad |
1888 |
Leased in 1888 and deeded in 1906; location of the first US electric train in 1895; now abandoned | ||
|
— |
2.2 miles (3.5 km) |
— |
— |
— | ||
|
November 30, 1892 |
15.0 miles (24.1 km) |
Plymouth and Middleborough Railroad |
1892 |
Line is no longer in service | ||
|
1871 |
17.5 miles (28.2 km) |
Duxbury and Cohasset Railroad |
1904 |
Currently part of MBTA Greenbush line; other sections have been abandoned | ||
|
1874 |
3.2 miles (5.1 km) |
Duxbury and Cohasset Railroad |
1904 |
Abandoned segment |
| Line | Segment | Opening Date | Length | Built By | Acquired | Notes |
|---|
| Line | Segment | Opening Date | Length | Built By | Acquired | Notes |
|---|
| Line | Segment | Opening Date | Length | Built By | Acquired | Notes |
|---|
| Line | Segment | Opening Date | Length | Built By | Acquired | Notes |
|---|
| Line | Segment | Opening Date | Length | Built By | Acquired | Notes |
|---|
| Line | Segment | Opening Date | Length | Built By | Acquired | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Providence Warren and Bristol Railroad Company|| 1891|| Leased by OCRR starting July1891; currently East Bay Bike Path| Attleborough Branch|| 1871|| |
Segment between Attleborough-North Attleborough converted into streetcar ("Gee Whiz") after Adamsdale branch began operation in1903 when NY NH&H ended lease; line subsequently abandoned| Wrentham Branch (Walpole Junction-North Attleborough)|| December11890|| |
Old Colony Railroad|| 1890|| Passenger service ceased1939; occasional freight until1959; now abandoned| East Walpole Branch (Walpole Junction-Norwood)|| February151892|| |
1896|| Connected with New York and New England Railroad at Norwood| Adamsdale Branch|| June271903|| |
1903|| Extension of Wrentham branch from North Attleborough linking Rhode Island & Massachusetts Railroads; now abandoned| |
References
- Fisher, Charles E. The History of the Old Colony Railroad (1919)
- Hough, Henry Beetle. Martha's Vineyard as a Summer Destination, 1835-1935, Tuttle Publishing Co. (1936)
- Report from the Board of Railroad Commissioners, Boston, Wright & Potter Printing Co., State Printers (February 15, 1911)
Archives and records
- Records of the Old Colony Railroad Company held at Baker Library Special Collections, Harvard Business School
- ↑ Template:NETransit
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedHoltzman