Looking for a Track Chart of the Marlboro Branch ...

hi all

Anyone know what the grades of the former Marlboro Branch are? I've biked it once and discovered, once r.r. west of Hudson, the trail is not exactly flat.

I didn't think the rail trail followed a rail alignment until I found embedded rail in a couple of grade crossings in Marlboro. How I would have liked to have seen steam on this branch!

Anyhoo, I'm headed down to Maryland to ride the former Western Maryland-turned rail trail over the Alleghenies in early October. That route is reported to have a 1.75% ruling grade on the westbound climb from Cumberland.

I'd like to know what the grade were (are?) for the Marlboro Branch so that I might compare to those on the WMRy (and do a little pre-trip "training").

* JB *

PS - oh yeah ... pun intended!

A track chart shows the grade uphill all the way from Hudson to Marlboro. The maximum grade is 1.76% from Broad St. in Hudson to just west (south?) of Washington St. It drops to 1.12% from there. It then it almost levels off for a while. Then in the area of a bridge marked as "Ford Meadow Br." it goes up to 1.59%. It stays that way right into Marlboro.

130MM wrote:The maximum grade is 1.76% from Broad St. in Hudson to just west (south?) of Washington St.

This is the section with the under-restoration Assabet(?) River bridge ...

130MM wrote:in the area of a bridge marked as "Ford Meadow Br."

Is this near the Fitchburg St. grade crossing?


Is it possible to determine mileposts of where the grades change?

Thanks for the "%"'s ...

* JB *
Agent at Clicquot

Is this near the Fitchburg St. grade crossing?

The chart shows an overhead bridge at this location, MP 34.69, which is
identified as "Brigham's". Is it possible that there was a bridge that has
since been removed?

Is it possible to determine mileposts of where the grades change?

Moving from Hudson to Marlboro with grade changes noted:
Broad St., Hudson MP 33.6 1.76%
Assabet R. Bridge MP 33.69
Washington St., Hudson MP 34.3 1.12%
MP 35.2 0.20%
Ford Meadow Br. UG MP 35.61 0.76%
MP 35.7 1.59%
just west of Hudson St, Marlboro MP 37.2 -0.70%
End of Track MP 37.4

I had a nice chart showing this stuff, but I can't format it legibly.