Another trace of the B&M in Lowell is gone

While in Lowell yesterday for my first Lowell Spinners game of the season, I noticed that the two-block section of long-abandoned and disconnected B&M industrial trackage along Perkins Street by the ballpark, next to the Lawrence Mill, had recently been ripped up as part of current renovation work on that building. It had been cut off years ago by the construction of the Tsongas Arena and recently had been largely buried under dirt and vegetation, but at least it was still there.

Downtown Lowell once had an incredible network of trackage, only a small part of which is preserved by the Nation Park Service for their trolley. Check out the track map in the B&MRRHS combine if you're in the neighborhood for a picture of what once was.

I work for a utility company that ripped up the old switch that was under the pavement next to the old railroad bridge between the tsongus arena and lawrence mills (that was about 2 years ago). We had an old map of that area and there were spurs/street running everywere.

With the planned trolley expansion we might see them run down Perkin Street.
Is there an internet site with the railroad layout of Lowell? I've seen only sections of old maps showing the tracks and stuff but never the entire city.
I know the Boott Cotton Mill had 3 tracks at one time. One for coal which is where the National Park service stores the trolleys, one ran down in front of the two towers (a dummy track was put in, in the late 80's early 90's by the parks for looks) and there use to be an elevated track on the north end of the south mill (south mill is the building you see behind the Boarding House Park stage across the canal).
Check out the top picture to see what I'm talking about.

(a dummy track was put in, in the late 80's early 90's by the parks for looks)

Is the fake track your talking about the one that runs between the 2 buildings?

Wardmaps.com has some decent maps of the area
http://www.wardmaps.com/viewasset.php?aid=119

Yes, the tracks that go in front of the four white towers are fake they don't even have ties under them. I'm not sure what they used to anchor them down other than the pavement that is around them.

TomNelligan wrote:Downtown Lowell once had an incredible network of trackage, only a small part of which is preserved by the Nation Park Service for their trolley. Check out the track map in the B&MRRHS combine if you're in the neighborhood for a picture of what once was.

I am constantly amazed by the dense network of branches and sidings that once existed in this city. Hopefully some will be preserved if they decide to further extend the demonstration trolley through town. When was the majority of trackage abandoned? I assume as the mills shut down, the sidings were no longer needed.

Meh, it is always a sad day when a piece of history is destroyed... I guess they do not just have the love of trains that we all do

This may be considered a new thread, but it does have to do with lost traces of the B&M in Lowell. I am
looking for pictures, etc. of the former Lowell Depot which stood kind of near where the current train
station is, it was probably at the intersection of Thorndike and Middlesex Street. When I was a very small
child I do remember seeing my first steam locomotive there - it was scary! Can anyone help - or,
at least, point me to where I might find pictures,diagrams or specifications? I am hoping to build a
model of it for a train layout.

michaell wrote:This may be considered a new thread, but it does have to do with lost traces of the B&M in Lowell. I am
looking for pictures, etc. of the former Lowell Depot which stood kind of near where the current train
station is, it was probably at the intersection of Thorndike and Middlesex Street. When I was a very small
child I do remember seeing my first steam locomotive there - it was scary! Can anyone help - or,
at least, point me to where I might find pictures,diagrams or specifications? I am hoping to build a
model of it for a train layout.

You may want to check with the Boston and Maine RR Historical Society. They have a large collection of pictures in their archives and may have all the info that you need.

Write to your Congressman to stop the loss of jobs to Mexico and China. Support the union workers of WI, IN, OH.... someday the B&M may serve the mills in Lowell again. The present trend has to stop!

A google photo search turned up these.

The first is the station on the Boston & Lowell line on Thorndike Street:
http://www.playle.com/listing.php?PHPSE ... EXBILL5600

The second is the still existing Boston & Maine station on Central Street:
http://www.aq.org/~js/gallery/2003.05-l ... e10h18.jpg