Which Station Was at Charles Ro in Malden MA?

[NellsChoo]

Hi all

Can someone remind me which old station building once sat in the parking lot of the Charles Ro hobby shop in Malden MA? I took a few photos of it way back, but I can't remember the original location of the station. I know the town made them tear it down, which is a shame...

Help?

Jonelle

[NRGeep]

Penn Station?

[NellsChoo]

Uuuuuuuuummmmm... no...

Here is one of the photos I took a long time ago (well, sort of a long time...)

http://photos.nerail.org/s/?p=32756

[steveh]

That would be the 1851 Maplewood Depot.

Stephen

[NellsChoo]

AHA! That's it! Where was Maplewood exactly?

[steveh]

The depot was originally situated a few blocks east, between Salem St and Eastern Ave.

[bigbronco85]

T'was on Maplewood St. of course...

Too bad our failure of a mayor ordered it razed!

[NellsChoo]

Hmmmmmmmm... is Maplewood in Malden??? I am not from the area, so I don't know the old station stops. Was it close to the shop? Is there still active trackage at the Ro parking lot?

When I found out the town had the thing demolished because it was an eyesore (at least that is what I read at the time) I couldn't believe it. Eyesore? Without trying to insult anyone who lives there, let's face it... from what I saw of the area, there isn't exactly manicured lawns and mansions behind large gates. Perhaps it just took the "right" person to complain...

[b&m 1566]

The line is owned by the MBTA and I believe it hasn't seen a train (freight) since the late 80's early 90's. Although I don't believe it’s ever been abandoned per say, there is a lot of encroachment along the line and a lot of grade crossing have been removed.

[cpf354]

The line is owned by the MBTA and I believe it hasn't seen a train (freight) since the late 80's early 90's. Although I don't believe it’s ever been abandoned per say, there is a lot of encroachment along the line and a lot of grade crossing have been removed.

Try maybe the 1970s? The T has used the end at Everett Jct to store ballast cars, but the branch (Saugus Branch that is) has been dormant for decades. It was once double track and I recall had the distinction of having the most stations per mile of any B&M commuter route. There was talk from time to time of making it a light rail line, or a busway, but like every MBTA B&M branch line acquisition from the '70s, its gone to weeds or bike trails.

[b&m 1566]

I thought I read on one of these threads, that Guilford last used the line in the very late 80’s; I guess not!

[Dave D]

This line was rehabed in 1984, with money from the state's Executive Office of Transportation and Construction and General Electric. The Medium Steam Turbine Deptment (MST) at GE's river works plant needed this line rehabed, so that they could ship either low-speed gears or turbine exhaust casings. In 1982 MST had invested $225,000 for 2 specially designed flat cars to transport these items. I don't know if MST ever shiped anything because around 1987 someone decided that it would be more cost effective if MST was move to Schenectady NY and merged with Large Steam Turbine.
If you are on an outbound train, heading to Lynn and you look out the right hand window as you go by the river works, you can still see these cars sitting there rusting away. At least they were Still there when I was last worked at the plant.

Dave D

[tom18287]

this line was used until late 99/ early 2000


ace lon on eastern ave got shipments

[aurora]

The Maplewood Depot was located just to the north/west off Maplewood street right near the existing inactive railroad crossing.
The depot was origianlly used for a passenger depot for the trains to/from North Station as part of the Saugus branch. In the 50's the trains ran often. At the end there were two a day inbound AM outbound PM.
It had a ticket counter and a waing room and a small parking lot, The waiting room had a coal heated stove. Same coal that was used for the steam engines.
As a kid I use to go down there and talk with the friendly agent (his name was Ira) and he was very friendly to the loacal kids who came down to watch the steam trains go by.
There was also an active telegraph, that is how the ralroad use to communicate.
Ira knew how to use the telegraph, and tried to teach us. But I foregt it all.
The line was also used for freight as B & M baked beans, Continental Can and several other companies such as a Feed and Grain Company and the Kelly/West Coal Company (it was on Broadway - west side) that did shipping in/out were on the line.
The line was also used to test out the first B & M Budd liners.
The line was also used to bring in many cars of fill/sand (every hour) as part of the original RT 95 expansion accross the Lynn Marsh. This went on for about 6 months. The expansion was eventually killed. What a waste of money.
At the Maplewood Street crossing there were three tracks.
Two for in/out traffic and a spur for freight.
There was also a small heated (by coal) hut for the railroad crossing gate operator.
After the passenger trains stopped running (I forget when - mid 70's) it was used for active freight until the mid 90's.
The Rail station was turned into a freight depot.
The passenger area was converted to a raised floor so trucks cound load/unload freight.
When B&M beans moved out (to Maine) and Continental can went out (It was connected to the bean factory) the line became defunct.
The B&M bean building is still on Eastern Ave (last use was a Tire Warehouse) and the old Can factory is now a Public Storage warehouse.


There was a stop/station for passengers near Malden Square on Ferry Street (East side), a Faulker stop between Bryant and Faulkner Street, Maplewood and Linden Square.
That is what I remember.

[tom18287]

when did the bean factory and can factory cease operations?