Framingham and Lowell Branch

[F-line to Dudley via Park]

'Bout time. That leg has been draaaaaaaaaaaging in design for way too many years.

Unfortunately Sudbury, Framingham, and CSX are still at loggerheads over purchase price for the S. Sudbury Secondary and have been filing 180-day negotiating extensions with the STB for nearly 8 years now. I'm baffled that MassDOT hasn't stepped in and ended that standoff themselves with state-control landbanking, since the townies aren't exactly deep-pocketed enough to complete the transaction in time to get a start on Phase III design. Nor are they reliable enough negotiators to not run their mouths at CSX in a pique of frustration, when that is never a good or productive idea.

[MaineCoonCat]

'Bout time. That leg has been draaaaaaaaaaaging in design for way too many years.

Unfortunately Sudbury, Framingham, and CSX are still at loggerheads over purchase price for the S. Sudbury Secondary and have been filing 180-day negotiating extensions with the STB for nearly 8 years now. I'm baffled that MassDOT hasn't stepped in and ended that standoff themselves with state-control landbanking, since the townies aren't exactly deep-pocketed enough to complete the transaction in time to get a start on Phase III design. Nor are they reliable enough negotiators to not run their mouths at CSX in a pique of frustration, when that is never a good or productive idea.

I very highly doubt you'll see Sudbury purchasing that stretch. That will be left up to MassDOT I think.. There was a move to build a "greenway" trail on both this and the Central Mass. The result at Town Meeting was:

[neman2]

Work has started on rail trail north of Route 2A in Acton. Today I saw a large stockpile of salvaged rail and machinery at the Route 2A crossing.

[YamaOfParadise]

In the last week, Sudbury and Framingham both just put in their time extension petitions.

Sudbury (10/08/2015):

I am writing on behalf of The Town of Sudbury, Massachusetts (the "Town") to request an additional 180-day extension of the deadline for negotiations with CSX Transportation, Inc., as successor by merger to New York Central Lines, LLC, ("CSXT"), regarding the Notice of Interim Trail Use in the above-captioned proceeding with respect to the 1.4-mile portion of line that extends north from the Framingham town line at MP QBS 3.40 to the intersection of the former Penn Central Transportation Company line at MP QBS 4.90. Pursuant to the November 4, 2014 decision (the "Decision") of the Surface Transportation Board (the ''Board"), an agreement for interim trail use/rail banking was extended to October 11, 2015 ("Negotiating Deadline").

CSXT and the Town wish to continue to seek agreement on the acquisition price regarding the NITU and to negotiate a Purchase & Sale Agreement. Most recently, in April of 2015, CSXT re-established communication with the Towns of Sudbury and Framingham and participated in a site walk and follow up meeting with representatives from CSXT, local officials from both Towns, MassDOT representatives and legislative delegates. All in attendance agreed to move forward in a collaborative manner to develop a plan for acquisition of the corridor and the extension of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail (BFRT) along the CSXT corridor. Requesting early acquisition approval for purchase of the corridor was agreed to be a logical first step.

In Sudbury, rail trail proposals at Town Meeting have been supported overwhelmingly time and time again, with over $320,000 appropriated to date for the BFRT. Additional funds from the Friends of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail have been raised. A Project Need Form and Project Initiation Form have been submitted for the project, and the BFRT in Sudbury has been assigned Project #608164.

The Town respectfully requests an extension of the Negotiating Deadline for one-year to October 11, 2016. CSXT has acknowledged that it concurs with this request and will file a letter of concurrence once it receives a copy of this letter.

(Note that they mistakenly address the Mass. Central Branch as being ex-Penn Central, instead of a B&M Corp. line.)

Framingham (10/15/2015):

I am writing on behalf of the Town of Framingham, Massachusetts (the “Town”) to request an additional 361-day extension of the deadline for negotiations with CSX Transportation, Inc., as successor by merger to New York Central Lines, LLC (“CSXT”), regarding the Notice of Interim Trail Use (NITU) in the above captioned proceeding with respect to the 3.40 mile portion of line that extends from railroad milepost QBS 0.00 at Framingham to railroad milepost QBS 3.40 at the Framingham town line. Pursuant to the October 27, 2011 decision of the Surface Transportation Board, the negotiating period expired on April 27, 2012 (the “Negotiating Deadline”).

Due to staff changeover, the parties involved were not able to request a further extension during the April 2012 deadline. CSXTand the Town have re-established communication and wish to update the appraisal and continue to negotiate the acquisition price regarding the NITU.

The Town respectfully requests an extension of the Negotiating Deadline for 361 days to October 11, 2016. CSXT has acknowledged that it concurs with this request and will file a letter of concurrence once it receives a copy of this letter.

[MaineCoonCat]

In the last week, Sudbury and Framingham both just put in their time extension petitions.

Sudbury (10/08/2015):

I am writing on behalf of The Town of Sudbury, Massachusetts (the "Town") to request an additional 180-day extension of the deadline for negotiations with CSX Transportation, Inc., as successor by merger to New York Central Lines, LLC, ("CSXT"), regarding the Notice of Interim Trail Use in the above-captioned proceeding with respect to the 1.4-mile portion of line that extends north from the Framingham town line at MP QBS 3.40 to the intersection of the former Penn Central Transportation Company line at MP QBS 4.90. Pursuant to the November 4, 2014 decision (the "Decision") of the Surface Transportation Board (the ''Board"), an agreement for interim trail use/rail banking was extended to October 11, 2015 ("Negotiating Deadline").

CSXT and the Town wish to continue to seek agreement on the acquisition price regarding the NITU and to negotiate a Purchase & Sale Agreement. Most recently, in April of 2015, CSXT re-established communication with the Towns of Sudbury and Framingham and participated in a site walk and follow up meeting with representatives from CSXT, local officials from both Towns, MassDOT representatives and legislative delegates. All in attendance agreed to move forward in a collaborative manner to develop a plan for acquisition of the corridor and the extension of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail (BFRT) along the CSXT corridor. Requesting early acquisition approval for purchase of the corridor was agreed to be a logical first step.

In Sudbury, rail trail proposals at Town Meeting have been supported overwhelmingly time and time again, with over $320,000 appropriated to date for the BFRT. Additional funds from the Friends of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail have been raised. A Project Need Form and Project Initiation Form have been submitted for the project, and the BFRT in Sudbury has been assigned Project #608164.

The Town respectfully requests an extension of the Negotiating Deadline for one-year to October 11, 2016. CSXT has acknowledged that it concurs with this request and will file a letter of concurrence once it receives a copy of this letter.

(Note that they mistakenly address the Mass. Central Branch as being ex-Penn Central, instead of a B&M Corp. line.)

Living in Sudbury I can tell you; if this goes through, just wait until the abutters see and hear the actual work going on to build the trail. I'll need to wear ear protection for the whining.

[F-line to Dudley via Park]

They've been filing 180-day negotiating extensions for 6 years now. Why MassDOT is still letting this one, the Saxonville Branch, and the Holliston Secondary flap in the breeze after this many years when all three have active DCR trail proposals is baffling. I mean, c'mon, is it really wise to Framingham, Natick, and Sudbury town officials have an unsupervised conversation with a multi-billion dollar conglomerate that has many various and sundry ways of making things difficult for MassDOT if some little pol with very big mouth says the wrongest thing in the wrongest tone?

Get it over with already. Package these 3 landbanks in with executing the sale option on the Milford Branch upon handoff of that freight territory to G&U, lock 'em up under common MassDOT ownership, do the $1 intra-agency lease transfer to DCR jurisdiction, and call it a day. Before somebody says something they can't walk back.

[MaineCoonCat]

They've been filing 180-day negotiating extensions for 6 years now. Why MassDOT is still letting this one, the Saxonville Branch, and the Holliston Secondary flap in the breeze after this many years when all three have active DCR trail proposals is baffling. I mean, c'mon, is it really wise to Framingham, Natick, and Sudbury town officials have an unsupervised conversation with a multi-billion dollar conglomerate that has many various and sundry ways of making things difficult for MassDOT if some little pol with very big mouth says the wrongest thing in the wrongest tone?

Get it over with already. Package these 3 landbanks in with executing the sale option on the Milford Branch upon handoff of that freight territory to G&U, lock 'em up under common MassDOT ownership, do the $1 intra-agency lease transfer to DCR jurisdiction, and call it a day. Before somebody says something they can't walk back.

like.jpg (7.8 KiB) Viewed 7821 times

[NashuaActon&Boston]

Does anyone know where the actual connection to the old Nashua & South Acton RR was made? From the maps it looks like it was just south of Rt 27 in Acton. I know the N&SA RR was abandoned in the 30's so there may not be much evidence of the connection.
quote]

The connection was at North Acton station, which was at the end of Harris Street in Acton. There's no real evidence of it today other than remnants of a siding. Note that if you're planning to walk the track its best to park at NARA park and enter from the Rte 27 crossing as access from Harris Street is blocked by private property. I've read that when the Old Colony and NA&B where both in business they each maintained one of two tracks from Concord Junction to North Acton.

Dave

The Nashua Acton & Boston RR merged alongside the Old Colony not at Harris St. but a few hundred yards to the north of Rt27 at a point that is now within the confines of the Rex Lumber facility. From here the NA&B and the Framingham and Lowell ran parallel to Concord Junction.

[NashuaActon&Boston]

Below is linked a spectacular video of a railfan trip over the Bay Colony West Concord to North Acton segment of the Framingham and Lowell line taken in the late '80s/early '90s. A sizable crowd huddled in a gondola - great footage of the Route 2 crossing in pouring rain - looked like an unforgettable excursion!

https://vimeo.com/4662274" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[edbear]

The NA & B from North Acton Jct. (not the junction) to Concord Jct., now West Concord, was built as a single track by the Old Colony and leased to the NA & B. Any connection was at Concord Jct. NA & B was a Concord Railroad (of NH )property built to link up with the Fitchburg and route traffic to the Boston area without doing business with the hated Boston & Lowell. The NA & B and OC Lowell branch section looked like a double track railroad, but it was two parallel single track lines.

[NashuaActon&Boston]

Does anyone remember when Conrail/Guilford/BCLR last serviced the Agway in South Chelmsford? I was born in 1978. My earliest RR memory is that of the beat-up crossing signals at Maple St. and a similarly battered boxcar sitting nearby on the Agway siding. I I've read that the last Conrail train from Framingham to Chelmsford Center on the F&L was apparently operated in November, 1981(?). I believe the tracks at Chelmsford Center were abandoned by 1982 but I feel like the Agway, two miles or so out of town, may have perhaps hung on for a year or so longer? I guess I'd be surprised if my memory of the line actually predates 11/81.

At some point a small section of two feet of rail was removed (with a blowtorch) near the RT 27 @ Somerville Lumber crossing in North Acton. I first noticed this section of cut rail on the ROW in 1992. Anyone else notice this and/or have an idea when the link was severed? Perhaps in '82 when service was cut back from Chelmsford Center? Seems a hack approach to taking a section OOS. The ROW into Chelmsford was still in decent shape otherwise. As I've posted earlier the line from West Concord to North Acton was served by BCLR up until 1993.

[NashuaActon&Boston]

So, this might been a spur off of the B&M Mass Central, not sure, I think it's F&L - but does anyone know the ID of the customer who occupied the building which is now the Sudbury Humane Society? Right next to the pound there's a thicket over rusted track and a bumper.

[MaineCoonCat]

So, this might been a spur off of the B&M Mass Central, not sure, I think it's F&L - but does anyone know the ID of the customer who occupied the building which is now the Sudbury Humane Society? Right next to the pound there's a thicket over rusted track and a bumper.

If you mean "Buddy Dog", that spur off the Central Mass was used by Boston Edison in the construction of various electrical projects. I remember it being used when I was a kid.. According to the Middlesex County Registry Of Deeds, BECO sold it to Buddy Dog around 1974. Parcel K11-0020. https://www.mapsonline.net/sudburyma/index.html The shape of the parcel makes it's prior usage somewhat obvious..

[NashuaActon&Boston]

So, this might been a spur off of the B&M Mass Central, not sure, I think it's F&L - but does anyone know the ID of the customer who occupied the building which is now the Sudbury Humane Society? Right next to the pound there's a thicket over rusted track and a bumper.

If you mean "Buddy Dog", that spur off the Central Mass was used by Boston Edison in the construction of various electrical projects. I remember it being used when I was a kid.. According to the Middlesex County Registry Of Deeds, BECO sold it to Buddy Dog around 1974. Parcel K11-0020. https://www.mapsonline.net/sudburyma/index.html The shape of the parcel makes it's prior usage somewhat obvious..

Thanks for the excellent reply! Good to know, I was off on at least two fronts - it's Buddy Dog and the spur was off the Central Mass not the F&L. Great map and coordinates too. Found it. Amazing it's been dormant since 1974. Seems you grew up nearby. l find both lines really fascinating - Esp. in the twilight years - late '70s/early-80s. Do you have any particular memories of either line that stand out to you? Does anyone else? Were you around for the 1978 collision at the diamond? Or the final CSX derailment on the F&L in Sudbury, year 2000?
Thanks again,
Andrew

[MaineCoonCat]

So, this might been a spur off of the B&M Mass Central, not sure, I think it's F&L - but does anyone know the ID of the customer who occupied the building which is now the Sudbury Humane Society? Right next to the pound there's a thicket over rusted track and a bumper.

If you mean "Buddy Dog", that spur off the Central Mass was used by Boston Edison in the construction of various electrical projects. I remember it being used when I was a kid.. According to the Middlesex County Registry Of Deeds, BECO sold it to Buddy Dog around 1974. Parcel K11-0020. https://www.mapsonline.net/sudburyma/index.html The shape of the parcel makes it's prior usage somewhat obvious..

Thanks for the excellent reply! Good to know, I was off on at least two fronts - it's Buddy Dog and the spur was off the Central Mass not the F&L. Great map and coordinates too. Found it. Amazing it's been dormant since 1974. Seems you grew up nearby. l find both lines really fascinating - Esp. in the twilight years - late '70s/early-80s. Do you have any particular memories of either line that stand out to you? Does anyone else? Were you around for the 1978 collision at the diamond? Or the final CSX derailment on the F&L in Sudbury, year 2000?
Thanks again,
Andrew

I was in town but honestly, at the time wasn't really aware of the collision as I was wrapped up in job issues. The 2000 derailment I was aware of but didn't see it. I was again job hunting as had been laid off so I was a bit oblivious to other things. I did grow up in town and although living in other places from time to time, moved back in 1995. As a child I vaguely remember steam on the Central Mass.. I'm maybe about 2km. road wise from the site of Wayside Inn station on the old Central Mass..