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  • Old Mass. Central ROW and Culvert in Hardwick

  • Discussion relating to the pre-1983 B&M and MEC railroads. For current operations, please see the Pan Am Railways Forum.
Discussion relating to the pre-1983 B&M and MEC railroads. For current operations, please see the Pan Am Railways Forum.

Moderator: MEC407

 #1253646  by trainsinmaine
 
One day last spring a buddy and I made an attempt to locate the original (proposed) roadbed of the Massachusetts Central Railroad, the predecessor to the B&M's Central Mass. Branch. It took a good bit of searching, but we happily found a short segment of it at the Greenwich Road-Hell Huddle Road triangle in the western part of town.

One thing we were looking for and didn't find, however, was the lovely keystone granite arch that was designed to take the railroad over a stream. J. R. Greene's book on the Mass. Central indicates that there is a fairly long, straight fill over and around the arch. The extant segments of the MC roadbed in Hardwick can be found on the 1954 USGS map of the town; I gather the arch is somewhere a bit southeast of where we were. Does anyone know the location, and how accessible it is? Is it on posted private property?
 #1257523  by Pat Fahey
 
Hi
I think I have found the Tunnel and right of way off Greenwich Rd , I found a 1954 USGS map of Ware, Mass . It shows the Muddy Brook going through what looks like a Tunnel , you will have to investigate to be sure . Pat.
You will have to Check it out
You will have to Check it out
1-ware54nw.jpg (199.7 KiB) Viewed 4580 times
 #1258016  by RussNelson
 
This looks like what you're looking for: http://www.openstreetmap.org/way/93545247" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
If you think there's a culvert over Muddy Brook, It looks like you ought to be able to follow the right-of-way east from Hell Huddle Road. That's the northern edge of the Muddy Brook Wildlife Management Area, which looks to allow public access.

I've added a mention of this to my Abandoned Railroads of New York State page at http://russnelson.com/unfinished-railroads.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; .