The rails from the Watuppa Branch in downtown Fall River have been pulled up from the causeways to Route 6 effectively removing all the remaining rails from downtown to Whites of Westport. This line was last used around 1980 and had become largely overgrown for the past 35 years.
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Watuppa Rails in Fall River
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Yep, looked like a DOT dump truck (if you take your eyes off the never-ending construction on I-195 you will die), it's now a done deal. Rails are long gone. Trestles remain in place.
fogg1703 wrote:Who is pulling the rails? MassDot?Either them or the City of Fall River; it's part of the second phase of the Quequechan River Rail Trail. This section of rail was already physically isolated by the first phase of the trail project, which has been completed for a number of years now. As much as it is a shame the rather high number of old wooden trestles are going with the rails, this end of the branch had already been doomed anyways. There's barely even any industries left in the places it used to serve, let alone industries that could take carload(s).
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There is a section of previously overgrown rail exposed by brush clearing behind the Hampton Inn across from Whites of Westport. There is also surveying around the buildings facing rt 6. This articlehttps://www.heraldnews.com/news/2018032 ... n-westportstates that the owners of the Hampton want to build another hotel on the rt 6 side of the tracks. They are negotiating with Mass DOT on how to handle the ROW. It even mentions a bridge! It will be interesting to see what happens- this should decidethe fate of the last portion of the Watuppa before the bike path. I know Mid City has talked about extending service down to their annex. Maybe that will become the end of track?
SOCO11 wrote:There is a section of previously overgrown rail exposed by brush clearing behind the Hampton Inn across from Whites of Westport. There is also surveying around the buildings facing rt 6. This articlehttps://www.heraldnews.com/news/2018032 ... n-westportstates that the owners of the Hampton want to build another hotel on the rt 6 side of the tracks. They are negotiating with Mass DOT on how to handle the ROW. It even mentions a bridge! It will be interesting to see what happens- this should decidethe fate of the last portion of the Watuppa before the bike path. I know Mid City has talked about extending service down to their annex. Maybe that will become the end of track?Also interesting that the owner of the Hilton Hotel property wants to build a Marriott Hotel property. Hilton and Marriott are fierce competitors in the hotel industry.
~Ken :: Fairmont ex-UP/MP C436 MT-14M1 ::
Black River Railroad Historical Trust :: [/url]
Black River Railroad Historical Trust :: [/url]
They own multiple properties. I believe a Marriott brand in New Bedford.
Construction on the hotel site is progressing. The ROW was briefly exposed during brush clearing and looked very good. I though they may just landscape around the tracks 
. I thought it might also push the expansion of the Fall River Rail trail. But for now the ROW was just buried under two to three feet of fill with the tracks still intact unless they pulled and removed them in an incredibly short time (I pass by there just about daily).
. I thought it might also push the expansion of the Fall River Rail trail. But for now the ROW was just buried under two to three feet of fill with the tracks still intact unless they pulled and removed them in an incredibly short time (I pass by there just about daily).I don't know the reason, but the tracks at Mid-City have full cars reaching all the way under rt 88 bridge. I have never seen cars this far back nor this many full cars. Is there an issue with BCLR getting them out? Or maybe trackwork cutting them off temporarily? Whenever they do move them it will be the heaviest move in some time for Bay Colony.
Just storage. Mid-City pulls them out as needed to load. There is hardly any
storage space on the entire line. The runaround at Hixville Road is only good for
12 cars, the old Colonial Beverage siding is overgrown and full of track equipment.
Colonial (JJ Taylor) gets occasional car storage use.
There was a rumor that Mid-City was scrapping cars - WCTX hoppers in the 200 and
300 series. Have not been able to confirm that though.
D
storage space on the entire line. The runaround at Hixville Road is only good for
12 cars, the old Colonial Beverage siding is overgrown and full of track equipment.
Colonial (JJ Taylor) gets occasional car storage use.
There was a rumor that Mid-City was scrapping cars - WCTX hoppers in the 200 and
300 series. Have not been able to confirm that though.
D
A couple weeks ago at least three tractor trailers worth of ties were delivered to the crossing next to Mid City Steel. The track looks better than it has in years and it makes me wonder if there has ever been any more discussion of restoring rail further past 88 to the Midy City Annex. There was talk of it in 2017 but nothing since. As I understand it Westport is planning a bike trail to link to the Fall River rail trail and if they don't take the opportunity to preserve the railbed I am sure it will be lost. Colonial Beverage has no traffic that I have seen and Dartmouth Building could easily truck. If BCLR doesn't work to develop more traffic I am sure there will be pressure to pull the tracks for a rail trail. Mid - City seems very successful but they are the only reason the line is still there.
BCLR has been replacing ties and doing a lot of brush-cutting along the whole branch. As far as going beyond Route 88, I doubt that will happen. Past experiments bringing in plate steel have not come to fruition. DBS does a fair business (mostly centerbeams and the occasional boxcar). Mid-City, like any scrap dealer, is subject to market forces, so its boom or bust. They actually lease some high-side hoppers on their own.
Getting back to west of RT88, the environmentalists would probably go nuts since most of the track has sunk into the swamp. It would take a lot of money to restore it to Mid-City's annex operation. As far as new business, I'm afraid both Westport and Dartmouth would never approve of any business that would use rail. Dartmouth is all about medical facilities.
A lot of the branch runs through large wetlands (especially between Reed Road and Hixville ) and east of Faunce Corner Road (Paskamansett Rive valley).
Getting back to west of RT88, the environmentalists would probably go nuts since most of the track has sunk into the swamp. It would take a lot of money to restore it to Mid-City's annex operation. As far as new business, I'm afraid both Westport and Dartmouth would never approve of any business that would use rail. Dartmouth is all about medical facilities.
A lot of the branch runs through large wetlands (especially between Reed Road and Hixville ) and east of Faunce Corner Road (Paskamansett Rive valley).
It looks like Mid-City has a number of brand new looking black high side gondolas.