Thanks for the wonderful info, eddiebehr.
Ah, the smell of freshly-baking bread from the Wonder Bread plant. When the wind was just right, it wafted right through my neighborhood.
And a big part of the holiday experience was seeing the waterfall that ran from the Carling plant into Lake Cochituate strung with Christmas lights. (In retrospect, who in their right mind would drink beer made from the waters of Lake Cochituate? Ugh! I stopped swimming in it after contracting a staph infection at New Beach in 1963.)
Having accompanied my dad to Saxonville Lumber many times, I had no idea that was the old station. I remember standing in that building, surrounded by the smell of freshly-cut lumber.
I wish I had been more interested in railroad history when it was right there in my back yard. Instead, I was too occupied with going to the Pizza Wagon or the Mall in search of the fairer sex.
I just Google Earthed the old neighborhood. My God, I hardly recognize it.
I recall there was an old factory building where the tracks parallelled Rte. 27 in Natick, which was the home to a company called something like "Grandmother's", that made jelly or something. I'm guessing that building may have seen rail service at one time.
I would have also thought that there would have been a turnout into the US Army Natick Labs (where I believe the packaged food for our early astronauts was developed).
I remember the old "Townies" talking about taking the streetcars. My late great-uncle played basketball for BC (he was Class of '09), and recalled that their "western road trip" to play Holy Cross was riding the streetcar from Boston all the way to Worcester on what is now Rte. 9.
If you, or anybody else, has any old pictures or articles regarding the Saxonville Branch that you would be willing to share -- and that can be e-mailed without too much trouble -- I would be delighted to see them.
My address is: [email protected]
My thanks to all of you on this thread for bringing up this nostalgic subject.
Ah, the smell of freshly-baking bread from the Wonder Bread plant. When the wind was just right, it wafted right through my neighborhood.
And a big part of the holiday experience was seeing the waterfall that ran from the Carling plant into Lake Cochituate strung with Christmas lights. (In retrospect, who in their right mind would drink beer made from the waters of Lake Cochituate? Ugh! I stopped swimming in it after contracting a staph infection at New Beach in 1963.)
Having accompanied my dad to Saxonville Lumber many times, I had no idea that was the old station. I remember standing in that building, surrounded by the smell of freshly-cut lumber.
I wish I had been more interested in railroad history when it was right there in my back yard. Instead, I was too occupied with going to the Pizza Wagon or the Mall in search of the fairer sex.
I just Google Earthed the old neighborhood. My God, I hardly recognize it.
I recall there was an old factory building where the tracks parallelled Rte. 27 in Natick, which was the home to a company called something like "Grandmother's", that made jelly or something. I'm guessing that building may have seen rail service at one time.
I would have also thought that there would have been a turnout into the US Army Natick Labs (where I believe the packaged food for our early astronauts was developed).
I remember the old "Townies" talking about taking the streetcars. My late great-uncle played basketball for BC (he was Class of '09), and recalled that their "western road trip" to play Holy Cross was riding the streetcar from Boston all the way to Worcester on what is now Rte. 9.
If you, or anybody else, has any old pictures or articles regarding the Saxonville Branch that you would be willing to share -- and that can be e-mailed without too much trouble -- I would be delighted to see them.
My address is: [email protected]
My thanks to all of you on this thread for bringing up this nostalgic subject.
