Abandoned ROW's North of Boston (for the millionth time)

bigbronco, the ROW you spotted parallel to Route 12 (between Ash. and Winchendon) was either the old Cheshire Subdivision of the B&M, which went from South Ash. to Walpole, N.H., and was abandoned in 1984, or the Boston, Narre & Gardner Branch, which was abandoned between Gardner and Winchendon in 1959. The BB&G crossed Route 12 just a few hundred yards south of the intersection of 12 and 140, then hugged 12 as far as the Glenallen Street crossing, about 2 miles to the north, where it drew closer to the Cheshire, which paralleled it slightly to the east.

The Cheshire hugged Route 12 for a short distance before crossing it via a fairly long, nicely-built concrete overpass about five miles north of Ashburnham Centre. I'm thinking that may be near where you were looking, because if I recall, the ties are still embedded in the ROW. The overpass was removed a year or two after the track, the highway was made more level, and a house now sits on the site. You'd never know there was ever a bridge there if someone didn't point out the ROW to you. If you're heading south out of Winchendon on 12 in drier weather, turn onto the dirt road just south of the bridge site and it'll take you to the ROW. It's a nice hike from there to South Ash. Lots of RR artifacts --- telegraph poles, ties, an old semaphore signal. It was a busy line at one time.

I think that location where there was a Route 12 bridge over the tracks was called Naukeag. The bridge was one of those late 1920s-1930s style that were built at many locations in Massachusetts. The ones still extant are crumbling right now. Naukeag was a particularly dangerous grade crossing. I think it was called Astor House Crossing (maybe a hotel or something was there once).
The Cheshire Branch was a particularly busy line for the B & M up to the late 1940s. It was equipped with Style B semaphore signals with ball signal interlockings at Winchendon and Bellows Falls. About 1947 a modern automatic interlocking was installed with semaphores north and south of it at Winchendon. Equipped with 85 and 100 lb. relay rail removed from other mainlines (probably the Fitchburg) in late 1920s when the Fitchburg was upgraded in places to 130-131. Gravel and cinder ballast and tie-plated.
I got to ride the Cheshire on that memorable detour RRE Special, October, 1970, I think. Route was Boston-Greenfield-Bellows Falls via RDC, change to GMRC diesel and ex-CNJ coaches to Chester and return. Derailment of a following freight blocked return to Boston via the route to Bellows Falls. We sat for 3 hrs. at BF while the Chief Engineer of B & M was located (it was a Sat night) and he gave OK to run a passenger train on the line.

There was a construction date carved onto the Route 12 bridge over the Cheshire, and it sticks in my mind that it was 1942. (I lived in Ashburnham for 23 years.) I've never read nor heard anything about the crossing that used to exist there, but my guess is that the highway met the track at a narrow angle and that indeed it probably was dangerous.

As for the existence of a hotel near the spot, neither of Ashburnham's two town histories mentions it, though the 1886 Stearns history does say that there was an inn/tavern "in the northwest corner of town" at one time. The implication is that it predated the railroad. I don't know.

I'm not sure whether Naukeag Crossing was the one that existed where the bridge stood or whether it was the one at Burrageville, where the track crossed Depot Road (hence the name of the road). My guess is the latter, as it was a bit nearer the lake. Someone put a caboose on the approximate spot of the depot back the in early '70s and set up housekeeping there. It's still occupied, sitting on its own stub of track, though the Cheshire is long gone.

While we're on the subject of Ashburnham, a local rails-to-trails group has graded and widened part of the old Ashburnham Branch ROW from Cashman Hill Road to Williams Road (between Ashburnham Centre and South Ashburnham), creating a very nice walking trail. Their plan is to eventually re-do about two-thirds of the original roadbed, almost all of which is hikeable in its current condition, though unimproved. There are a couple of fairly long stretches in which the ties are still embedded in the ROW.

Forgive my ignorance, but what is the ROW that went through West(?)Concord? I went by there, there was a station and I think an ROW next to this gas station. It was on route 62.

If you are talking about West Concord Station, that's the former
NH/PC/CR line between Framingham and Lowell. Crossed at
grade at the station.

Dave

bigbronco85 wrote:Hey good to see the forum's back, I can't believe it took me so long to find it!
I saw a interesting ROW around Berlin and Hudson MA, Route 62 area. There were ties and rail in places, while other parts were totally washed out or removed. There was a street in Hudson that had been put on the ROW for a bit. Was this the Mass. Central? If not what is it? There was a part in Berlin where a long gone bridge had carried it over a river and a still active line.
Interesting the stuff you find just driving around pointlessly! I saw a lot of abandoned grade crossings and stuff on that trip in the Stow area, forget which town exactly.
Matt

I had thought this was the Central Mass, but in another thread(can't remember which board) it was mentioned that this was the Maynard Branch(?) off the Fitchburg. They are putting in a trail over the row.

I should have known that was on the F&L,

Yeah I hear that line went to Marlboro, easy to confuse with the Mass. Central I guess.
I was out by Wachusett Res. and didn't really see where that tunnel could have been where is it???

Also, I was on the Cape yesterday and I saw ahah- an ROW!!! It was in Falmouth, I think it splits off that Bay Colony RR line. Some parts looked pretty cool!

:D Tunnel is up the hill from the dam. The foundations of the old truss can be seen in the Nashua river there. The road to the tunnel is off the road that runs up behind the old MDC Police station on rte 70 in Clinton.

Looks like this forum has slipped into a 'coma.' How has everyone been, and is there any new abandoned ROW stuff out there to report?

Lisa

I think i found like an old ROW in Newton on Saturday.... :D

Hey guys, haven't been here for a LONG time since I've been preoccupied with Urban Exploration lately...

I've found a few abandoned ROWs and stuff too but i really don't have time to mention them right now, anyone else see anything cool in that genre....

Matt

Hi Matt...

Long time no see! Not too much going on out there as far as abandoned lines. I'm not sure if you're aware at all, but Rockingham Jct. has been sold. The new owners want to restore it to what it looked like in its heyday. At the same time, they want to lease it out to a small business. The lease sign is up (it looks like a monopoly piece)! We shall see what happens when the good weather gets here. The station sure needs some work! Scott & I are still out railfanning every Sunday, unless its wicked cold out! Anyways, it's nice to see this thread hasn't totally disappeared!

Lisa

In regards to the Cheshire Branch ROW once you go over the state line into New Hampshire in Fitzwilliam you will find that the snowmobilers have done a nice job converting the roadbed into a gravel snowmobile/mountain bike path. Seems like the line may have had a siding where the old Stateline station used to be just on the north side of Rt 12? Also, while GRS ripped out the steel bridges which the snowmobilers have replaced with wooden bridges there remain numerous stone arch bridges on the line which was abandoned by B&M between Winchendon and North Walpole in 1972 and Winchendon and South Ashburnham in 1984. Interesting how all the rail including the steel bridges remained intact until the Green Mountain RR expressed interest in purchasing and resurecting the Cheshire at least as far as Troy Mills from North Walpole in 1984 and alas GRS quickly dismantled the line immediatly after GMRR lost their court bid to buy the Cheshire.

Hi Lisa-

Good to see you are still out hunting up the old rail lines. Did you finally graduate? Where are you working now,.....I know that we were going to Starbucks and make funny faces at you in the window, but it never worked out. You went to Wal*Mart before we could get to Starbucks. How about the money pit, er, ..your car ...did it finally give up the ghost?

Paul

NR, I used to live near Winchendon and I remember the State Line crossing very well (even before Rt. 12 was relocated near there). I don't remember a siding near the depot, but you may be right --- if there's a wide spot in the roadbed, chances are that was the case.

The stone arch bridges at Webb, South Keene and West Keene are well worth seeing --- especially, I think, the one in West Keene, whose setting is like something right out of the northern English or Scottish countryside. The one in South Keene (off Rt. 101) is the largest, and it's magnificent. (One can climb up to the top quite easily, too.) I can provide directions to all three if anyone is interested.

A bit of Cheshire trivia: The track across Central Street (Rt. 202) in downtown Winchendon is still embedded in the pavement, after 20 years. Apparently the highway dep't. thinks it's not worth the trouble to rip up the rails, God bless 'em.