CNE - Agawam Junction

I'm new to this forum and am looking for some information. Anything would be appreciated.
I grew up in Agawam, MA. The Tariffville branch of the CNE (originally the East Granby and Suffield RR) travelled thru the Feeding Hills section of Agawam, crossed into West Springfield and met the B&A at a place named Agawam Junction. It was just a switch nothing else that I know of.
My father gives talks at the local Historical Association and he gave one on Agawam Junction. I went with him to walk the bed near where Agawam Junction was. During his talk he mentioned that the line was abandoned in 1921, but several people there (they are all in their 70's) said no, they remember the train and riding it.
I looked into this more and it appears that part of the line including the connection at Agawam Junction was abandoned in 1921, but the rest of the line from Tariffville to Feeding Hills was still in use until 1938. Although several sources say the Massachusetts part of the line was abandoned in 1921, this is not true as Feeding HIlls is in MA.
Questions:
1. Does anyone know just how much of the line was "abandoned" in 1921.
2. In railroad lingo, what does "abandoned" mean?
3. Does anyone have a picture of Agawam Junction?
Thanks for any help.

Russ

Russ, the last timetable with through passenger service (it was actually a mixed train for both passengers and freight) between Tariffville and Springfield was dated Nov. 21, 1921. It was train #901 southbound out of Springfield at 9:20am with arrival Tariffville at 10:25am. Northbound was train #900 out of Tariffville at 3:15pm with arrival Springfield at 4:55pm. - - The next timetable dated Dec. 18, 1921 that shows service (again, a mixed train) on this line is train #900 northbound out of Tariffville at 10:45am and due in at Feeding Hills at 11:55am. Southbound it is train #901 out of Feeding Hills at 12:25pm and due in to Tariffville at 1:25pm. - - - The mixed train apparently ran up until some time in the Spring of 1922 as it is shown in a timetable that I have for Apr. 30, 1922 but NOT in one dated Jun.26, 1922.

I am assuming that the line between Agawam Jct. and Feeding Hills was abandoned some time after Nov. 21, 1921; however, it may not have been torn up right away. I believe that it was in July, 1938 that the remaining section from Feeding Hills down to Tariffville (plus between Tariffville and Griffens and between Tariffville and Simsbury) was abandoned and the rails were torn up soon after.

Leroy Beaujon
Roseville, CA

Thanks Leroy for the infromation. The timetable was especially interesting.
My father has talked with several of the people who lived in Feeding Hills who remember train service after 1921 on this line.
Two people whose families owned and ran a grain store and a coal store both said the train delivered grain/coal to their family businesses until 1938 at which point the Grain business closed and the Coal business moved to West Springfield near the yards there.
And some other people said there was a special passenger train that ran on the last day before the line was abandoned in 1938. Supposedly there were pictures in the local (Spfld?) paper. If we get one and you are interested I can forward it.

Russ

A B&A tower No. 44 was located at B&A MP 102.36. This was Agawam Jct where the CNE went off the B&A main line. It was a two story structure. There was a switch on Tk 2 connecting to the CNE and a facing point crossover east of that, Tk 1 to Tk 2, so that CNE trains on Tk 1 could cross over and go on to the branch. I have 2 photos, 1 looking east and 1 looking west, which shows the CNE track going off to the south. In the photo is a small boy named David O'Brian who later on in life worked on the B&A and retired as a Signal Supervisor at Springfield. I was told that the Tower closed as soon as the last CNE train went by.

I found the area that Skip referred to and it's not that easy to spot, even when the leaves are down. The somewhat-obliterated CNE grade and one signal base was about all that remains at the junction, on the south side of the B&A on a fairly sharp curve. A "Google Helicopter tour" shows the location fairly well, with the CNE coming in from the Robinson State Park area, where you can easily find the location of the bridge over the Westfield River on the south bank.