Fitchburg Main single tracking

Anyone know when the Fitchburg main single tracking (S Acton - Willows, Westminster - Wrights, Tyters - Deerfield) was done? Was this by the B&M or by Guilford and was it done all at once or in stages? Thanks in advance for any replies.

Jon D

I was going to let someone with more precise information answer this one, but since no one has, here's what I can offer:

South Acton-Willows, 1970s

Westminster-Parkers, Guilford era?

Parkers-Wrights, late 50s/early 60s

Tyters-Deerfield, early 1980s
during major pre-Guilford track and signal work on the freight mainline.

Tom -

Gardner/Westminster single tracking definately Guilford post-strike era
reduction of trackage.

Tyters-Deerfield - well it was still double track Erving to East Deerfield
until two months ago when the Bow coal train took out CPF-370 (Erving).
Who knows when GRS will restore CPF-370.

Dave

I concur about the Westminster-to-Gardner stretch. It was done around the time of the construction of the new Betty Spring Road overpass in Gardner, and that was in the mid-'80s, not long after Guilford took control. I recall being surprised when I saw it.

BTW, I never did understand why that bridge was built, when a crossing would have sufficed. One can see down the track for a half-mile in both directions.

I always wondered if Guilford would re-lay the second track...

The welded rail on the No.2 track

There was a detailed discussion about all of this. I think that it was on the Yahoo B&M E Groups. Some of it started in the 60s, like w. Deerfield to S. F. and Rices to Soapstone.

Willows to S. Acton was single tracked in the late 60's. Most of the single tracking west of East Deerfield was complete by 1966. Another round was completed by 1981 by the B&M under the 4-R act.
Since 1983, Guilford has removed double track between Westminster and Gardner, Greenfield and West Deerfield, Williamstown Interlocking and North Pownal, Snyder's and Ferry Crossing, and Noonan's and XO-Mechanicville. They mothballed the second track between Shelburne Falls and Rices for many years, storing box cars on it, then reactivated it after cutting the west end back from Rices to Buckland.

In other words, it isn't a ghost of what it was in B&M days. Too bad.

SINGLE TRACKINGS dates of completion:
East Portal - West Portal: 11-26-1958
North Adams - Williamstown: 5-15-1959
West Deerfeild - Shelbourne Falls: 3-22-1960
Eagle Bridge - Johnsonville: 7-14- 1960
1.4 miles "at" Mechanicville NY: 12-6-1960
Parkers - Wrights: 3-13-61
Rices - Soapstone: 4-17-61
Hoosick - Hoosick Falls 7-8-1965
South Acton - Willows: 4-18-1967
*** This is taken from a B&M document dated 12-31-1967,
MORE single track has been "created" subsequent to these
above noted single trackings

The talk is to double track South Acton to Littleton when ever "they" can agree on location for a new Littleton/495 station.