New Friends of Bedford Depot Park Photo Gallery

I may be one of the few around here that is overly interested in the Lexington Branch (and probably the only millenial), but Bedford Depot just updated their photo gallery with some beautiful slides of Fens/West Cambridge, Arlington, Lexington, Bedford, Billerica, and Concord. Highlights include a shot from Route 2 looking east prior to Alewife's construction, shots of Arlington Heights, the only photo I've ever seen of Pierces Bridge Station, the 128 overpass before the widening, and some pics at Concord Lumber on the Reformatory Branch.

enjoy!
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Nice photos 1227! Am I correct that all passenger/commuter service ended on the branch after the '78 blizzard? Was the B&M just using that as an excuse to end service or had it been planned for awhile?

Awesome.

Service ended the winter of '77 when a train got stranded in the snow at Bedford. They "temporarily suspended" service and sent a switcher up to rescue the set. Passenger trains never ran again, but freight service languished until 1980 or 1981, I've heard both dates. I believe the MBTA had grand plans to extend the Red line to Arlington even before the last train ran, so the line was on borrowed time anyways. I was born in '93 so I never experienced the trains myself, but I'm told there were only ever 30-40 riders. Most people in Arlington rode the MBTA buses, and Lexington/Bedford were rural and had yet to experience the high-tech boom in the region. Had it lasted another 4 years they'd almost certainly have cut service in the 1981 budget crunch.

It's really a shame it didn't make it until the 90s as there's plenty of space for a park and ride at the Rt 128 crossing. The line would be an ideal DMU route if service terminated at Rt 128. Better yet bust all the way up the B&B to the old Rt 3 grade crossing and have another park and ride option there. A man can dream...

What I'd really love to find are some pictures of diesel era freights on the branch. One of these days I'll make it up to Walker Transportation as I bet they have a few in their collection. Another good find would be Guilford switching the chemical company on the freight cut off in the mid to late 80s. Trains on the cutoff passed the north side of Alewife before dipping under Rt 2 to reach them (was it Houghton Chemical?).