Piantadosi in Malden

I forgot to post this but yesterday (err, 2 days ago, by this time at night...) I believe I saw the rails being ripped out at Piantadosi and across the street as well. The crossing was already gone for a couple years.

RIP.


Was there any particular reason Piantadosi dropped rail, other than cost? Spats with Pan Am, etc?

i think that still classifies as the saugus branch, thats where it originally connected to the B&M. probably got ripped out as part of the trail deal. maybe they will take out the medford st bridge, trucks get stuck under it weekly.

The Piantadosi spur is not off the Saugus Branch. It's off the Medford Branch.

D

it's off the western route, and that is the original alignment of the saugus branch.

Yes, the Medford Branch comes off the Western Route mainline at MP3.1. The spur for Piantadosi comes off the
Medford Branch (which is now the Medford Industrial Track).

The Saugus Branch starts at Everett Jct off the Eastern Route mainline. I am unaware of whatever
"original" alignment for the Saugus Branch you refer to.

D

http://binged.it/wGreH0

that shows the spur coming off the western route across commercial st and into piantedosi. follow the tracks behind the building and you can follow the old ROW across the river where it connects with the existing saugus branch ROW.

Piantadosi comes right off the mainline...

tom18287 wrote:http://binged.it/wGreH0

that shows the spur coming off the western route across commercial st and into piantedosi. follow the tracks behind the building and you can follow the old ROW across the river where it connects with the existing saugus branch ROW.

I dont think that this spur ever connected to the Saugus line. Looking at some old Sanborn Maps from 1906 and into the 50s show that the branch just went past Piantedosi and then along the canal to a few more industries, turn almost back toward Commercial street. Do you know what year that is connected?

Funny thing , there was a Sanborn's trucking company nearby on commercial street !

To clear things up, yes, the Saugus Branch did indeed connect to the Western Route here, before the Grand Junction became the primary routing for the Eastern Route. It was degraded to a bunch of sidings following the change in trackage.