Abandoned line in Sterling, MA

In Sterling, MA there is an abandoned line that connected to the B&M Worcester Main at Sterling Jct and to the NH/PC/Conrail Fitchburg Secondary at Pratts Jct. Which railroad owned this line? Was its primary purpose a freight interchange, or passenger service? And if freight, why not just use the Clinton interchange?

Strongly recommend getting a copy of The Rail Lines of Southern New England: A Handbook of Railway History by Ronald Dale Karr. Mine is 37 years old, so don't know current availability.
The line started off life as the Fitchburg and Worcester, eventually getting absorbed into the NH. Fitchburg-Worcester passenger service ended in 1926 (p. 193), the usual contractions happening, particularly with the Depression..

Multiple copies of this book are available on the AbeBooks:
https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/Search ... =100121503

That Karr book is an excellent resource if you are interested in the many, many abandonments in New England. I first got it many years ago when researching what looked for all the world to me like an abandoned right of way running from South Lancaster through Bolton to Hudson. Indeed it was the very short lived Lancaster RR.

As for the clinton interchange idea, the NH and B&M tracks in clinton are grade separated. the primary interchange tracks were from B&M northbound to NH east (or south) and were on a significant grade. I don't know for sure when the grade separation occurred, but found online that the two level Clinton union station was built in 1914. There may at one time have been a connector from B&M south to NH west (north), but I am not sure. I recall seeing a right of way behind the industrial buildings there but it may have just served industry. I could never get back in there to see if it climbed up to the NH line at least 20 feet above.

F74265A » Tue Aug 16, 2022 1:19 pm
...As for the clinton interchange idea, the NH and B&M tracks in clinton are grade separated. the primary interchange tracks were from B&M northbound to NH east (or south) and were on a significant grade. I don't know for sure when the grade separation occurred, but found online that the two level Clinton union station was built in 1914. There may at one time have been a connector from B&M south to NH west (north), but I am not sure. I recall seeing a right of way behind the industrial buildings there but it may have just served industry. I could never get back in there to see if it climbed up to the NH line at least 20 feet above.

There was an early 20th century push to reduce grade crossings and attendant accidents. The NH line got elevated, but the B&M didn't, possibly because of a lesser amount of vehicular traffic on that road back then. When both lines crossed at a diamond, there were connecting tracks. After the grade separation, there was a connection from the NH from the compass E and the B&M to the compass S which will show on older topo maps. The B&M and NH were cooperative in Fitchburg, Lowell, and wherever else the 2 connected. The connection in Clinton permitted NH locomotives to wye when needed, less of a concern for the B&M because of the engine house and turntable just to the compass N. There also would have been interchange from the NH to the B&M of time-sensitive loads from Fitchburg and Leominster that would not be going on the the Fall River steamers for New York City. Yes -- next-morning delivery from Fitchburg and Leominster until 1940.

Thanks for that early 20th century info.

One question - I always thought that the B&M engine house and turntable were south of the NH crossing. I read your post as saying it was north of the crossing. Where was it exactly if you know?

Check the CLINTON ENGINE HOUSE thread on the BOSTON & MAINE/MAINE CENTRAL forum from a coupla years back:

#1540538 by johnhenry
Thu Apr 23, 2020 8:12 pm
Clinton TT.jpg

The engine house is on a spur up against a hillside at the upper left hand of the topo segment, and the connecting track shows at the bottom, just compass SE of the grade separation.

Found it. Good stuff on Clinton in that thread, including the photo of the diamond before the grade separation

I know this is a little old but I'm just reading it now. That was an Old Colony/New Haven spur line that was last used to switch a cider mill in Sterling MA (now an antiques complex). About a mile an a half of the spur between Gates Rd and Newell Hill Rd is now a called the Sterling Branch of the Central Mass Rail Trail (even though it has no connection with the Central Mass Branch of the B&M).

ST377 wrote:I know this is a little old but I'm just reading it now. That was an Old Colony/New Haven spur line that was last used to switch a cider mill in Sterling MA (now an antiques complex). About a mile an a half of the spur between Gates Rd and Newell Hill Rd is now a called the Sterling Branch of the Central Mass Rail Trail (even though it has no connection with the Central Mass Branch of the B&M).

Some rail trail nomenclature is less than RR-precise, but is geographically accurate, Sterling being in Central Mass. even though there wasn't rail for that trail.

This photo shows Clinton station area before the elevation changes, you can see the connecting tracks on the right. With the buildings on the west side of the B&M tracks I don't see any way their was a connecting track on that side.

Great photo though. I think the brick storefront on the far right was the Swift Meats location . They continued to receive rail after the viaduct was constructed by using an elevated siding to access a second floor platform and loading door .

It looks like the building with the New Haven boxcar poking out is a milk loading location? Great photo, where did you find it?

neman2, many hours of scouring the internet over the past 10+ years, currently have around 800 photos of railroad stuff here in MA. Since you liked that photo, here's another view.