Castle Hill Yard, Salem, MA

I was wondering if anyone had any info on this yard. Like when it was built who it was built for etc. I remember as a little kid watching guilford switch loads around in there. Also if anyone had any good pics that would be great. It seems that the only operations in there now consist at Univar.






Sean B.

Moderator's note: Moved to the Pan Am (Guilford) forum.

I believe there's been some sort of yard in that general area since the Eastern RR built to Salem about 1838. I don't know of any major reconstructions or expansions, I expect it grew incrementally as traffic expanded and more rail-served industries located in the area. From the 1920s to about 1980, most incoming freight arrived in 'haulers' from Boston, jobs that ran one or two round-trips to Salem shuttling cars. A variety of locals went north, east & west from Salem. In the 1980s, operations in Boston were shrinking and they replaced the last hauler with an East Deerfield - Salem through freight.

I can add a brief note, and I will look around for any other info that I might be able to dig out. You are correct, Univar is all that is left at that portion of the yard. There was the california olive oil track of the other side next to Canal Street, but that business went out a couple years ago. That siding is intact and saw a mystery boxcar appear and then leave about 2 weeks ago.

Some of the yard tracks on the west side of the tunnel (as you head north into the tunnel) were tied in, at one time to the station that stood where the tunnel entrance is now. A couple photos that I have seen show holding tracks and freight sidings in that area. There is still a siding that comes across Jefferson Ave near U-Haul, by the moving company. It must have been quite a collection in the yard. The track that connected to the southbound main actually went quite a bit further down before it tied in. They shortened the track many years ago, but the remnants of the third track is still there for quite a distance beyond the signal, which you can see fromt the Jefferson Ave bridge. For a short time they tried storing the switch engines near the Univar property...there is a small fenced area that was the "parking area' for the engine.

On the north side of the tunnel there is the remnants of the Bridge Street yard, where the was additional sorting of cars. The roundhouse was located where the parking lot is now at the station.

I believe this is the mystery boxcar at cal oil.
Andy Grabowski photo: http://photos.nerail.org/showpic/?20101 ... RING=salem

I have been told by many sources that well over 20 years ago there was a daily EDSA/SAED to and from Salem. Also many locals originated out of this yard. I too remember as a kid seeing freight in this yard but not much. Probably close to 20 years ago or so I remember seeing boxcars being pushed across the street (name of the street??) to some customer which I believe is now a moving company. Anyone know what Im talking about?

Heres some pics on NErail (not mine):

http://photos.nerail.org/showpic/?20091 ... 588473.jpg
http://photos.nerail.org/showpic/?20060 ... 813126.jpg

ah the good ol' days on the North Shore

-Wayne J.

csrrfan86 wrote:I remember seeing boxcars being pushed across the street (name of the street??) to some customer which I believe is now a moving company. Anyone know what Im talking about?

Yes, that is Jefferson Ave, near the U-haul that I mentioned above. On an old map that I saw relating to the Salem Fire around 1913, I believe, it looked like a spur went all the way up near what is now the collins middle school where it looked like it serviced a tannery. It almost seems like the parking lot next to Collins School on Jackson Street may have been the right of way...just a guess, but it would seem to fit.

csrrfan86 wrote:Heres some pics on NErail (not mine):

http://photos.nerail.org/showpic/?20091 ... 588473.jpg
http://photos.nerail.org/showpic/?20060 ... 813126.jpg

ah the good ol' days on the North Shore

-Wayne J.

Yup, pissed away. Sad....

I checked the Val Plan, and while it doesn't show the entire track (that's on another sheet which we don't have); it does make a reference to a "Tannery Branch". It originally connected to the Boston end of the orginal tunnel, but the connection was made through Salem Yard after the extension of the tunnel in the '50''s.

DAW

highrail wrote:

csrrfan86 wrote:I remember seeing boxcars being pushed across the street (name of the street??) to some customer which I believe is now a moving company. Anyone know what Im talking about?

Yes, that is Jefferson Ave, near the U-haul that I mentioned above. On an old map that I saw relating to the Salem Fire around 1913, I believe, it looked like a spur went all the way up near what is now the collins middle school where it looked like it serviced a tannery. It almost seems like the parking lot next to Collins School on Jackson Street may have been the right of way...just a guess, but it would seem to fit.

csrrfan86 wrote:I have been told by many sources that well over 20 years ago there was a daily EDSA/SAED to and from Salem. Also many locals originated out of this yard. I too remember as a kid seeing freight in this yard but not much. Probably close to 20 years ago or so I remember seeing boxcars being pushed across the street (name of the street??) to some customer which I believe is now a moving company. Anyone know what Im talking about?

I believe the last customer on that branch going across Jefferson Ave.
was DeFrancesco Produce. I remember it well. It was serviced , usually,
by an SW, although sometimes an RS-3 or GP-7. It maybe got a car every 2 weeks
I used to "hang out" with one of the owner's sons. Andy

wow I remember that tower they burnt down. Well when I was a young boy I remember them switching cars there and also remember the produce company. And the northern end of the tunnel, I do remember when the Bridge street yard used to have a few box cars and the MBTA mainenance building. I work over on commercial st at bills auto and once a week i get to watch the LA train pull cars to Peabody. On another off topic note , I remember when i was really young the train crossing Rt1. And I had some pictures of a train in front of my family's old buisness Salem oil and greese, Ill ask my grand,other if she can find them..

Back in the mid 70's we lived on a street just off Canal St, and we could hear engines switching freight cars all night. My wife and our kids had three small 3 X 5 notebooks which listed all the boxcars we found. My daughter's favorite was one from Ashley, Drew, and Northern since she had a teacher named Mrs. Ashley. We were surprised this RR was located on Arkansas; finding RR info was tricky back then, with no such thing as the Internet.

On our last trip to Salem we were saddened to see no activity on the yards there; but we were delighted that the old roundhouse by the North River is being uncovered. I am just old enough to remember seeing it as a child, and have great memories of the old Salem depot - I was convinced it was really a castle!

Here's the Google Maps view of the yard:

+42° 30' 39.90", -70° 53' 50.33"

By the looks of this USGS topographic map from 1944 (it's at the bottom, and it's a big image), there were a lot more tracks in there back in the day. As it is that paved area with the trailers could make a great trans-load facility.

You may be interested in a couple gems of video done by the late Richard "Moose" Ouellette, which are posted on you tube. One that I have linked below shows action in the yard at castle Hill around 1990. Great Stuff! There is also one of following the freight from Wakefield all the way to Danversport...roughly the same era. Use the link, or search by Salem MA railroad and it will come up

Steve

YouTube link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFv342PGn8g