Dual Gauges in New England

[BostonUrbEx]

The only dual gauge in all of New England that I know of for sure was between the Eastern Railroad and the BRB&L in Lynn. Does anyone know if there were any similar dual gauge transfer points in East Boston, where the Boston & Albany had tracks adjacent to BRB&L tracks in Jeffries Point? Is there anywhere else in New England where there were dual gauges (no matter how brief of a segment)?

[Mikejf]

Two foot gauge Bridgton & Saco River Railroad in Maine had a short stretch of dual gauge trackage of about 100 feet at Bridgton Junction. This was in front of the coal shed, where the standard gauge cars were unloaded into the building, and the Bridgton locomotives got their coal from on that end of the line.

[TomNelligan]

I wouldn't be surprised if there were other examples of short stretches of dual-gage trackage among the several points where Maine two-footers interchanged with full-size railroads, but I can't cite specifics. Two other possibilities for onetime dual-gauge track that you could look into would involve the Hoosac Tunnel & Wilmington RR and West River RR, both of which were originally built as 3' gauge lines and had standard gauge interchanges with the B&M at Hoosac Tunnel and the CV at Brattleboro respectively.

[scottychaos]

Im pretty she there was *not* ever any dual-gauge trackage where the SR&RL interchanged with the MEC at Farmington Maine.
There were a couple of dual-gauge crossings, 2-foot and standard gauge diamond crossings, but no dual gauge track.

Same with the WW&F and the MEC at Wiscasset.

Scot

[NRGeep]

Possibly Bedford Ma at interchange of Reformatory branch and Billerica branch before it became standard guage?

[bruceclouette]

The American Thread Company in Willimantic, CT, had some dual-gauge track around 1900. The mill's yard engine was 30" or maybe 3' gauge, but the mills closest to the freight yard also got standard-gauge freight cars. The tracks show up quite clearly in a postcard view that I will try to find, if anyone is interested. The only thing left from the narrow gauge is one tiny tunnel.

The Berlin Iron Bridge plant in East Berlin, CT, took the more common approach of having parallel narrow and standard gauge tracks, with swiveling derricks in between. This company unloaded rolled steel shapes and moved them around inside its fabricating plant on narrow gauge flats.

[bruceclouette]

Here's the dual-gauge in Willimantic. You can see a narrow gauge-only siding going off to the right. The narrow gauge continues in a tunnel under the road to serve the mills visible in the background.

There was also a short section of dual gauge at the Berlin Iron Bridge plant. Here's a link to the track plan:

http://www.past-inc.org/bibco/tracks.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[duckpin]

Bruce, thanks for posting that picture. I live in North Franklin, been through Willimantic more times than I can count. Never knew there to be tracks at that location. Wonder if they were pulled up when the current five-story building was constructed on the far right of the photo (if I remember, that one dates to 1914).

[Pat Fahey]

Hi
The Whitinville machine works in Whitinville , Mass had Standward and 2 foot gauge , also.. Pat

[Ridgefielder]

The Grand Trunk was built to 5'6" "colonial" gauge, and I believe at least one or two other early Maine roads followed suit. Can't say for sure but it stands to reason there may have been some standard/broad dual gauge trackage in the Portland area or up in the Coös country on the NH/VT border-- gone by the 1880's, though.

Wasn't the Profile & Franconia Notch up in the White Mountains a narrow gauge as well? Have to check my copy of "Logging Railroads of the White Mountains" to see if it mentions dual-gauge track where it connected with whatever B&M/MEC predecessor road was up there.

[Mikejf]

Profile & Franconia was built 3', standard gauged when the B & M bought it, if I remember correctly.

[Cosmo]

I can no longer find it on NE Rail photos, but I would swear there were pictures of dual-gauge tracks in or around the Charlestown Navy Yard. I do know there were dual crane/railroad tracks all over the Navy yards North and South. May still be there.

[doublebell]

The picture in the Charlestown Navy Yard was of the gauntlet track at the scale house, which is now a guard shack.
John, the guy in the white car with the wing on back

[ferroequinarchaeologist]

There was a dual-gauge section of the Profile and Franconia Notch from Zealand Transfer to Bethlehem Junction in the late 19th century, but it only lasted a few years, until the B&M took over the road and converted it to standard gauge. At Zealand, there was one helluva steep, short section that connected the B&M tracks at a lower elevation with the higher Maine Central line, the latter which is used by Conway Scenic today. There is a picture of some smartass rich kid standing by the P&FN locomotive (after it was renumbered for Concord and Montreal) wherein you can clearly see the dual gauge track under the locomotive routed down grade, towards Fabyan's, behind the two-car train.

smartass.jpg

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[B&M 1227]

I'm fairly certain there was dual gauge track in Mountain Mills VT after the HT&W standard gauged but before the Deerfield River RR 3ft logging operations to the north shut down.