Last week I walked a few of sections of the Woburn Loop.....
- From the junction in Wilmington down to the huge landfill in North Woburn. There's still track on this section and one customer who appears to be a concrete factory on Eames Street. There's also a major superfund site adjacent to the tracks just east of Eames Street (Olin Chemical). I believe the landfill mountain is a superfund site also. I can't believe that I used to explore in that area when I was a kid and that I am still alive. All the folks that live in that area are up in arms about the toxic waste. I sympathize with them, but they probably should have explored the area a little bit before they moved in - its pretty obvious this was a heavy industrial area for a long time.
- The ROW in North Woburn near North Maple Street adjacent to the old JJ Riley Tannery waste water treatment plant that I used to explore as well. A taxi and school bus company resides in the main building now and the guys that work there were nice enough to let me explore the property. Ditto on the "still alive" comment. When I lived in the area the settling tanks and pits where still there, but it was an army surplus warehouse then called Slotnicks during that period in the 50s. Coming from Main Street you used to have to cross over the canal bed and the railroad tracks to gain entry.
- From Rt 128 (now 95) to Woburn Center adjacent to the Middlesex Canal. A lot of this ROW is in pretty good shape and some residents in Worburn are talking about making it a bike path. There's portions of the canal that are still visable and the section in Central Square is still watered. The trail comes out right next to the library and runs into the new court house - I can still remember when the old granite train station was there and I can picture the grade crossing with the long and low hanging gates like it was yesterday. I also walked around the Baldwin mansion and the canal near 128. There was a restaurant in the mansion as of a couple of years ago, but they are out of business now.
- This isn't related to the loop, but hiking back from Woburn Center I stopped at the Wyman School in Central Square. It was after hours, but the janitors let me in and gave me a tour. It hasn't changed a whole lot since I was there from 53 - 57. The school is now on the National Historic Register and is unchanged on the outside, except for the addition put on in the late 60's.
- From the junction in Wilmington down to the huge landfill in North Woburn. There's still track on this section and one customer who appears to be a concrete factory on Eames Street. There's also a major superfund site adjacent to the tracks just east of Eames Street (Olin Chemical). I believe the landfill mountain is a superfund site also. I can't believe that I used to explore in that area when I was a kid and that I am still alive. All the folks that live in that area are up in arms about the toxic waste. I sympathize with them, but they probably should have explored the area a little bit before they moved in - its pretty obvious this was a heavy industrial area for a long time.
- The ROW in North Woburn near North Maple Street adjacent to the old JJ Riley Tannery waste water treatment plant that I used to explore as well. A taxi and school bus company resides in the main building now and the guys that work there were nice enough to let me explore the property. Ditto on the "still alive" comment. When I lived in the area the settling tanks and pits where still there, but it was an army surplus warehouse then called Slotnicks during that period in the 50s. Coming from Main Street you used to have to cross over the canal bed and the railroad tracks to gain entry.
- From Rt 128 (now 95) to Woburn Center adjacent to the Middlesex Canal. A lot of this ROW is in pretty good shape and some residents in Worburn are talking about making it a bike path. There's portions of the canal that are still visable and the section in Central Square is still watered. The trail comes out right next to the library and runs into the new court house - I can still remember when the old granite train station was there and I can picture the grade crossing with the long and low hanging gates like it was yesterday. I also walked around the Baldwin mansion and the canal near 128. There was a restaurant in the mansion as of a couple of years ago, but they are out of business now.
- This isn't related to the loop, but hiking back from Woburn Center I stopped at the Wyman School in Central Square. It was after hours, but the janitors let me in and gave me a tour. It hasn't changed a whole lot since I was there from 53 - 57. The school is now on the National Historic Register and is unchanged on the outside, except for the addition put on in the late 60's.
