MBTA Boston-Concord Service: 1980-1981

[djlong]

Slight correction - Guilford (PanAm) owns everything north of the NH/MA state line. The right-of-way from Lowell up to the Tyngsboro/Nashua border is owned by the MBTA.

[diburning]

Are you sure? I was always told that MBTA owned the track up to 25.36

Here's a map

[djlong]

If my source information was wrong, or if something has happened in the last 10 years or so, then anything is possible.

However, I've been keeping an eye on the proposals to bring commuter rail back to Nashua ever since 1985 when I owned a condo that would have been right near a proposed station in south Nashua. Every newspaper article said that the MBTA owned the tracks up through Tyngsboro. Some said that they would look for a way to extend service to Tyngsboro if they couldn't get an agreement with Guilford to get into NH (since Guilford was, at the time, still with their panties in a wad over losing the commuter rail contract).

Some articles mentioned the MBTA having bought several ROWs "up to the state line".

If I have some time, I'll look for something more recent and concrete to confirm my assertations.

[F-line to Dudley via Park]

Damn...I was looking at it just two days ago: a RR ROW ownership (active, OOS, and abandoned-but-still-land-owned) map for all of Mass. Can't find it, but it's a PDF and it's in some old thread here. It does show MBTA ownership here all the way to the state line.

[theseaandalifesaver]

[quote="F-line to Dudley via Park"]Damn...I was looking at it just two days ago: a RR ROW ownership (active, OOS, and abandoned-but-still-land-owned) map for all of Mass. Can't find it, but it's a PDF and it's in some old thread here. It does show MBTA ownership here all the way to the state line.[/quote]
Oh man, you've got to find that! That'd be wicked awesome to have.

[F-line to Dudley via Park]

Damn...I was looking at it just two days ago: a RR ROW ownership (active, OOS, and abandoned-but-still-land-owned) map for all of Mass. Can't find it, but it's a PDF and it's in some old thread here. It does show MBTA ownership here all the way to the state line.

Oh man, you've got to find that! That'd be wicked awesome to have.

Here it is: http://www.eot.state.ma.us/downloads/pl ... tewide.pdf.

T owns both the Lowell and Haverhill lines to the NH state line.

[Literalman]

I have a bunch of schedules from the service. The Mass. Assn. of RR Passengers had a table at a railroad show, and we had some schedules left over. I saved them, figuring somebody might want them some day.

Send me a stamped, self-addressed envelope and you can have one. A small envelope will do: they're pocket schedules, but they show the complete service. Be sure to enclose a note or something to remind me why you're sending me a stamped envelope.

Steve Dunham
8600 South Fork Court
Fredericksburg, VA 22407
[email protected]

[theseaandalifesaver]

Is that map that was posted accurate? Does the MBTA really own the trackage all the way up to the state line?

[diburning]

MBTA owns the right of way, not 100% sure about the mess of track east of the main (which I believe is used by Guilford as part of their Patrior Corridor)

The map is part of an outdated track chart, so it was accurate (at the time) and should still be accurate today (unless they added or removed any switches)

[TomNelligan]

Is that map that was posted accurate? Does the MBTA really own the trackage all the way up to the state line?

In January 1977 the MBTA purchased 279 miles of track from the Boston & Maine (along with the railroad's RDC fleet), basically everything the B&M owned within Massachusetts that was either being used for commuter service at the time, or that planners felt might be used at some point in the future. The B&M retained trackage rights for freight service.

[NRGeep]

It was probably awfully confusing to some people to have two stations named "Concord."

And "back in the day" the B&M went to both Concords and Troy NH and Troy NY and yes, there was confusion with some folks.