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  • Boston & Maine's - Marlborough Branch.

  • Discussion relating to the pre-1983 B&M and MEC railroads. For current operations, please see the Pan Am Railways Forum.
Discussion relating to the pre-1983 B&M and MEC railroads. For current operations, please see the Pan Am Railways Forum.

Moderator: MEC407

 #1552639  by b&m 1566
 
Where was the exact spot this branch ended in Marlborough? Was it at the intersection of Lincoln St and Highland St, or did it go along side Cashman St and end at Prospect St? I assume there was a passenger station in this area?
Were there any plans to have it connect to the Boston & Albany's branch, on the other side of downtown?
 #1552646  by The EGE
 
B&M station was on the east side of Prospect, just north of Washington. (see 1889 map.)

I don't believe there were any plans to connect the two branches. There's a 60-foot vertical difference between the two station locations.
Image
 #1552648  by b&m 1566
 
Thank you.
Looking at Google maps, I notice there's still some track in place. It looks like it was a siding to a shipper, so track must not have been railroad property. What year did the B&M abandon the Marlborough Branch? I know the section from Maynard to Hudson, was abandoned long before the southern section was abandoned.
 #1552659  by The EGE
 
South Action-Maynard: passenger service ended 1958, abandoned 1979
Maynard-Hudson (Central Mass Junction): passenger service ended 1932, abandoned 1943
Hudson (Central Mass Junction)-Marlborough: passenger service ended 1939, abandoned 1980. (Central Mass passenger service used the Central Mass Junction-Hudson section from 1958 to 1965.)

The New Haven's Marlboro Branch had passenger service until 1937 and was abandoned in 1966.
 #1552685  by edbear
 
The passenger station was on Lincoln St. and was sold (don't know the date) to Brigham Auto Sales and was torn down about 20 years ago. It still had stained glass windows with FRR initials. The owner of the station resisted all efforts to preserve it. There was also an engine house in Marlboro. One track did cross Lincoln Street at one time.
 #1552712  by b&m 1566
 
It must have been moved when it was sold because the 1889 map, shows the station on the northeast corner of Washington, St and Prospect St. Historicaerials.com still shows the station in that location in the 1938 photos. I had always noticed that building in that photo but didn't know what I was looking at, until now. The engine house stood where the dirt parking lot is located, for todays rail trail off of Jefferson St. I think the turntable was located on the southeast corner of the parking lot.
 #1552756  by jaymac
 
edbear » Thu Sep 17, 2020 7:58 am
The passenger station was on Lincoln St. and was sold (don't know the date) to Brigham Auto Sales and was torn down about 20 years ago. It still had stained glass windows with FRR initials. The owner of the station resisted all efforts to preserve it.
30+ years would be closer. I worked for the then-Middlesex Daily News between 1982 and 1990, and it was there 1 day during the mid-80's and gone the next. Sorry that I don't have a more precise memory.
 #1553362  by MrB
 
Here is a photo that I found that shows the turntable which is positioned close to Kelleher field. The station on the corner of Lincoln and Mechanic Streets was torn down in the 80's. There is construction currently going on at the site, but I don't know what is getting built.
 #1553961  by MrB
 
I don't believe that was ever possible, The Marlborough branch came down from Maynard and ran under the Central Mass "Skeeterville" bridge. I was at the end of the current RailTrail on Friday in Hudson by the Rod & Gun Club and checked out the area and found where the bridge had been. If you go to the parking lot and head up the hill you will find the Central Mass branch and remnants of an old switch that led to either the Marlborough branch or continue on the Central Mass. Does anyone know when the bridge was taken down?
 #1553966  by edbear
 
The bridge was removed about 1942 and filled. CM Junction was at the bottom on the Marlboro Branch and Gleason Junction was at the top at the Boston end of the bridge. The connecting track was steep and was probably only used for passenger trains from Marlboro to Boston. This route was about 5 miles shorter than via Maynard. When the bridge was taken down, Gleason Junction was relocated to a point west of the bridge. There were two grade crossings on Cox Street; the southerly one was for the relocated connection Central Mass. to Marlboro Branch. (Almost all 'borough' towns in Massachusetts had 'boro' on station names and most locals called their towns 'boro' too. It was anti-English. Borough has come back in style in recent years.) The Concord Maynard and Hudson Street Railway also had its line under the bridge west of the Marlboro Branch track.
 #1553975  by jaymac
 
edbear » Sun Oct 04, 2020 2:12 pm
Almost all 'borough' towns in Massachusetts had 'boro' on station names and most locals called their towns 'boro' too. It was anti-English.
The de-"ugh"ing was more a matter of telegraphic efficiency than anti-English sentiment. When a train order or other communication was sent, "Marlboro" took 3 fewer Morse characters to transmit than "Marlborough." A train order would have to be retransmitted back from the receiving operator to the dispatcher to confirm correct reception, so another 3 characters would be saved. 3 characters saved here and another 3 saved there produced fewer mistakes, fewer corrective retransmissions and fewer confirming retransmissions, reducing wire usage and stress on both dispatchers and operators.