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ConcordConcord is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2000 Census, the town population was about 17,000. Although a small town, Concord is noted for its leading roles in American history and literature...
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ConcordConcord is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2000 Census, the town population was about 17,000. Although a small town, Concord is noted for its leading roles in American history and literature...
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{{BS|exBUE||Massachusetts Route 2}}
{{BS|exHST||Reformatory Station}}
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Sudbury RiverThe Sudbury River is located in Middlesex County in Massachusetts.Originating in the Cedar Swamp in Westborough, Massachusetts near the boundary with Hopkinton; it meanders for 32 miles to the confluence with the Assabet River in Concord, Massachusetts to form the Concord River. It has a 162 square...
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Concord RiverThe Concord River is a tributary of the Merrimack River in eastern Massachusetts in the United States. The river, approximately 15 mi long, drains a small rural and suburban region northwest of Boston. One of the most famous small rivers in U.S...
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{{BS|exBHF||Lowell Road (Central Concord)}}
{{BS|exBUE||Monument Street}}
{{BS|exBUE||Massachusetts Route 62}}
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BillericaBillerica is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 38,981 at the 2000 census.- History :Billerica's prehistoric history, represented by a Native American burial site, dates to circa 1000 B.C....
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Boston and Lowell RailroadThe Boston and Lowell Railroad is a historic railroad that operated in Massachusetts. It was one of the first railroads in North America and the first major one in the state...
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{{BS3|||exHST||North Billerica}}
{{BS3|||exBHF||Billerica}}
{{BS3|||exHST||Nutting Lake}}
{{BS3||exLUECKE|exHST||South Billerica}}
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BedfordBedford is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is within the Greater Boston area, north-west of the city of Boston. The population of Bedford was 12,595 at the 2000 census.- History :...
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{{BS3||exSTR|exHST||Bedford Springs}}
{{BS3||exSTR|exBUE||Great Road}}
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Middlesex and Boston Street RailwayThe Middlesex and Boston Street Railway was a streetcar and later bus company in the area west of Boston, Massachusetts. Streetcars last ran in 1930, and in 1972 the company's operations were merged into the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority .-History:The company was first chartered as...
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{{BS3||exBUE|exSTR||South Road}}
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{{BS|exBHF|14.81|
BedfordBedford is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is within the Greater Boston area, north-west of the city of Boston. The population of Bedford was 12,595 at the 2000 census.- History :...
Depot}}
{{BS|exWBRÜCKE||Elm Brook}}
{{BS|exGRENZE|||in
LexingtonLexington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 30,355 at the 2000 census.The town is famous for being the site of the opening shots of the American Revolution, in the Battle of Lexington on April 19, 1775....
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Hanscom Air Force BaseHanscom Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located 5 mi SSW of Bedford, Massachusetts, about 15 mi NW of Boston. It lies immediately south and east of Hanscom Field. The base is named after Laurence G...
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{{BS|exAKRZo||
Interstate 95Interstate 95 is the main highway on the East Coast of the United States, paralleling the Atlantic Ocean from Maine to Florida and serving some of the most populated urban areas in the country, including Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and Miami. It is one of the...
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{{BS|exmKRZ||Bedford St.
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ConcordConcord is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2000 Census, the town population was about 17,000. Although a small town, Concord is noted for its leading roles in American history and literature...
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ConcordConcord is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2000 Census, the town population was about 17,000. Although a small town, Concord is noted for its leading roles in American history and literature...
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{{BS|exBUE||Massachusetts Route 2}}
{{BS|exHST||Reformatory Station}}
{{BS|exWBRÜCKE||
Sudbury RiverThe Sudbury River is located in Middlesex County in Massachusetts.Originating in the Cedar Swamp in Westborough, Massachusetts near the boundary with Hopkinton; it meanders for 32 miles to the confluence with the Assabet River in Concord, Massachusetts to form the Concord River. It has a 162 square...
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Concord RiverThe Concord River is a tributary of the Merrimack River in eastern Massachusetts in the United States. The river, approximately 15 mi long, drains a small rural and suburban region northwest of Boston. One of the most famous small rivers in U.S...
}}
{{BS|exBHF||Lowell Road (Central Concord)}}
{{BS|exBUE||Monument Street}}
{{BS|exBUE||Massachusetts Route 62}}
{{BS|exLUECKE|||}}
{{BS||||In
BillericaBillerica is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 38,981 at the 2000 census.- History :Billerica's prehistoric history, represented by a Native American burial site, dates to circa 1000 B.C....
:}}
{{BS3|||eABZq+lr||
Boston and Lowell RailroadThe Boston and Lowell Railroad is a historic railroad that operated in Massachusetts. It was one of the first railroads in North America and the first major one in the state...
}}
{{BS3|||exHST||North Billerica}}
{{BS3|||exBHF||Billerica}}
{{BS3|||exHST||Nutting Lake}}
{{BS3||exLUECKE|exHST||South Billerica}}
{{BS3||exGRENZE|exGRENZE|||In
BedfordBedford is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is within the Greater Boston area, north-west of the city of Boston. The population of Bedford was 12,595 at the 2000 census.- History :...
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{{BS3||exSTR|exHST||Bedford Springs}}
{{BS3||exSTR|exBUE||Great Road}}
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Middlesex and Boston Street RailwayThe Middlesex and Boston Street Railway was a streetcar and later bus company in the area west of Boston, Massachusetts. Streetcars last ran in 1930, and in 1972 the company's operations were merged into the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority .-History:The company was first chartered as...
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{{BS3||exBUE|exSTR||South Road}}
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{{BS|exBHF|14.81|
BedfordBedford is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is within the Greater Boston area, north-west of the city of Boston. The population of Bedford was 12,595 at the 2000 census.- History :...
Depot}}
{{BS|exWBRÜCKE||Elm Brook}}
{{BS|exGRENZE|||in
LexingtonLexington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 30,355 at the 2000 census.The town is famous for being the site of the opening shots of the American Revolution, in the Battle of Lexington on April 19, 1775....
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Hanscom Air Force BaseHanscom Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located 5 mi SSW of Bedford, Massachusetts, about 15 mi NW of Boston. It lies immediately south and east of Hanscom Field. The base is named after Laurence G...
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{{BS|exAKRZo||
Interstate 95Interstate 95 is the main highway on the East Coast of the United States, paralleling the Atlantic Ocean from Maine to Florida and serving some of the most populated urban areas in the country, including Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and Miami. It is one of the...
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{{BS|exmKRZ||Bedford St. (Routes 4, 225),
M&BSt.Ry.The Middlesex and Boston Street Railway was a streetcar and later bus company in the area west of Boston, Massachusetts. Streetcars last ran in 1930, and in 1972 the company's operations were merged into the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority .-History:The company was first chartered as...
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{{BS|exHST|12.28|North Lexington}}
{{BS|exBHF|11.06|
LexingtonLexington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 30,355 at the 2000 census.The town is famous for being the site of the opening shots of the American Revolution, in the Battle of Lexington on April 19, 1775....
Station}}
{{BS|exHST|10.09|Munroe Station}}
{{BS|exSBRÜCKE||Pierce's Bridge (Maple Street)}}
{{BS|exHST|9.72|Pierce's Bridge Station}}
{{BS|exHST|9.02|East Lexington Station}}
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ArlingtonArlington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, six miles northwest of Boston. The population was 42,389 at the 2000 census.-History:...
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{{BS|exHST|8.06|Arlington Heights}}
{{BS|exSBRÜCKE||Park Avenue}}
{{BS|exHST|7.20|Brattle Station}}
{{BS|exBHF|6.34|Arlington Centre Station}}
{{BS|exmKRZ||Mass. Avenue (
U.S. Route 3U.S. Route 3 is a north-south United States highway that runs from its southern terminus in Cambridge, Massachusetts through New Hampshire to its terminus near Third Connecticut Lake at the Canadian border, where the road continues north as Quebec Route 257....
) and
BERyThe Boston Elevated Railway was a precursor first to the Metropolitan Transit Authority in Massachusetts , and now to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, operating rapid transit, streetcars and buses in the Boston, Massachusetts area...
}}
{{BS|exHST|5.47|Lake Street Station}}
{{BS|exmKRZ||Lake Street}}
{{BS|exAKRZu||Massachusetts Route 2}}
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CambridgeCambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, a nexus of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Notably, Cambridge is home to two internationally prominent...
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Alewife Brook ParkwayAlewife Brook Parkway is a short parkway in Cambridge and Somerville, Massachusetts. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places...
(Routes 2, 16, U.S. 3)}}
{{BS|exHST|4.59|Brick Yards (Fens) Station}}
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Fitchburg RailroadThe Fitchburg Railroad is a former railroad company, which built a railroad line across northern Massachusetts, USA, leading to and through the Hoosac Tunnel...
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Mileage from Boston
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The
Lexington and West Cambridge Railroad was a railroad company chartered in 1845 and opened in 1846, that operated in eastern
MassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. Most of its population of...
. It and its successors provided passenger service until 1977 and freight service until 1980 or early 1981.
History
A single track line was constructed in 1845-46, connecting
LexingtonLexington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 30,355 at the 2000 census.The town is famous for being the site of the opening shots of the American Revolution, in the Battle of Lexington on April 19, 1775....
Center to the
Fitchburg RailroadThe Fitchburg Railroad is a former railroad company, which built a railroad line across northern Massachusetts, USA, leading to and through the Hoosac Tunnel...
(now the MBTA
Fitchburg LineThe Fitchburg Line is an MBTA line that runs from Boston's North Station to Fitchburg, Massachusetts. The line is along the tracks of the former Fitchburg Railroad, which was a railroad line across northern Massachusetts, United States, leading to and through the Hoosac Tunnel. It is one of the...
) in West Cambridge (near the site of the modern Alewife Station). When the separate
town of West Cambridge changed its name to
ArlingtonArlington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, six miles northwest of Boston. The population was 42,389 at the 2000 census.-History:...
in 1867, the railroad was also renamed, as the
Lexington and Arlington Railroad.
The
Boston and Lowell RailroadThe Boston and Lowell Railroad is a historic railroad that operated in Massachusetts. It was one of the first railroads in North America and the first major one in the state...
purchased the line in 1870 and built a new connection (most of which would constitute a major portion of the later
Fitchburg CutoffThe Fitchburg Cutoff Path is a short, unpaved multi-use rail trail located in suburban Boston, Massachusetts.The 0.8 mile path runs from Brighton Street in Belmont, Massachusetts to the Alewife station at the northern end of the MBTA Red Line in Cambridge...
) to their main line at Somerville Junction. It created a subsidiary, the
Middlesex Central Railroad, to build an extension from Lexington to
BedfordBedford is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is within the Greater Boston area, north-west of the city of Boston. The population of Bedford was 12,595 at the 2000 census.- History :...
and then
ConcordConcord is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2000 Census, the town population was about 17,000. Although a small town, Concord is noted for its leading roles in American history and literature...
Center (Lowell Road), which opened in 1873. The Lowell Road station was adjacent to today's Minuteman National Historical Park. A {{convert|2.5|mi|km|adj=on}} extension from Concord Center to Concord Prison (Reformatory Station on Elm Street) would give the name
Reformatory Branch to the Bedford-Concord segment in 1879. The branch continued another half mile further west to a junction (called "Concord Junction" or "Middlesex Junction" per different sources) with the Nashua, Acton & Boston Railroad and other rail lines.
The independent
Billerica and Bedford Railroad|}The Billerica and Bedford Railroad was an early narrow gauge railroad in Massachusetts, built to demonstrate the advantages of a gauge railroad....
built a connecting
narrow gaugeA narrow gauge railway is a railway that has a track gauge narrower than the of standard gauge railways. Most existing narrow gauge railways have gauges of or less.- Overview :...
line in 1877, but went bankrupt the next year. In 1885, the Middlesex Central purchased the right-of-way and used it to build a
standard gaugeThe standard gauge is a widely-used rail gauge. Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
extension to
North BillericaNorth Billerica is a passenger rail station on MBTA Commuter Rail's Lowell Line, located in North Billerica, Massachusetts and serves close to 300,000 commuters....
from Bedford. The North Billerica-Boston segment was known as the
Lexington Branch.
The
Boston and Maine RailroadThe Boston and Maine Corporation , known as the Boston and Maine Railroad until 1964, was the dominant railroad of the northern New England region of the United States for a century...
purchased all of the Boston and Lowell in 1887. "The right of way as far as Lexington was double tracked in 1888", according to Worden, and evidence of double width bridge abutments still exist in Arlington, but 20th century maps strongly suggest the line, apart from sidings, remained single track up into its latter days. This conclusion is further supported by a referenced text describing the declining days of passenger service to Arlington, and by photographs.
Regular service on the line used the route through Somerville Junction, via West Somerville (
Davis SquareDavis Square is a major intersection in the northwestern section of Somerville, Massachusetts where several streets meet: Holland Street, Dover Street, Day Street, Elm Street, Highland Avenue, and College Avenue.- Location :...
) and North Cambridge, from 1870 until 1927, at which time it reverted to the original route via the Fitchburg main line. The latter route is represented in the chart at the right (with present-day highways superimposed). The branch split off from the main line about 0.4 mile west of the West Cambridge Station, located 4.16 miles from Boston at Sherman Street on the main line.
At one time, around the turn of the century, there were 38 trains a day through Arlington, a lesser number through Lexington.{{Fact|sourcing needed for latter clause|date=May 2009}} On April 24, 1926, passenger service ended on the Reformatory Branch, and on February 5, 1927, the remaining freight service was abandoned on the short segment between Concord Center and Reformatory Station. On December 31, 1931, passenger service on the outer Lexington Branch from Bedford and North Billerica was discontinued. Remaining services were converted from steam to diesel trains in 1956.
In 1962, the Boston and Maine abandoned both segments north and west of Bedford. It was noted at the time that the Bedford-Concord section had only seen 19 trains in 19 years. The town of Bedford purchased the rights of way within its boundaries in 1963.
By 1965, the
Massachusetts Bay Transportation AuthorityThe Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, often referred to as the MBTA or simply The T, is "a body politic and corporate, and a political subdivision" of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts...
was subsidizing a single daily passenger train (using
Budd Rail Diesel CarThe Budd Rail Diesel Car or RDC is a self-propelled diesel-hydraulic multiple unit railcars. In the period 1949–62, 398 RDCs were built by the Budd Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States...
s) between Boston and Bedford. On December 26, 1976, the MBTA purchased the rights of way and passenger equipment from the Boston and Maine (which retained freight trackage rights). Operation of
MBTA Commuter RailThe Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company Co. serves as the regional rail arm of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, in the United States. MBCR is joint partnership of three transportation companies including: Veolia Transportation, Bombardier and Alternate Concepts, Inc...
at that time was contracted to the Boston and Maine (later it was awarded to other private companies).
Beginning on January 10, 1977, a snowstorm blocked the line for a few days, after which the MBTA announced it would not resume passenger service.
In 1979, the
Interstate Commerce CommissionThe Interstate Commerce Commission was a regulatory body in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887, which was signed into law by President Grover Cleveland...
gave permission for the
Boston and Maine RailroadThe Boston and Maine Corporation , known as the Boston and Maine Railroad until 1964, was the dominant railroad of the northern New England region of the United States for a century...
to stop running freights on the line. Common power on the branch at that time was SW # 1227. The last freight train to ply the line was hauled by a
GP9An EMD GP9 is a four-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division in the United States, and General Motors Diesel in Canada between January, 1954, and August, 1963. US production ended in December, 1959, while an additional thirteen units were built in Canada, including...
, with 23 cars. According to one source the final trip was in 1980, and the same year the tracks were severed from the main line. Another source gives the date of the final run as January 31, 1981.
In 1980, a federal judge ruled that the Lexington Branch must be restored after construction of the parking garage at Alewife Station over the right-of-way. In 1981, the MBTA and the town of Arlington signed an agreement allowing the line to be abandoned, and town land to be used temporarily for construction access, in return for support for bikeway conversion.
Rail trails
The right-of-way was railbanked in 1991. Although the rails were removed, trackage can be relaid without objection if the MBTA should find it necessary.
The
Minuteman BikewayThe Minuteman Bikeway is a 10 mile paved multi-use rail trail located in the Greater Boston area of Massachusetts.-Route:|}The Minuteman Bikeway runs from Bedford to the Alewife station at the northern end of the Red Line in Cambridge. It passes through the towns of Lexington and Arlington on the...
opened between Alewife and Bedford in 1993. A former Boston and Maine
RDCThe Budd Rail Diesel Car or RDC is a self-propelled diesel-hydraulic multiple unit railcars. In the period 1949–62, 398 RDCs were built by the Budd Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States...
of the type used on the line was purchased and is on display at the western end of the trail at Bedford Depot Park.
The
Alewife Linear Park (portions of which are also known as the
Somerville Community PathThe Somerville Community Path is a project to build a mixed-use path in Somerville, Massachusetts, from the Cambridge border near Davis Square to the Cambridge border near Lechmere Square. Roughly 0.8 miles of the path is finished and in use...
and the Cambridge Linear Park) follows the right-of-way used by the Lexington Branch from 1870 to 1927, from Somerville nearly to Alewife. One of the main access points to the Linear Park is situated where the park crosses Massachusetts Avenue, at the intersection with Cedar Street, adjacent to which the North Cambridge station was located.
The
Narrow Gauge Rail Trail connects at Bedford Depot and heads north toward
BillericaBillerica is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 38,981 at the 2000 census.- History :Billerica's prehistoric history, represented by a Native American burial site, dates to circa 1000 B.C....
, passing Fawn Lake (also known as Hayden Pond). The current connection is indirect; the Minuteman ends at South Road, but the Narrow Gauge begins at Loomis Street just east of Hartford Street. The Bedford DPW is planning a more direct, {{convert|10|ft|m|adj=on}} sidewalk connection. It is named after the
Billerica and Bedford Railroad|}The Billerica and Bedford Railroad was an early narrow gauge railroad in Massachusetts, built to demonstrate the advantages of a gauge railroad....
, even though a standard-gauge railroad succeeded it. A historical recreation of the narrow-gauge predecessor has been installed near Loomis Street. The trail is paved only from Loomis Street to Great Road; after that it is improved with stone dust. The public portion of the trail ends after five miles (8 km) at the Bedford/Billerica town line (marked with a pair of gates in the middle of the woods), after which it becomes sandy (requiring a mountain bike or walking on foot) and continues on private property. Bedford plans to pave its portion of the trail and name it the "Narrow Gauge Bikeway".
The
Reformatory Branch Rail Trail follows the old right-of-way from Railroad Avenue at Bedford Depot Park to Concord, though the bridge over the
Sudbury RiverThe Sudbury River is located in Middlesex County in Massachusetts.Originating in the Cedar Swamp in Westborough, Massachusetts near the boundary with Hopkinton; it meanders for 32 miles to the confluence with the Assabet River in Concord, Massachusetts to form the Concord River. It has a 162 square...
no longer exists. The unimproved dirt hiking trail passes the
Great Meadows National Wildlife RefugeThe Great Meadows Wildlife Refuge, is a twelve-mile long river wetlands conservation area, in two major parcels, stretching from the towns of Billerica, Massachusetts to Wayland, Massachusetts , along the Concord and Sudbury rivers...
. It is {{convert|4|mi|km}} to Lowell Road in Concord, and then another {{convert|2.5|mi|km}} on the other side of the river to the Concord State Prison.
The Narrow Gauge and Reformatory Branch Rail Trails are part of the Bay Circuit Trail and Greenway, which hopes to expand to include the private portion of the Narrow Gauge.