Lowell Junction
Encyclopedia
Lowell Junction is a railroad junction located in Andover, Massachusetts
about one mile south of the village of Ballardvale
.
The junction was created by the Boston and Maine Railroad
in 1874, when they ran a branch line
off their main line to connect with the city of Lowell
in order to compete with its rival the Boston and Lowell Railroad
.
The branch line was built under the name of the Lowell and Andover Railroad
and gave the B&M a direct link between Lowell and Boston which it did not have before because of a 30 year monopoly that the Boston & Lowell was granted when it received its charter in 1830. By 1865, the monopoly was gone and the B&M was free to build a line to Lowell.
The rail junction is still in use today by Pan Am Railways
as part of its Freight Main Line between Maine
and upstate New York
, but the connection between the former Lowell Branch and the main line heading south to Boston is not in service, as the freight service between Lowell and Boston is run down the old Boston & Lowell main line.
Before the junction was put in, the area was very rural and part of Ballardvale Village. After the junction went in, Lowell Jct has built up with industrial parks, office buildings and small neighborhoods.
Andover, Massachusetts
Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It was incorporated in 1646 and as of the 2010 census, the population was 33,201...
about one mile south of the village of Ballardvale
Ballardvale, Massachusetts
Ballardvale is a village located within the boundaries of the town of Andover, Essex County, Massachusetts, United States...
.
The junction was created by the Boston and Maine Railroad
Boston and Maine Railroad
The 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...
in 1874, when they ran a branch line
Branch line
A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line...
off their main line to connect with the city of Lowell
Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 106,519. It is the fourth largest city in the state. Lowell and Cambridge are the county seats of Middlesex County...
in order to compete with its rival the Boston and Lowell Railroad
Boston and Lowell Railroad
The 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...
.
The branch line was built under the name of the Lowell and Andover Railroad
Lowell and Andover Railroad
The Lowell and Andover Railroad was a branch line of the Boston and Maine Railroad and was organized in 1873, after the Boston and Lowell Railroad's monopoly on Boston to Lowell service ended in 1865...
and gave the B&M a direct link between Lowell and Boston which it did not have before because of a 30 year monopoly that the Boston & Lowell was granted when it received its charter in 1830. By 1865, the monopoly was gone and the B&M was free to build a line to Lowell.
The rail junction is still in use today by Pan Am Railways
Pan Am Railways
Pan Am Railways, Inc. , known as Guilford Rail System before March 2006, is a holding company that owns and operates Class II regional railroads covering northern New England from Mattawamkeag, Maine to Rotterdam Junction, New York...
as part of its Freight Main Line between Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
and upstate New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, but the connection between the former Lowell Branch and the main line heading south to Boston is not in service, as the freight service between Lowell and Boston is run down the old Boston & Lowell main line.
Before the junction was put in, the area was very rural and part of Ballardvale Village. After the junction went in, Lowell Jct has built up with industrial parks, office buildings and small neighborhoods.
External links
- Boston & Maine Railroad Historical Society
- July 1, 1923 Official List - Officers, Agents and Stations
- Town of Andover
- GIS Property Maps
- Andover Historical Society.
- Andover, Massachusetts: Proceedings at the Celebration of the Two Hundred and Fiftieth Anniversary of the Incorporation of the Town, May 20, 1896 at books.google.
- Pan Am Railways official website