East Junction Branch: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description| |
{{Short description|Railway line in Rhode Island and Massachusetts}} |
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{{good article}} |
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{{Infobox rail line |
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| name = East Junction Branch |
| name = East Junction Branch |
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| image = East Providence arch bridge, December 2021.jpg |
| image = East Providence arch bridge, December 2021.jpg |
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| Line 7: | Line 9: | ||
| end = [[East Providence, Rhode Island|East Providence]] |
| end = [[East Providence, Rhode Island|East Providence]] |
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| connectinglines = [[East Providence Branch]], [[Northeast Corridor]] |
| connectinglines = [[East Providence Branch]], [[Northeast Corridor]] |
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| formerconnections = [[Providence, Warren and Bristol Railroad |
| formerconnections = [[Providence, Warren and Bristol Railroad]] |
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| open = 1835 |
| open = 1835 |
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| owner = [[ |
| owner = [[Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority]], [[Providence and Worcester Railroad]] |
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| operator = [[CSX Transportation]] (Attleboro) <br/> |
| operator = [[CSX Transportation]] (Attleboro) <br/> |
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[[Providence and Worcester Railroad]] (East Providence and Seekonk) |
[[Providence and Worcester Railroad]] (East Providence and Seekonk) |
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| Line 15: | Line 17: | ||
| linelength_footnotes = , line formerly 7.69 mi (12.38 km) |
| linelength_footnotes = , line formerly 7.69 mi (12.38 km) |
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| gauge = {{RailGauge|ussg}} |
| gauge = {{RailGauge|ussg}} |
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| map = <mapframe text="Map of the East Junction Branch" width="300" height="300" latitude="41.8641" longitude="-71.3596" zoom="11"> |
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| electrification = {{600 V DC|conductor=overhead}} (electrified between 1900-1934 on the portion south of the [[Crook Point Bascule Bridge]] for [[New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad|New Haven]] trains) |
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{ |
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"type": "ExternalData", |
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"service": "geoline", |
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"ids": "Q5328684", |
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"properties": { |
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"title": "East Junction Branch", |
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"description": "The route of the East Junction Branch", |
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"stroke": "#ff0000", |
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"stroke-width": 3, |
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"fill": "#2aaf4d" |
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</mapframe> |
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The '''East Junction Branch''' (formerly known as the '''India Point Branch''') is a rail line in [[Rhode Island]] and [[Massachusetts]], in the United States. |
The '''East Junction Branch''' (formerly known as the '''India Point Branch''') is a rail line in [[Rhode Island]] and [[Massachusetts]], in the United States. Originally built by the [[Boston and Providence Railroad]] (B&P) in 1835, the line connects [[Attleboro, Massachusetts]], and [[East Providence, Rhode Island]] via [[Seekonk, Massachusetts]]. As built, the line continued across the [[Seekonk River]] to [[Providence, Rhode Island|Providence]] via the [[India Point Railroad Bridge]]; this connection was removed during the 1970s. The East Junction Branch meets the [[Northeast Corridor]] in Attleboro at a point known as East Junction, and ends at a connection to the [[East Providence Branch]] in East Providence. [[CSX Transportation]] operates freight service on the branch in Attleboro, while the [[Providence and Worcester Railroad]] (P&W) operates freight service in East Providence and across the state line into [[Seekonk, Massachusetts|Seekonk]]. The line is owned by the P&W in Rhode Island, and by the [[Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority]] in Massachusetts. |
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Built as part of the Boston and Providence Railroad mainline between Boston and Providence, the line was downgraded to a branch when a new mainline was built in 1847 west from Attleboro in conjunction with the original incarnation of the Providence and Worcester Railroad. The ill-fated [[Seekonk Branch Railroad]] built a short branch off the East Junction Branch within East Providence (then part of Seekonk), which was soon purchased by the B&P and later used as part of the [[Providence, Warren and Bristol Railroad]] when that railroad opened in 1855. The P&W completed its East Providence Branch in 1874, which originated in [[Valley Falls, Rhode Island|Valley Falls]] and met the East Junction Branch in East Providence. |
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The B&P was succeeded by the [[Old Colony Railroad]] in 1888, which was itself taken over by the [[New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad]] (the New Haven) in 1893. The [[Crook Point Bascule Bridge]] was completed in 1908 along with the [[East Side Railroad Tunnel]], allowing a new route from the East Junction Branch into Providence. |
The B&P was succeeded by the [[Old Colony Railroad]] in 1888, which was itself taken over by the [[New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad]] (the New Haven) in 1893. The [[Crook Point Bascule Bridge]] was completed in 1908 along with the [[East Side Railroad Tunnel]], allowing a new route from the East Junction Branch into Providence. Regular passenger service was discontinued by 1914, though special passenger trains serving [[Narragansett Park]] were introduced in the 1930s and continued to 1968. |
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[[Penn Central Transportation Company]] absorbed the New Haven in 1969. The India Point Railroad Bridge was decommissioned in 1974, cutting the East Junction Branch back to East Providence, and the Crook Point Bascule Bridge followed in 1976. The bankrupt Penn Central was merged into government-formed [[Conrail]] in 1976, and the newly-independent P&W was assigned operation of the East Junction Branch within Rhode Island, with Conrail retaining operations in Massachusetts. After CSX Transportation took over from Conrail in 1999, much of the Massachusetts portion was placed out of service in 2001; P&W reactivated some of this trackage in Seekonk to serve a new customer in 2007. An additional half of a mile (0.8 km) of the branch within East Providence was abandoned in 2006. |
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==History== |
==History== |
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[[File:View from Fort Hill, showing four bridges across the Seekonk River, Providence, RI.jpg|thumb|View of former railroad bridges that spanned the Seekonk River, the East Junction Branch formerly terminated at India Point on the western bank of the river]] |
[[File:View from Fort Hill, showing four bridges across the Seekonk River, Providence, RI.jpg|thumb|View of former railroad bridges that spanned the Seekonk River, the East Junction Branch formerly terminated at India Point on the western bank of the river|alt=early 20th century photograph of four railroad bridghes across a river]] |
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The East Junction Branch is part of the original main line of the [[Boston and Providence Railroad]] (B&P), opened in 1835.{{Sfn|Karr|2017|pp=182–183}} To reach Providence from Boston, the B&P chose a largely straight route that avoided curves; it was a straight shot southwest from [[Mansfield, Massachusetts]] to what was then part of [[Seekonk, Massachusetts]], (later transferred to Rhode Island as [[East Providence, Rhode Island|East Providence]]).{{Refn|The east bank of the Seekonk River (including East Providence, Pawtucket, and Bristol) was returned to Rhode Island in 1862, as part of a land swap which saw Fall River return to Massachusetts. This placed the new state border between Pawtucket and the portion of Seekonk retained by Massachusetts.{{Sfn|Heppner|2012|pp=30–31}}|group=notes}} Seekonk was just across the [[Seekonk River]] from Providence, and a ferry initially made the final leg of the trip into the city until a wooden drawbridge, the first of several incarnations of the [[India Point Railroad Bridge]], was completed and allowed trains to enter [[India Point Park|India Point]].{{Sfn|Karr|2017|pp=175–177}} The B&P was joined in Providence by the [[New York, Providence and Boston Railroad]] in 1837, but the two lines did not directly meet. Ferries ran from India Point to the [[South Side, Providence, Rhode Island|South Side of Providence]] to allow passengers to transfer trains.{{Sfn|Karr|2017|p=177}} |
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The East Junction Branch is part of the original [[Boston and Providence Rail Road]], opened in 1835.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.prrths.com/Hagley/PRR1835%20June%2004.wd.pdf |title=PRR Chronology, 1835 }} {{small|(95.9 [[Kibibyte|KiB]])}}, June 2004 Edition</ref> The original terminal of the B&P was [[India Point Railroad Bridge|India Point]]; at the time the early railroad was built in 1835 East Providence was still part of [[Seekonk, Massachusetts]] and for a time the east bank of the [[Seekonk River]] would be the terminal since Rhode Island's lawmakers initially had doubts about allowing the railroad to cross the river into Providence. However, by the time regular service began in July 1835, about a thousand feet of track had been built in Rhode Island to a steamboat dock at India Point.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=RHODE ISLAND RAILROADS - EAST PROVIDENCE NORTH |url=https://sites.google.com/site/rhodeislandrailroads/home/east-providence-south/east-providence-north |access-date=2022-11-19 |website=sites.google.com |language=en-US}}</ref> |
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Once the railroad bridge was completed, the B&P found itself in conflict with another company: the Seekonk Branch Railroad, chartered in 1836 to build a railroad between the B&P in Seekonk and a wharf on the Seekonk River. The Seekonk Branch Railroad intended to use the B&P bridge to run its own trains into Providence, treating the route much like a [[toll road]]. However, the B&P objected to this for safety reasons, and upon litigation the [[Massachusetts General Court]] refused to permit the practice, requiring Seekonk Branch Railroad trains be hauled by Boston and Providence Railroad locomotives into Providence.<ref>{{Cite report |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uiug.30112061414659&seq=4 |title=Report and Bill on the Petition of the Seekonk Branch Rail-Road Company |last=Massachusetts Senate Committee on Railways and Canals |date=1838 |pages=3–5, 36–38}}</ref> In 1839, the Boston and Providence Railroad absorbed the Seekonk Branch Railroad.<ref>{{Cite report |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W_MWAAAAYAAJ&dq=seekonk+branch+railroad&pg=RA3-PA185 |title=Annual Reports of the Railroad Corporations in the State of Massachusetts For 1848 |last=Massachusetts General Court Joint Standing Committee on Railways and Canals |date=1849 |publisher=Dutton and Wentworth, State Printers |location=Boston |pages=196–197}}</ref> |
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The eastern bank of the Seekonk River opposite India Point was the junction of several railroads. It was the southern terminal of the Seekonk Branch Railroad, a short-lived Boston & Providence rival which owned a quarter mile spur between the B&P south to a privately owned dock. The Seekonk Branch Railroad failed to win a legal battle with the B&P due to [[Massachusetts State Legislature]] that allowed a railroad company to deny any traffic on private right-of-ways; the Seekonk Branch folded and sold its property to the B&P in 1839.<ref name=":0" /> |
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Providence's third railroad, the [[Providence and Worcester Railroad]], opened between its namesake cities in 1847. The P&W and B&P collaborated on a new joint line out of Providence which split in [[Central Falls, Rhode Island]]; the B&P built a new mainline from that point to its original main line in [[Attleboro, Massachusetts|Attleboro]]. The new route became the primary line out of Boston, while the original route into Providence was retained as a branch line, named the East Junction Branch for the point where the new route split from the old one. Made largely redundant by the new route into Providence, most passenger service was dropped at this time apart from trains meeting steamboats at India Point.{{Sfn|Karr|2017|pp=177–178, 182–183}} |
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The area of Seekonk that banked the [[Seekonk River]] was reincorporated as [[East Providence, Rhode Island]] as part of a boundary settlement between the two states in 1862; this would effectively split the line between the two states.<ref name=":0" /> |
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The [[Providence, Warren and Bristol Railroad]] was completed in 1855, connecting to the East Junction Branch in Seekonk (today East Providence). The bridge across the Seekonk River was initially used by the PW&B to reach Providence via trackage rights. Per the PW&B charter, the railroad also had the right to connect with Boston and Providence Railroad passenger trains in Seekonk to provide service to Boston, but this was not taken advantage of.{{Sfn|Heppner|2012|pp=103–104}} |
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=== Expansion === |
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The line would officially become a branch in 1847 with the opening of the new B&P mainline from East Junction to Providence.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.prrths.com/Hagley/PRR1847%20Apr%2005.pdf |title=PRR Chronology, 1847 }} {{small|(40.7 [[Kibibyte|KiB]])}}, April 2005 Edition</ref> After [[Union Station (Providence)|Union Station]] was opened in the center of Providence in 1848, it became the Boston & Providence's main terminal and the facilities along the harbor were used thereafter mainly for freight. The [[Providence, Warren and Bristol Railroad|Providence, Warren & Bristol]] was built through East Providence in 1855 to reach India Point and [[Fox Point, Providence, Rhode Island|Fox Point]] from the south; the PW&B would continue south towards [[Bristol, Rhode Island|Bristol]] and would also construct a branch to [[Fall River, Massachusetts|Fall River]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Providence, Warren and Bristol Railroad - Abandoned Rails |url=https://www.abandonedrails.com/providence-warren-and-bristol-railroad |access-date=2022-11-19 |website=www.abandonedrails.com}}</ref> |
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Upon its completion in 1874, the P&W's [[East Providence Branch]] connected with the East Junction Branch in East Providence, then followed the PW&B right of way to [[Bold Point]].{{Sfn|Karr|2017|p=169}} Passenger train service resumed on the East Junction Branch circa 1880.{{Sfn|Karr|2017|pp=182–183}} |
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=== Operations under Old Colony and New Haven === |
=== Operations under Old Colony and New Haven === |
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The B&P was leased by the [[Old Colony Railroad]] in 1888 and the line was labeled as the India Point Branch. The [[New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad]] leased the Old Colony in 1893.{{Sfn|Karr|2017|p=176}} |
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[[File:New lift bridge, Seekonk River, Providence, RI.jpg|thumb|The construction of the Crook Point Bascule Bridge allowed access to Providence Union Station via the East Junction Branch]] |
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The B&P was leased by the [[Old Colony Railroad]] in 1888 and the line was labeled as the India Point Branch. The [[New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad]] leased the Old Colony in 1893. |
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By 1903, passenger service was provided by a single combination baggage/passenger car pulled by a steam locomotive, which ran two round trips daily between East Providence and East Junction. The only regular stop was at Rumford, while a flag stop was also maintained at Perrin's. Passenger numbers averaged in the single digits per trip, and sometimes the train ran with no passengers at all; tickets could not be purchased in Providence and the ''Providence Journal'' attested that most local residents were unaware the passenger train was available. This train continued running to fulfil the New Haven's requirement to provide passenger service on the line, which held far more value as a route for freight trains.<ref>{{Cite news |date=October 22, 1903 |title=Two Branch Railroads Near the Centre of East Providence |page=8 |work=Manufacturers' and Farmers' Journal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Bc9iAAAAIBAJ&dq=east+providence+branch+railroad&pg=PA8&article_id=5153,7852831}}</ref> |
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The electrification of the Providence, Warren & Bristol in 1900 increased the feasibility of a mile-long tunnel under College Hill to provide a way of getting trains from the east bay to Union Station in the center of Providence and an alternate route to Boston. The [[Crook Point Bascule Bridge]] along with the [[East Side Railroad Tunnel|East Side Tunnel]] and a downtown viaduct were put into service on November 15, 1908.<ref>Scherzer, Albert H. ''Scherzer Rolling Lift Bridges''. 1908. Chicago: Scherzer Rolling Lift Bridge Co. of Chicago</ref> |
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The electrification of the Providence, Warren & Bristol in 1900 increased the feasibility of a mile-long (1.6 km) tunnel under College Hill to provide a way of getting trains from the east bay to Union Station in the center of Providence and an alternate route to Boston. The [[Crook Point Bascule Bridge]] along with the [[East Side Railroad Tunnel|East Side Tunnel]] and a downtown viaduct were put into service on November 15, 1908, adding a new connection between the East Junction Branch and downtown Providence.<ref>Scherzer, Albert H. ''Scherzer Rolling Lift Bridges''. 1908. Chicago: Scherzer Rolling Lift Bridge Co. of Chicago</ref> |
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=== Decline === |
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Although the line was well patronized and service was frequent for many years, growing automobile ownership doomed passenger services on the line. In 1934 the NYNH&H dismantled electrification on their Providence-Bristol route before ceasing all passenger service on the line in 1938. Passenger services on the East Junction Branch would persist during the 1950s and early 1960s; a station located at the [[Narragansett Park|Narragansett Park Horse Track]] attracted substantial ridership for the line during this time.<ref>{{Cite web |title=East Providence Stations |url=http://www.nashuacitystation.org/station/rhode-island/providence/east-providence/ |access-date=2022-11-19 |website=www.nashuacitystation.org |language=en}}</ref> |
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The New Haven sought to double-track the branch between East Providence and East Junction, and approval for this work along with the elimination of several grade crossings came in October 1912. This was intended to allow for a continuous double-tracked route from East Junction to the Crook Point Bridge.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |date=October 27, 1912 |title=Hearing Announced |page=27 |work=The Sunday Tribune |location=Providence, Rhode Island |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xz1hAAAAIBAJ&dq=east+providence+grade+crossing+elimination&pg=PA27&article_id=1732,6633620}}</ref><ref name=":2" /> This work was budgeted at $405,000 in 1910.<ref name=":2">{{Cite report |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KSQwAQAAMAAJ&dq=%22east+junction%22+branch+double+track&pg=PA5307 |title=Evidence Taken by the Interstate Commerce Commission in the Matter of Proposed Advances in Freight Rates by Carriers |last=Interstate Commerce Commission |date=December 21, 1910 |publisher=Government Printing Office |location=Washington |volume=9 |page=5307}}</ref> As part of the construction, Rumford station was to be moved approximately {{Convert|500|ft|m}} east. Pawtucket Avenue ([[Rhode Island Route 114]] / [[U.S. Route 1A#Rhode Island|U.S. Route 1A]]) was to be grade-separated with a new bridge.<ref name=":1" /> Double tracking was completed by November 1913.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=November 15, 1913 |title=New York, New Haven & Hartford RR. Abstracts from Forty-Second General Statement–For the Year Ended June 30, 1913 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FCLfd833aSkC&dq=east+junction+east+providence+second+track&pg=PA385 |journal=The Statist |volume=78 |pages=384–385 |via=Google Books}}</ref> |
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In 1969 the New Haven was merged into [[Penn Central Transportation]]; soon thereafter, all passenger services between Union Station via the East Junction branch ceased.<ref>{{cite web |title=PRR Chronology, 1969 |url=http://www.prrths.com/Hagley/PRR1969%20June%2004.wd.pdf}} {{small|(80.5 [[Kibibyte|KiB]])}}, June 2004 Edition</ref> The MBTA acquired the piece in Massachusetts on January 27, 1973, despite it not seeing any passenger service.<ref>Jonathan Belcher, {{cite web |title=Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district 1964-2006 |url=http://www.transithistory.org/roster/MBTARouteHistory.pdf}}, October 4, 2006 version</ref> The newly independent [[Providence and Worcester Railroad]] assumed operations on the Rhode Island portion of the branch in 1976, while PC successor [[Conrail]] inherited freight rights on the Massachusetts portion.<ref name=":02">{{Cite book |last=Karr |first=Ronald Dale |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1038017689 |title=The Rail Lines of Southern New England |publisher=Branch Line Press |year=2017 |isbn=978-0-942147-12-4 |edition=2nd |location=Pepperell, Massachusetts |pages=165–169, 175–183 |oclc=1038017689 |access-date=2021-10-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211024110057/https://www.worldcat.org/title/rail-lines-of-southern-new-england-a-handbook-of-railroad-history/oclc/1038017689?referer=br&ht=edition |archive-date=2021-10-24 |url-status=live}}</ref> |
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Regular passenger service was discontinued by 1914. While regular passenger service never returned to the branch, dedicated passenger trains connecting to [[Narragansett Park]] were introduced by 1937 and continued until the end of the New Haven Railroad in 1968.{{Sfn|Karr|2017|pp=182–183}} |
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When Rhode Island ended passenger rail subsidies for MBTA services to Providence in 1981, a potential [[MBTA Commuter Rail|commuter rail]] extension of the [[Providence/Stoughton Line|Attleboro line]] to a new terminus near Newman Avenue in [[Seekonk, Massachusetts|Seekonk]] via the East Junction Branch was briefly considered. Service subsidies to Rhode Island were restored in 1988 which negated the need for a Seekonk station; north Seekonk would instead be serviced by [[South Attleboro station]] which opened along the Northeast Corridor in 1990. |
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=== After the New Haven === |
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The line from Wilkesbarre Pier to Bristol was officially abandoned in 1976 due to low freight demand. That same year, the Crook Point Bascule Bridge, East Side Tunnel, and [[India Point Railroad Bridge|India Point Bridge]] were also abandoned.<ref>{{cite news |date=14 September 2001 |title=Railroad bridge's days numbered |newspaper=Providence Journal |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/projo/doc/397553048.html |access-date=16 March 2014}}{{Dead link|date=October 2022|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}</ref> The east side viaduct was demolished when the Northeast Corridor was re-routed to facilitate remodeling of the downtown area of Providence in the early 1980s; [[Providence station|Providence Station]] would replace the old Union Station in 1986. |
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[[File:Boston and Providence Railroad milestone in East Providence, December 2021.jpg|thumb|Boston and Providence Railroad milestone in East Providence|alt=old milestone, vandalized with red paint, adjacent to a single-line railroad track]] |
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The bankrupt New Haven was absorbed by [[Penn Central Transportation Company|Penn Central]] at the end of 1968; this was the end of all remaining passenger service on the line.{{Sfn|Karr|2017|pp=176–177}} The [[Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority]] (MBTA) acquired the piece in Massachusetts on January 27, 1973, despite it not seeing any passenger service; Penn Central continued to provide freight service via trackage rights.<ref>Jonathan Belcher, {{cite web |title=Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district 1964–2006 |url=http://www.transithistory.org/roster/MBTARouteHistory.pdf}}, October 4, 2006 version</ref>{{Sfn|Karr|2017|p=183}} During Penn Central's tenure, trains ceased using the full length of the branch, with only local freight trains remaining.{{Sfn|Karr|2017|p=183}} The newly independent [[Providence and Worcester Railroad]] assumed operations on the Rhode Island portion of the branch in 1976, while PC successor [[Conrail]] inherited freight rights on the Massachusetts portion.{{Sfn|Karr|2017|p=183}} By 1976, the India Point Railroad Bridge and the associated trackage in Providence were also abandoned, though the bridge remained intact until the removal of the swing portion from 2001 to 2002.{{Sfn|Karr|2017|p=183}}<ref>{{Cite web |last=Anderson |first=Patrick |date=March 30, 2023 |title=The end is near for East Providence's India Point Railroad Bridge to nowhere |url=https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/politics/state/2023/03/30/india-point-railroad-bridge-a-ri-bridge-to-nowhere-being-removed/70064783007/ |access-date=2023-11-19 |website=The Providence Journal |language=en-US}}</ref> The remainder of the bridge was removed in 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Doiron |first=Sarah |date=April 18, 2023 |title=Long-defunct 'bridge to nowhere' removed from Seekonk River |url=https://www.wpri.com/dont-miss/long-defunct-bridge-to-nowhere-removed-from-seekonk-river/ |access-date=2023-11-19 |website=WPRI.com |language=en-US}}</ref> The Crook Point Bascule Bridge was closed to rail traffic in 1981 following its purchase by the Rhode Island Department of Transportation, removing the last connection across the Seekonk River to Providence.{{Sfn|Karr|2017|pp=173–174}} |
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After assuming Conrail's operations on the branch, CSX formally placed the Massachusetts portion out of service in 2001 excluding the first {{Convert|0.6|mi|km}} in Attleboro where an active customer remained. The remainder of Massachusetts section had not seen trains since Conrail suspended service in the 1980s.{{Sfn|Karr|2017|p=183}} In 2006, the remaining tracks of the Providence, Warren and Bristol Railroad were abandoned; the following year, the final half of a mile (0.8 km) of the East Junction Branch within East Providence was abandoned by the P&W, with a new connection built to the East Providence Branch.{{Sfn|Karr|2017|pp=174, 183}} P&W continued to serve only the Rhode Island portion of the East Junction Branch until 2007, when a metals customer north of Newman Avenue in Seekonk asked for renewed rail service. P&W returned the line to service into Seekonk for the new customer that year.{{Sfn|Karr|2017|p=183}} The remainder of the branch from Seekonk to Attleboro remains out of service as of 2017, but it has not been formally abandoned and the tracks have not been removed.{{Sfn|Karr|2017|p=183}} [[MBTA Commuter Rail]] maintained a layover facility for passenger trains at East Junction until 2006.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Rhode Island Department of Administration, Division of Planning |date=March 13, 2014 |title=Rhode Island State Rail Plan 2014 |url=https://planning.ri.gov/sites/g/files/xkgbur826/files/documents/trans/Rail/RI_State_Rail_Plan_2014.pdf |access-date=December 12, 2022 |website=Ri.gov |pages=1–2, 4–10}}</ref> |
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=== Current operations and route === |
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[[File:Boston and Providence Railroad milestone in East Providence, December 2021.jpg|left|thumb|Boston and Providence Railroad milestone in East Providence]] |
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The branch breaks from the Northeast Corridor at East Junction in [[Attleboro, Massachusetts|Attleboro]]; an [[Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority|MBTA]] yard is located at the junction. The branch travels southward through rural areas of [[Seekonk, Massachusetts|Seekonk]] before entering [[Pawtucket, Rhode Island|Pawtucket]] where it crosses the [[Ten Mile River (Seekonk River tributary)|Ten Mile River]] in [[Slater Park]]. The line continues into [[Rumford, Rhode Island|Rumford]] where it crosses the [[Boston and Providence Railroad Bridge]]; the branch then curves westward and connects to the [[East Providence Branch]] via a new track built by the P&W in 2006. |
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=== Current operations === |
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Freight would continue to service a scrapyard at Wilkesbarre Pier until the early 2000s.<ref>Dujardin, Richard. "Visions of a new East Providence waterfront". 13 July 2003</ref> CSX placed most of the Seekonk portion of the branch out of service in 2001 excluding the northernmost portion in Attleboro where an active customer remained; this 1.81 mile segment has remained in a state of neglect for over twenty years despite the line being considered active.<ref name=":02" /> In 2006, the final half of a mile in East Providence was abandoned by the P&W, with a new connection built to the East Providence Branch.<ref name=":02" /> P&W continued to serve only the Rhode Island portion of the East Junction Branch until 2007, when a metals customer north of Newman Avenue in Seekonk asked for renewed rail service. P&W returned the line to service into Seekonk for the new customer that year.<ref name=":02" /> |
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[[File:E_Prov_Branch_1993_Map.png|thumb|A map of the Rhode Island portion of the branch in 1993, showing its connection to the [[East Providence Branch]]|alt=black and white map showing Providence and East Providence, Rhode Island, and the Rhode Island portion of the East Junction Branch moving northeast or southwest]] |
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The P&W portion of the branch is served by local freight trains based out of [[Valley Falls Yard]] via the East Providence Branch.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Hartley |first=Scott A. |date=June 1994 |title=Yankee Independence: How Providence & Worcester grew from being an obscure branch of the New Haven into today's 400-mile regional |url=https://www.trains.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/june1994_5664.pdf |access-date=December 15, 2021 |magazine=[[Trains (magazine)|Trains]] |page=62}}</ref> The branch is single-track and has a speed limit of {{Convert|10|mph|kph}}.<ref name=":0" /> |
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== Former stations == |
== Former stations == |
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No stations are known to be preserved.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Roy, Jr. |first=John H. |title=A Field Guide to Southern New England Railroad Depots and Freight Houses |publisher=Branch Line Press |year=2007 |isbn=9780942147087 |location=Pepperell, Massachusetts |pages=317}}</ref> |
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There are no physical remnants of any station sites on the East Junction Branch. Several stations were either relocated to the [[Northeast Corridor|new B&P mainline]], cut early on or consolidated due to the emergence of [[streetcars]] in Pawtucket and East Providence. |
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!Location |
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!Milepost (km){{Sfn|Karr|2017|p=176}}<ref>{{cite book |title=Time Table No. 16 for Employees Only |date=April 28, 1963 |publisher=New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad |page=52}}</ref> |
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!Milepost (km) |
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!Notes |
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|[[ |
|[[Attleboro, Massachusetts|Attleboro]] |
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|East Junction |
|East Junction |
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|0 (0) |
|0 (0) |
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|[[File:East_Junction_station_1903.png|frameless|150x150px|alt=old locomotive with one passenger car attached]] |
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|<!--Image--> |
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|Junction with Boston and Providence main line |
|Junction with Boston and Providence main line |
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|- |
|- |
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|[[Seekonk, Massachusetts|Seekonk]] |
| rowspan="2" |[[Seekonk, Massachusetts|Seekonk]] |
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|Perrins |
|Perrins |
||
| |
|2 (3.2) |
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|[[File:Perrin's_station_1903.png|frameless|150x150px|alt=old two-story building the size of a small house near railroad tracks]] |
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|<!--Image--> |
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|Served as a flag stop under New Haven operation |
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| |
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|- |
|- |
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|Daggets |
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| rowspan="2" |[[Pawtucket, Rhode Island|Pawtucket]] |
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|Daggett |
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|3.5 (5.6) |
|3.5 (5.6) |
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| |
| |
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| |
| |
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|- |
|- |
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| rowspan="2" |[[Pawtucket, Rhode Island|Pawtucket]] |
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|Narragansett Park |
|Narragansett Park |
||
|3. |
|3.9 (6.3) |
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|[[File: |
|[[File:Narragansett_Park_Train.jpg|frameless|150x150px|alt=1958 train with many cars on curved track]] |
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|Located on an approximately 0.4-mile (0.6-km) spur off the branch |
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|Served the [[Narragansett Park|Narragansett Park Horse Track]] until the late 1960s; it was likely the last passenger stop to remain operational on the branch |
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|- |
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|Slater |
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|4 (6.4) |
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| |
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| |
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|- |
|- |
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| rowspan="3" |[[East Providence, Rhode Island|East Providence]] |
| rowspan="3" |[[East Providence, Rhode Island|East Providence]] |
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|Rumford |
|Rumford |
||
|5 |
|5 (8.0) |
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|[[File:Rumford_station_1903.png|frameless|150x150px|alt=1903 very small railroad station with people outside]] |
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|<!--Image--> |
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| |
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|<!--Notes--> |
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|- |
|- |
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|Waterman Avenue |
|Waterman Avenue |
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|6.7 (10.7) |
|6.7 (10.7) |
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|<!--Image--> |
|<!--Image--> |
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|Junction with |
|Not a station, Junction with the [[East Providence Branch]]; an interlocking station was constructed at this site |
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|- |
|- |
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|East Providence |
|East Providence |
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|7 |
|7 (11.3) |
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|[[File:East Providence station 1913 postcard.jpg|151x151px]] |
|[[File:East Providence station 1913 postcard.jpg|151x151px|alt=color picture of maroon passenger train stopped at station]] |
||
|Crosses Seekonk River at India Point; crossing moved north in 1908 with opening of [[East Side Railroad Tunnel]] and was the junction with the [[Providence, Warren and Bristol Railroad|Providence-Bristol]] line |
|Crosses Seekonk River at India Point; crossing moved north in 1908 with opening of [[East Side Railroad Tunnel]] and was the junction with the [[Providence, Warren and Bristol Railroad|Providence-Bristol]] line |
||
|- |
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|[[Providence, Rhode Island|Providence]] |
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|India Point |
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|7.5 (12.1) |
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|[[File:India_Point_Station.jpg|frameless|150x150px|alt=black and white photo of large rail station with streetlight, utility poles, and parked trolley cars]] |
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|} |
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== Gallery == |
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<gallery mode="packed"> |
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File:Access gate to old Attleboro Yard, June 2017.JPG|View of the access road for the MBTA layover yard at East Junction; this section of track is currently disused |
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File:India Point Railroad Bridge - 7.jpg|Former trusses of the former India Point Rail Bridge. The remaining trusses were removed in Spring 2023 |
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File:Boston and Providence Rail Bridge Viaduct.jpg|Top view of girder span of the [[Boston and Providence Railroad Bridge]] |
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File:Main span of East Providence arch bridge, December 2021.jpg|Main arch of the B&P rail bridge; it is one of only three remaining original B&P built structures |
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File:East Junction Branch Hopper Cars.jpg|View of abandoned hopper cars along the East Providence section; the cars were removed in early 2022 |
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File:Perrins Station Site East Junction Branch Seekonk MA 2023.jpg|Location of the former Perrins station site in Seekonk; this section of track is currently out of service and not maintained |
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</gallery> |
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== See also == |
== See also == |
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* [[East Bay Bike Path]] |
* [[East Bay Bike Path]] |
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* [[Rhode Island railroads|Railroads in Rhode Island]] |
* [[Rhode Island railroads|Railroads in Rhode Island]] |
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* [[Boston and Providence Railroad]] |
* [[Boston and Providence Railroad]] |
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== Explanatory notes == |
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==References== |
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{{reflist|group=notes}} |
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==Footnotes== |
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{{reflist|30em}} |
{{reflist|30em}} |
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== References == |
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* {{Cite book |last=Heppner |first=Frank H. |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/841413913 |title=Railroads of Rhode Island : shaping the Ocean State's railways |date=2012 |publisher=History Press |isbn=978-1614233633 |location=Charleston, South Carolina |oclc=841413913}} |
|||
* {{Cite book |last=Karr |first=Ronald Dale |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1038017689 |title=The Rail Lines of Southern New England |publisher=Branch Line Press |year=2017 |isbn=978-0942147124 |edition=2nd |location=Pepperell, Massachusetts |oclc=1038017689 |access-date=October 22, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211024110057/https://www.worldcat.org/title/rail-lines-of-southern-new-england-a-handbook-of-railroad-history/oclc/1038017689?referer=br&ht=edition |archive-date=October 24, 2021 |url-status=live}} |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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{{Attached KML}} |
{{Attached KML}} |
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{{commons category |
{{commons category-inline}} |
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[[Category:CSX Transportation lines]] |
[[Category:CSX Transportation lines]] |
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Latest revision as of 19:46, 1 July 2024
| East Junction Branch | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 View of the Boston and Providence Railroad Bridge which carries the East Junction Branch over the Ten Mile River in Rumford, Rhode Island | |||
| Overview | |||
| Owner | Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, Providence and Worcester Railroad | ||
| Locale | Bristol County and Providence County | ||
| Termini | |||
| Connecting lines | East Providence Branch, Northeast Corridor | ||
| Former connections | Providence, Warren and Bristol Railroad | ||
| Service | |||
| Operator(s) | CSX Transportation (Attleboro) Providence and Worcester Railroad (East Providence and Seekonk) | ||
| History | |||
| Opened | 1835 | ||
| Technical | |||
| Line length | 6.23 mi (10.03 km), line formerly 7.69 mi (12.38 km) | ||
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) | ||
| |||
The East Junction Branch (formerly known as the India Point Branch) is a rail line in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, in the United States. Originally built by the Boston and Providence Railroad (B&P) in 1835, the line connects Attleboro, Massachusetts, and East Providence, Rhode Island via Seekonk, Massachusetts. As built, the line continued across the Seekonk River to Providence via the India Point Railroad Bridge; this connection was removed during the 1970s. The East Junction Branch meets the Northeast Corridor in Attleboro at a point known as East Junction, and ends at a connection to the East Providence Branch in East Providence. CSX Transportation operates freight service on the branch in Attleboro, while the Providence and Worcester Railroad (P&W) operates freight service in East Providence and across the state line into Seekonk. The line is owned by the P&W in Rhode Island, and by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority in Massachusetts.
Built as part of the Boston and Providence Railroad mainline between Boston and Providence, the line was downgraded to a branch when a new mainline was built in 1847 west from Attleboro in conjunction with the original incarnation of the Providence and Worcester Railroad. The ill-fated Seekonk Branch Railroad built a short branch off the East Junction Branch within East Providence (then part of Seekonk), which was soon purchased by the B&P and later used as part of the Providence, Warren and Bristol Railroad when that railroad opened in 1855. The P&W completed its East Providence Branch in 1874, which originated in Valley Falls and met the East Junction Branch in East Providence.
The B&P was succeeded by the Old Colony Railroad in 1888, which was itself taken over by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad (the New Haven) in 1893. The Crook Point Bascule Bridge was completed in 1908 along with the East Side Railroad Tunnel, allowing a new route from the East Junction Branch into Providence. Regular passenger service was discontinued by 1914, though special passenger trains serving Narragansett Park were introduced in the 1930s and continued to 1968.
Penn Central Transportation Company absorbed the New Haven in 1969. The India Point Railroad Bridge was decommissioned in 1974, cutting the East Junction Branch back to East Providence, and the Crook Point Bascule Bridge followed in 1976. The bankrupt Penn Central was merged into government-formed Conrail in 1976, and the newly-independent P&W was assigned operation of the East Junction Branch within Rhode Island, with Conrail retaining operations in Massachusetts. After CSX Transportation took over from Conrail in 1999, much of the Massachusetts portion was placed out of service in 2001; P&W reactivated some of this trackage in Seekonk to serve a new customer in 2007. An additional half of a mile (0.8 km) of the branch within East Providence was abandoned in 2006.
History
[edit]
The East Junction Branch is part of the original main line of the Boston and Providence Railroad (B&P), opened in 1835.[1] To reach Providence from Boston, the B&P chose a largely straight route that avoided curves; it was a straight shot southwest from Mansfield, Massachusetts to what was then part of Seekonk, Massachusetts, (later transferred to Rhode Island as East Providence).[notes 1] Seekonk was just across the Seekonk River from Providence, and a ferry initially made the final leg of the trip into the city until a wooden drawbridge, the first of several incarnations of the India Point Railroad Bridge, was completed and allowed trains to enter India Point.[3] The B&P was joined in Providence by the New York, Providence and Boston Railroad in 1837, but the two lines did not directly meet. Ferries ran from India Point to the South Side of Providence to allow passengers to transfer trains.[4]
Once the railroad bridge was completed, the B&P found itself in conflict with another company: the Seekonk Branch Railroad, chartered in 1836 to build a railroad between the B&P in Seekonk and a wharf on the Seekonk River. The Seekonk Branch Railroad intended to use the B&P bridge to run its own trains into Providence, treating the route much like a toll road. However, the B&P objected to this for safety reasons, and upon litigation the Massachusetts General Court refused to permit the practice, requiring Seekonk Branch Railroad trains be hauled by Boston and Providence Railroad locomotives into Providence.[5] In 1839, the Boston and Providence Railroad absorbed the Seekonk Branch Railroad.[6]
Providence's third railroad, the Providence and Worcester Railroad, opened between its namesake cities in 1847. The P&W and B&P collaborated on a new joint line out of Providence which split in Central Falls, Rhode Island; the B&P built a new mainline from that point to its original main line in Attleboro. The new route became the primary line out of Boston, while the original route into Providence was retained as a branch line, named the East Junction Branch for the point where the new route split from the old one. Made largely redundant by the new route into Providence, most passenger service was dropped at this time apart from trains meeting steamboats at India Point.[7]
The Providence, Warren and Bristol Railroad was completed in 1855, connecting to the East Junction Branch in Seekonk (today East Providence). The bridge across the Seekonk River was initially used by the PW&B to reach Providence via trackage rights. Per the PW&B charter, the railroad also had the right to connect with Boston and Providence Railroad passenger trains in Seekonk to provide service to Boston, but this was not taken advantage of.[8]
Upon its completion in 1874, the P&W's East Providence Branch connected with the East Junction Branch in East Providence, then followed the PW&B right of way to Bold Point.[9] Passenger train service resumed on the East Junction Branch circa 1880.[1]
Operations under Old Colony and New Haven
[edit]The B&P was leased by the Old Colony Railroad in 1888 and the line was labeled as the India Point Branch. The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad leased the Old Colony in 1893.[10]
By 1903, passenger service was provided by a single combination baggage/passenger car pulled by a steam locomotive, which ran two round trips daily between East Providence and East Junction. The only regular stop was at Rumford, while a flag stop was also maintained at Perrin's. Passenger numbers averaged in the single digits per trip, and sometimes the train ran with no passengers at all; tickets could not be purchased in Providence and the Providence Journal attested that most local residents were unaware the passenger train was available. This train continued running to fulfil the New Haven's requirement to provide passenger service on the line, which held far more value as a route for freight trains.[11]
The electrification of the Providence, Warren & Bristol in 1900 increased the feasibility of a mile-long (1.6 km) tunnel under College Hill to provide a way of getting trains from the east bay to Union Station in the center of Providence and an alternate route to Boston. The Crook Point Bascule Bridge along with the East Side Tunnel and a downtown viaduct were put into service on November 15, 1908, adding a new connection between the East Junction Branch and downtown Providence.[12]
The New Haven sought to double-track the branch between East Providence and East Junction, and approval for this work along with the elimination of several grade crossings came in October 1912. This was intended to allow for a continuous double-tracked route from East Junction to the Crook Point Bridge.[13][14] This work was budgeted at $405,000 in 1910.[14] As part of the construction, Rumford station was to be moved approximately 500 feet (150 m) east. Pawtucket Avenue (Rhode Island Route 114 / U.S. Route 1A) was to be grade-separated with a new bridge.[13] Double tracking was completed by November 1913.[15]
Regular passenger service was discontinued by 1914. While regular passenger service never returned to the branch, dedicated passenger trains connecting to Narragansett Park were introduced by 1937 and continued until the end of the New Haven Railroad in 1968.[1]
After the New Haven
[edit]
The bankrupt New Haven was absorbed by Penn Central at the end of 1968; this was the end of all remaining passenger service on the line.[16] The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) acquired the piece in Massachusetts on January 27, 1973, despite it not seeing any passenger service; Penn Central continued to provide freight service via trackage rights.[17][18] During Penn Central's tenure, trains ceased using the full length of the branch, with only local freight trains remaining.[18] The newly independent Providence and Worcester Railroad assumed operations on the Rhode Island portion of the branch in 1976, while PC successor Conrail inherited freight rights on the Massachusetts portion.[18] By 1976, the India Point Railroad Bridge and the associated trackage in Providence were also abandoned, though the bridge remained intact until the removal of the swing portion from 2001 to 2002.[18][19] The remainder of the bridge was removed in 2023.[20] The Crook Point Bascule Bridge was closed to rail traffic in 1981 following its purchase by the Rhode Island Department of Transportation, removing the last connection across the Seekonk River to Providence.[21]
After assuming Conrail's operations on the branch, CSX formally placed the Massachusetts portion out of service in 2001 excluding the first 0.6 miles (0.97 km) in Attleboro where an active customer remained. The remainder of Massachusetts section had not seen trains since Conrail suspended service in the 1980s.[18] In 2006, the remaining tracks of the Providence, Warren and Bristol Railroad were abandoned; the following year, the final half of a mile (0.8 km) of the East Junction Branch within East Providence was abandoned by the P&W, with a new connection built to the East Providence Branch.[22] P&W continued to serve only the Rhode Island portion of the East Junction Branch until 2007, when a metals customer north of Newman Avenue in Seekonk asked for renewed rail service. P&W returned the line to service into Seekonk for the new customer that year.[18] The remainder of the branch from Seekonk to Attleboro remains out of service as of 2017, but it has not been formally abandoned and the tracks have not been removed.[18] MBTA Commuter Rail maintained a layover facility for passenger trains at East Junction until 2006.[23]
Current operations
[edit]
The P&W portion of the branch is served by local freight trains based out of Valley Falls Yard via the East Providence Branch.[24] The branch is single-track and has a speed limit of 10 miles per hour (16 km/h).[23]
Former stations
[edit]No stations are known to be preserved.[25]
| Location | Station | Milepost (km)[10][26] | Image | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attleboro | East Junction | 0 (0) | 
|
Junction with Boston and Providence main line |
| Seekonk | Perrins | 2 (3.2) | 
|
Served as a flag stop under New Haven operation |
| Daggets | 3.5 (5.6) | |||
| Pawtucket | Narragansett Park | 3.9 (6.3) | 
|
Located on an approximately 0.4-mile (0.6-km) spur off the branch |
| Slater | 4 (6.4) | |||
| East Providence | Rumford | 5 (8.0) | 
|
|
| Waterman Avenue | 6.7 (10.7) | Not a station, Junction with the East Providence Branch; an interlocking station was constructed at this site | ||
| East Providence | 7 (11.3) | 
|
Crosses Seekonk River at India Point; crossing moved north in 1908 with opening of East Side Railroad Tunnel and was the junction with the Providence-Bristol line | |
| Providence | India Point | 7.5 (12.1) | 
|
See also
[edit]Explanatory notes
[edit]- ^ The east bank of the Seekonk River (including East Providence, Pawtucket, and Bristol) was returned to Rhode Island in 1862, as part of a land swap which saw Fall River return to Massachusetts. This placed the new state border between Pawtucket and the portion of Seekonk retained by Massachusetts.[2]
Footnotes
[edit]- ^ a b c Karr 2017, pp. 182–183.
- ^ Heppner 2012, pp. 30–31.
- ^ Karr 2017, pp. 175–177.
- ^ Karr 2017, p. 177.
- ^ Massachusetts Senate Committee on Railways and Canals (1838). Report and Bill on the Petition of the Seekonk Branch Rail-Road Company (Report). pp. 3–5, 36–38.
- ^ Massachusetts General Court Joint Standing Committee on Railways and Canals (1849). Annual Reports of the Railroad Corporations in the State of Massachusetts For 1848 (Report). Boston: Dutton and Wentworth, State Printers. pp. 196–197.
- ^ Karr 2017, pp. 177–178, 182–183.
- ^ Heppner 2012, pp. 103–104.
- ^ Karr 2017, p. 169.
- ^ a b Karr 2017, p. 176.
- ^ "Two Branch Railroads Near the Centre of East Providence". Manufacturers' and Farmers' Journal. October 22, 1903. p. 8.
- ^ Scherzer, Albert H. Scherzer Rolling Lift Bridges. 1908. Chicago: Scherzer Rolling Lift Bridge Co. of Chicago
- ^ a b "Hearing Announced". The Sunday Tribune. Providence, Rhode Island. October 27, 1912. p. 27.
- ^ a b Interstate Commerce Commission (December 21, 1910). Evidence Taken by the Interstate Commerce Commission in the Matter of Proposed Advances in Freight Rates by Carriers (Report). Vol. 9. Washington: Government Printing Office. p. 5307.
- ^ "New York, New Haven & Hartford RR. Abstracts from Forty-Second General Statement–For the Year Ended June 30, 1913". The Statist. 78: 384–385. November 15, 1913 – via Google Books.
- ^ Karr 2017, pp. 176–177.
- ^ Jonathan Belcher, "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district 1964–2006" (PDF)., October 4, 2006 version
- ^ a b c d e f g Karr 2017, p. 183.
- ^ Anderson, Patrick (March 30, 2023). "The end is near for East Providence's India Point Railroad Bridge to nowhere". The Providence Journal. Retrieved 2023-11-19.
- ^ Doiron, Sarah (April 18, 2023). "Long-defunct 'bridge to nowhere' removed from Seekonk River". WPRI.com. Retrieved 2023-11-19.
- ^ Karr 2017, pp. 173–174.
- ^ Karr 2017, pp. 174, 183.
- ^ a b Rhode Island Department of Administration, Division of Planning (March 13, 2014). "Rhode Island State Rail Plan 2014" (PDF). Ri.gov. pp. 1–2, 4–10. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
- ^ Hartley, Scott A. (June 1994). "Yankee Independence: How Providence & Worcester grew from being an obscure branch of the New Haven into today's 400-mile regional" (PDF). Trains. p. 62. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
- ^ Roy, Jr., John H. (2007). A Field Guide to Southern New England Railroad Depots and Freight Houses. Pepperell, Massachusetts: Branch Line Press. p. 317. ISBN 9780942147087.
- ^ Time Table No. 16 for Employees Only. New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. April 28, 1963. p. 52.
References
[edit]- Heppner, Frank H. (2012). Railroads of Rhode Island : shaping the Ocean State's railways. Charleston, South Carolina: History Press. ISBN 978-1614233633. OCLC 841413913.
- Karr, Ronald Dale (2017). The Rail Lines of Southern New England (2nd ed.). Pepperell, Massachusetts: Branch Line Press. ISBN 978-0942147124. OCLC 1038017689. Archived from the original on October 24, 2021. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
External links
[edit]KML is from Wikidata
Media related to East Junction Branch at Wikimedia Commons