East Junction Branch
| 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 | MassDOT, 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, Fall River Branch |
| 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) |
| Electrification | Overhead line, 600 V DC (electrified between 1900-1934 on the portion south of the Crook Point Bascule Bridge for Providence, Warren and Bristol trains) |
The East Junction Branch (formerly known the India Point Branch) is a rail line in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, in the United States. The line branches off the Northeast Corridor at Attleboro, Massachusetts, at a point known as East Junction, and ends at the East Providence Branch in East Providence, Rhode Island. CSX Transportation operates freight service on the branch in Attleboro, while the Providence and Worcester Railroad operates freight service in East Providence and across the state line into Seekonk. The line is owned by P&W in Rhode Island, and by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority in Massachusetts.
The East Junction Branch was originally built as part of the Boston and Providence Railroad's (B&P) main line between its namesake cities, entering the India Point neighborhood of Providence, Rhode Island, via the India Point Railroad Bridge across the Seekonk River. This was one of the first railroad lines in the United States when completed in 1835. A new main line into Providence was built in conjunction with the Providence and Worcester Railroad in 1847, bypassing the original main line which was designated as a branch. 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 1909 along with the East Side Railroad Tunnel, allowing a new route from the East Junction Branch into Providence.
Passenger service was suspended after 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. The actively used Boston and Providence Railroad Bridge in East Providence is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
History
The East Junction Branch is part of the original Boston and Providence Rail Road, opened in 1835.[1] The original terminal of the B&P was 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.[2]
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.[2]
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.[2]
Expansion
The line would officially become a branch in 1847 with the opening of the new B&P mainline from East Junction to Providence.[3] After 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 & Bristol was built through East Providence in 1855 to reach India Point and Fox Point from the south; the PW&B would continue south towards Bristol and would also construct a branch to Fall River.[4]
In 1874, the Providence & Worcester built the East Providence Branch which connected the P&W mainline and Wilkesbarre Pier (located at what is now Bold Point Park). An interlocking station at the connection between the East Junction Branch and the East Providence Branch was constructed north of Waterman Avenue in East Providence.[2]
Operations under Old Colony and New Haven
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.
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 Tunnel and a downtown viaduct were put into service on November 15, 1908.[5]
Decline
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 Providence, Warren and Bristol 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 Horse Track attracted substantial ridership for the line during this time.[6]
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.[7] The MBTA acquired the piece in Massachusetts on January 27, 1973, despite it not seeing any passenger service.[8] 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.[9]
When Rhode Island ended passenger rail subsidies for MBTA services to Providence in 1981, a potential commuter rail extension of the Attleboro line to a new terminus near Newman Avenue in 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.
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 Bridge were also abandoned.[10] 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 would replace the old Union Station in 1986.
Current operations and route
The branch breaks from the Northeast Corridor at East Junction in Attleborough; an MBTA yard is located at the junction. The branch travels southward through rural areas of Seekonk before entering Pawtucket where it crosses the Ten Mile River in Slater Park. The line continues into 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.
Freight would continue to service a scrapyard at Wilkesbarre Pier until the early 2000s.[11] CSX placed most of the Seekonk portion of the branch out of service in 2001 excluding the northernmost portion in Attleborough 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.[9] 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.[9] 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.[9]
Former stations
There are no physical remnants of any station sites on the East Junction Branch. Several stations were either relocated to the new B&P mainline, cut early on or consolidated due to the emergence of streetcars in Pawtucket and East Providence.
| Location | Station | Milepost (km) | Image | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attleborough | East Junction | 0 (0) | Junction with Boston and Providence main line; station would have mainly served as a freight depot | |
| Seekonk | Perrins | 1.7 (2.7) | ||
| Pawtucket | Daggett | 3.5 (5.6) | Station likely eliminated due to the construction of Slater Park | |
| Narragansett Park | 3.7 (5.9) | 
|
Served the Narragansett Park Horse Track until the late 1960s; it was likely the last passenger stop to remain operational on the branch | |
| East Providence | Rumford | 5.2 (8.3) | ||
| Waterman Avenue | 6.7 (10.7) | Junction with Providence and Worcester line; an interlocking station was constructed at this site | ||
| East Providence | 7.4 (11.8) | 
|
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 |
Gallery
-
View of the access road for the MBTA layover yard at East Junction; this section of track is currently disused -
Remaining trusses of the former India Point Rail Bridge -
Top view of girder span of the Boston and Providence Railroad Bridge -
Main arch of the B&P rail bridge; it is one of only three remaining original B&P built structures -
View of abandoned hopper cars along the East Providence section; the cars were removed in early 2022 -
Location of the former Perrins station site in Seekonk; this section of track is currently out of service and not maintained
See also
References
- ^ "PRR Chronology, 1835" (PDF). (95.9 KiB), June 2004 Edition
- ^ a b c d "RHODE ISLAND RAILROADS - EAST PROVIDENCE NORTH". sites.google.com. Retrieved 2022-11-19.
- ^ "PRR Chronology, 1847" (PDF). (40.7 KiB), April 2005 Edition
- ^ "The Providence, Warren and Bristol Railroad - Abandoned Rails". www.abandonedrails.com. Retrieved 2022-11-19.
- ^ Scherzer, Albert H. Scherzer Rolling Lift Bridges. 1908. Chicago: Scherzer Rolling Lift Bridge Co. of Chicago
- ^ "East Providence Stations". www.nashuacitystation.org. Retrieved 2022-11-19.
- ^ "PRR Chronology, 1969" (PDF). (80.5 KiB), June 2004 Edition
- ^ Jonathan Belcher, "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district 1964-2006" (PDF)., October 4, 2006 version
- ^ a b c d Karr, Ronald Dale (2017). The Rail Lines of Southern New England (2nd ed.). Pepperell, Massachusetts: Branch Line Press. pp. 165–169, 175–183. ISBN 978-0-942147-12-4. OCLC 1038017689. Archived from the original on 2021-10-24. Retrieved 2021-10-22.
- ^ "Railroad bridge's days numbered". Providence Journal. 14 September 2001. Retrieved 16 March 2014.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Dujardin, Richard. "Visions of a new East Providence waterfront". 13 July 2003
External links
Media related to East Junction Branch at Wikimedia Commons