Bedford Depot facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bedford
The former station building in May 2015
Location	80 Loomis Street, Bedford, Massachusetts, United States
Coordinates	42°29′9.45″N 71°16′33.65″W / 42.4859583°N 71.2760139°W / 42.4859583; -71.2760139
Construction
Architectural style	Late Victorian
Other information
Fare zone	3
History
Opened	1846
Closed	January 10, 1977
Rebuilt	1874
Former services
Preceding station MBTA Following station Terminus Lexington Branch North Lexington toward North Station Preceding station Boston and Maine Railroad Following station Bedford Springs toward Lowell Lexington Branch North Lexington toward Boston Lowell Road toward Reformatory
Bedford Depot
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
NRHP reference No.	03000791
Added to NRHP	August 21, 2003

The Bedford Depot is a cool old train station in Bedford, Massachusetts. It was once a busy place where two train lines met. Trains carried passengers here until 1977. Today, the old station building and a freight house are part of the Bedford Depot Park. They are even listed on the National Register of Historic Places. You can also see a restored old train car there!

The Story of Bedford Depot

How the Trains Started Here

An early-20th-century postcard of the station

The first railroad line reached what is now Lexington Center in 1846. Another company, the Boston and Lowell Railroad, bought it in 1870. This was to stop a new line from being built to Lowell through Bedford.

In 1873, a new train line opened to Concord Center, passing through Bedford. A beautiful Victorian-style train station was built in Bedford in 1874.

A very narrow train line, called a 2 ft (610 mm) narrow-gauge line, opened in 1877. It ran from Bedford Depot to North Billerica. This line even had a small engine house for its trains. However, it wasn't very successful and closed in 1878.

Later, in 1879, the train line was extended further to Reformatory station in Concord. This allowed trains to go all the way to Nashua for a short time. In 1885, the Boston & Lowell company rebuilt the route to Billerica. The old depot building was moved to its current spot where the train lines joined. The narrow-gauge engine house was also moved and became a freight depot. Two years later, the Boston and Maine Railroad took over both train routes through Bedford.

When Train Service Slowed Down

After the Cambridge subway opened in 1912, fewer people rode the trains from the suburbs. Many chose to take streetcars that connected to the subway at Harvard Square. Within six years, about half of the trains on the Lexington Branch were cut.

Passenger train service stopped on the Reformatory Branch in 1926. It also stopped on the Lexington Branch beyond Bedford in 1933. However, freight trains continued to use the tracks for many more years. By 1950, only three round trips ran from Bedford each day. This number dropped to two, and then to just one in 1958.

In 1965, the MBTA (Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority) started helping to pay for commuter train service. They planned to stop the last train trips from Bedford. But the trips were kept running instead.

On January 10, 1977, a big snowstorm blocked the train line. The MBTA decided to stop service on this line for good. It wasn't used much and wasn't kept in good shape. After some legal discussions, the MBTA agreed to help build the Minuteman Bike Path. This path runs from Alewife to Bedford. This agreement meant they didn't have to bring back train service. The bike path was built so that trains could return in the future if needed. Also, the path could allow the Red Line subway to be extended. But people in Arlington didn't want the subway extension.

Bedford Depot Park and the Old Train Car

RDC #6211 and the former freight house next to the Minuteman Bikeway in 2015

The train depot and freight house were sold to private businesses in the 1950s. A second floor was added to the depot in the 1960s. In 1999, the town of Bedford bought both buildings. This happened after a four-year effort by a group called the Friends of Bedford Depot Park.

The buildings were restored and became the main parts of the Bedford Depot Park. In 2003, they were listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means they are important historical sites. The freight house was renovated from 2006 to 2008. It now serves as a museum run by the Friends group. The depot building still has private businesses inside.

In 1998, an old train car, called a Budd Rail Diesel Car #6211, was brought to Bedford. This car used to run on the Lexington Branch many years ago. It was restored to look like it did originally. The town paid for this project. In 2003, the train car was moved to its current spot next to the freight house.