Massachusetts Central Railroad facts for kids
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Massachusetts Central Railroad tracks in Palmer, Massachusetts
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| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | South Barre, Massachusetts |
| Reporting mark | MCER |
| Locale | Massachusetts |
| Dates of operation | 1975 (Incorporated 1974)– |
| Predecessor | B&M Wheelwright Branch & the PC Ware River Line |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
The Massachusetts Central Railroad (MCER) is a special kind of train company called a short line railroad. It operates in western Massachusetts, United States. This company started in 1975. Its job is to move goods by train on parts of older railway lines. These include sections of the Boston & Maine Wheelwright Branch and the old Ware River Railroad. The tracks run between Palmer and South Barre.
Contents
The Story of the Tracks
The Old Ware River Line
The tracks used by the Massachusetts Central Railroad have a long history. They were once part of the Ware River Railroad. This was an independent railway line built in 1868. It stretched from Palmer all the way to Winchendon.
The first part of the line, from Palmer to Gilbertville, opened in 1870. The rest of the line was finished and opened three years later.
For a while, the New London Northern Railroad leased and operated the line. Later, the Boston and Albany Railroad (B&A) took it over. They ran it as their "Winchendon Branch."
The B&A hoped to connect the Ware River Line with another railroad, the Monadnock Railroad. This would have given them access to popular vacation spots in Peterborough, New Hampshire. However, the B&A could not gain control of the Monadnock. Because of this, the Ware River Line did not make much money.
Changes and New Beginnings
By 1968, the railway line came under the control of the Penn Central company. Sadly, some tracks were abandoned between South Barre and Waterville. This split the line into two separate parts. The Boston and Maine Railroad took over the northern part, from Waterville to Winchendon. They operated it until 1984, when it was also abandoned.
Penn Central continued to run the southern part of the line, south of Barre. But in 1975, they stopped all service between Gilbertville and South Barre. Then, Conrail operated the line between Palmer and Ware. Conrail later asked to abandon the rest of the line.
To keep the trains running, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts bought most of the line. Only a few miles in Palmer near the Palmer Depot and the B&A main line were not included. The State then hired a new company, the Massachusetts Central Railroad (MCER), to continue the service.
Massachusetts Central Today
The Massachusetts Central Railroad, also known as MassCentral, was started by three people from Western Massachusetts. They began with limited operations in 1975. They used a few miles of the old Boston & Maine tracks around the Ware Yard.
After Conrail operated the State-owned line for a year, the contract was given to MassCentral. For many years, trains rarely went north of Ware. But in 1999, a new customer needed rail service. This "reload" business helped bring freight service back to South Barre.
Today, MassCentral continues to serve several customers. They run trains five days a week. They connect with CSX, another large railroad company. Customers are located at various points along the line. These include the former Intermodal Yard, Gibbs Crossing Transload Yard, Ware Yard, and the "Wildwood Reload" at South Barre. At the Wildwood Reload, many businesses use the service to move goods from trains to trucks, and they also offer storage.
