Pioneer Valley Railroad facts for kids
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Westfield Yard in August 2018
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| Overview | |
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| Headquarters | Westfield, Massachusetts |
| Reporting mark | PVRR |
| Locale | Hampden County, Massachusetts |
| Dates of operation | 1982– |
| Predecessor | Conrail |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
| Length | 17 miles (27 km) |
The Pioneer Valley Railroad (PVRR) is a special kind of railroad that moves goods, not people. It's called a "short line" because it operates on shorter tracks compared to big railroads. The PVRR started in 1982.
It uses old tracks in western Massachusetts. These tracks go through the towns of Westfield, Holyoke, and Southampton. The Pinsly Railroad Company has owned the PVRR since it began, and its main office is in Westfield.
Contents
The History of the Pioneer Valley Railroad
Building the Tracks (1847 - 1982)
The tracks the PVRR uses today were first built a long time ago. A company called the New Haven and Northampton (also known as the Canal Line) constructed them between 1842 and 1856. They were part of a line connecting the cities of New Haven and Northampton.
Later, in 1871, a branch line was added to connect Westfield and Holyoke. In 1887, a bigger railroad company, the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad, took over these lines.
In 1969, this railroad became part of a new company called Penn Central Railroad. Penn Central stopped using the tracks north of Southampton. Penn Central then went bankrupt, which was a very big deal at the time. So, in 1976, the government created a new company called Conrail to take over.
Conrail stopped using the tracks around Westfield in 1982. They said it wasn't making enough money. That's when the Pinsly Railroad Company bought both lines for less than $300,000. Pinsly also promised Massachusetts that they would spend $800,000 to fix and improve the tracks within four years. After buying the lines, Pinsly started running trains under the name Pioneer Valley Railroad.
Pioneer Valley Railroad Starts Moving (1982 - 2000)
When the Pioneer Valley Railroad first began, it had three old train engines from 1939 and 1949. It also had 13 employees and operated on 24 miles of track. By 1983, the railroad had 40 customers who used its services.
The company worked hard to make the lines successful again. They removed a $590 extra charge per train car that Conrail had added. They also focused on finding smaller customers that Conrail had ignored. Building good relationships with businesses that shipped goods was very important.
As more goods were shipped in the 1980s, the railroad received money from the United States Congress in 1987. This money helped them install stronger rails on the line between Westfield and Holyoke.
The PVRR Today (2000 - present)
In 2000, the PVRR was one of six railroad companies asked by the state of Vermont to possibly operate a state-owned railroad line. However, Vermont chose a railroad company based in its own state.
On October 5, 2017, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) gave the PVRR a grant of $495,000. This money was for a project to improve how the PVRR connects with another railroad, Pan Am Railways, in Holyoke. This project is planned to help reduce the number of large trucks on local roads.
In September 2021, MassDOT gave the railroad another grant of $384,022. This money will help the PVRR make its train yard facilities bigger in Easthampton. The PVRR also promised to pay 40% of the total cost for this project.
PVRR Train Routes
The Pioneer Valley Railroad operates two main lines. Both of these lines connect at the Westfield Main Yard in Westfield, Massachusetts. At this yard, the PVRR connects with CSX Transportation, which is a much larger railroad.
- Holyoke Branch: This line runs from Westfield to Holyoke.
- Southampton Branch: This line runs from Westfield to Southampton.
