Hampden Railroad

The railway line Athol Junction Hampden Junction is a railway line in Massachusetts (United States). It is 23.8 km long and connects the cities of Palmer, Ludlow and Springfield. The standard gauge line was indeed built, but never opened.

History

1910 acquired JP Morgan, the already extensive portions of New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad ( NY & NH) included, the majority of shares of the Boston and Maine Railroad. The railway companies were planning to build a direct link from Springfield to Boston, to create a rival to the areas controlled by the New York Central Railroad existing railway line. The Boston & Maine already had a rail line from Boston to Palmer, but were then turned off to the north and only in Northampton far north of Springfield on the NY & NH- power joined. For construction of this section, the Hampden Railroad Corporation was founded in July 1910.

The new route should be east of the Springfield Union Station at the junction of Athol Junction begin and run through Ludlow to Palmer, where they should open out in Bondville district in the route of the Boston & Maine. The path should be expanded without crossing as the main track, which the construction of numerous bridges, dams and cuts required to cross the intersecting rail lines and roads. On October 11, 1911, the Boston & Maine Railroad leased the Hampden. In addition, a link was planned, which was to the north branch of the bridge over the Chicopee River and lead to Chicopee, where they would evolve into an existing branch line of the Boston & Maine. This compound was not built.

Mid- 1913, the track was completely finished except for the connection to the Boston & Maine, including of four passenger stations. Meanwhile, JP Morgan, however, was deceased and the Boston & Maine working again on its own, regardless of the NY & NH. In addition, the Interstate Commerce Commission was investigating the NY & NH because of monopoly. Although the track is represented in network diagrams of the Boston & Maine from 1913 as finished, the track junction at the eastern end of the track was never built and the route remained unused. 1921 reported the Hampden Railroad bankruptcy and five years later sold the track to a scrap dealer, who degraded the tracks and bridges. Large parts of the route were later used for a high- voltage line and for the construction of two highways.

Route description

The route branches off at Athol Junction train station from the railway Worcester Albany and leads first to the northeast. Interstate 291 runs here about 500 meters on the railway line and then crosses them into roughly where the first passenger station in East Springfield has found. The railway line crossed in the course on a high and sophisticated design of steel bridge on Main Street and the Chicopee River. From the bridge, only the pillars of concrete are obtained. The route then turns off in an easterly direction. From here today the Interstate 90 runs along the route. Ludlow was located approximately at the level of the Center Street the nearest railway station. About three kilometers to leave the motorway, the railway line, the first of the East Street crossed here at an acute angle and then turned off to the northeast.

North of the Chicopee River Reservoir, the rail line turns east again. From here until shortly before Hampden Junction runs a high-voltage line along the route. At about the level of Liberty Street was located in Three Rivers already in the city of Palmer, the next station. Immediately thereafter, the route initially crosses the railway line to Athol and then on another steel bridge rail line New London Brattleboro and the Swift River. Also from this bridge, only the pillars remain. The fourth passenger station was located east of Sykes Street between Bondville and Thorndike. Subsequently, the route initially crosses the railway line North Cambridge Northampton and ends shortly thereafter into this. The main track was built up directly in front of this rail line, only missing the connection points.

The railway line was built without crossing to the highest standard, therefore, had, in contrast to most major routes in North America neither a railroad crossing another level cross at grade with other rail lines. The building was completed due to the numerous engineering structures on four million dollars.

References and further reading

  • Ronald D. Karr: The Rail Lines of Southern New England. A Handbook of Railroad History. Branch Line Press, Pepperell, MA 1995. ISBN 0-942147-02-2
  • Mike Walker: Comprehensive Railroad Atlas of North America. New England and Maritime Canada. (2nd edition) SPV -Verlag, Dunkirk (GB ), 2010. ISBN 1-874745-12-9
  • Article with pictures on geocaching.com (English)
  • Plot plan of the railway line, including the projected starter after Chicopee Center, on gigapan.org (English)
  • 1435 mm
  • Railroad track in Massachusetts
J. P. Morgan Northampton (Massachusetts)
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