Grand Junction Railroad and Depot Company

The railway line East Boston Allston is a railway line in Massachusetts (United States). It is 14 km long and connects the railway lines to the north and west of the city of Boston with each other. The standard gauge line is part of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority ( MBTA ), but no scheduled trains running on the track. Main user is the CSX Transportation, which has a shared right of the track and freight trains leading over them. The section of East Boston to Everett is shut down. The bridge over the Mystic River, which was originally part of the route is now been absorbed into the railway Boston - Revere, who also belongs to the MBTA.

History

In the 1840s, the railway network of Boston from numerous leading into the city routes, each had their own railhead was. Especially the stretch of the Eastern Railroad, which led to the coast in the direction parallel to East Boston from Maine was separated from the rest of the rail network, as they had no contact with other routes. The Grand Junction Railroad and Depot Company was therefore established in 1847 to link the route of the Eastern Railroad to the other leading to the north of the rail lines. About 1852 went the distance from East Boston to East Somerville in operation. The Grand Junction Railroad operated the route on their own. At the same time used the Eastern Railroad with the distance between Chelsea and East Somerville and could thus lead their trains from 1854 to the center of Boston. After a few years, the Eastern but their own route between Chelsea and East Somerville built parallel to the Grand Junction Railroad.

1853 Union Railroad was founded as a subsidiary of Grand Junction Railroad. It opened in 1855, the rest of the way to Allston, where they led to the main line of the Boston and Worcester Railroad. However, the transport numbers did not meet expectations, so the Grand Junction Railroad went bankrupt, and the portion of East Somerville to Allston was 1857 again shut down for the time being. The remaining portion was still used by various railway companies. It was not until 1869, the Boston & Worcester with other companies for the Boston and Albany Railroad merged, the route was taken over and re-opened by this new company. It developed as a result became an important freight link of the Boston & Albany at the ports in Charleston and Everett and the industrial area around Chelsea and East Boston and was expanded to double track.

1900, the Boston & Albany was in the railway system of the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad (later New York Central Railroad ) incorporated, but remained the operator of the route. The bridge over the Chelsea River had to be shut down in 1955 because she could no longer bear the burden of freight trains. The trains were rerouted via Revere. Only in 1972 the line from Chelsea was officially shut down by branch of Eastern Main Line.

In 1968 the merger of the Boston & Albany in the Penn Central system. From 1976, the successor company Conrail was the operator. In 1999, the CSX Transportation, the route, which has since been engaged in the carriage of goods. Around 2000, ended the freight to East Boston, and both the old Eastern Main Line and the route of the former Grand Junction Railroad in East Boston were shut down and dismantled. The main track now ends before the 2nd Street in East Everett. The second track was except in the area of ​​branch points removed everywhere. 2010, the line was sold to the state and incorporated into the route network of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.

Route description

The route originally started at the docks in East Boston. It ran alongside the Eastern Main Line and crossed these at node Cary Cut. A connecting track was built around 1955, which allowed trains from Portsmouth direction the transition to the route to East Boston. The route turns here to the northwest and crossed on a lift bridge now worn the Chelsea River. In Chelsea there was a track triangle. The route now runs in a westerly direction right next to the railway line Boston Revere. From Everett is the main track and is traveled by freight trains in the extensive port facilities in the city. It opens into the route Boston - Revere at the former Station Everett. The original bridge over the Mystic River is demolished, the trains run on a new bridge a few meters further north.

In Somerville, the route in the route of the railway Boston Wilmington Junction leads and turn at the junction to the port Massport from this westward starting to turn einzumünden in the route to Fitchburg. After crossing the old railway line Boston Lowell, to which there are also connecting tracks, turn the route from the southwest and passes through East Cambridge. Here the railway line was built over several buildings, so that two tunnels are created. The route then crosses the Charles River and ends at the train yard Beacon Park or shortly before the former passenger station in Allston in the route to Worcester one.

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

• 1435 mm
• Railroad track in Massachusetts