 | This article has multiple issues. Please helpimprove it or discuss these issues on thetalk page.(Learn how and when to remove these messages) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
|
 | |
 Routes of the Boston and Maine Railroad | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Boston,Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Reporting mark | BM |
| Locale | Maine Massachusetts New Hampshire New York Vermont |
| Dates of operation | 1836–1983 |
| Successor | Pan Am Railways |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)standard gauge |
| Length | 2,077 mi (3,343 km) |
TheBoston and Maine Railroad (reporting markBM; commonly known as Boston & Maine, abbreviated B&M) was aU.S.Class I railroad in northernNew England. It was chartered in 1835, and became part of what was thePan Am Railways network in 1983, most of which was purchased byCSX in 2022.
At the end of 1970, B&M operated 1,515 route-miles (2,438 km) on 2,481 miles (3,993 km) of track, not includingSpringfield Terminal. That year, it reported 2,774 million ton-miles (4,464 million kilometres) of revenue freight and 92 million passenger-miles (148 million kilometres).[1]
The Andover and Wilmington Railroad was incorporated March 15, 1833, to build a branch from theBoston and Lowell Railroad atWilmington, Massachusetts, north toAndover, Massachusetts. The line opened to Andover on August 8, 1836. The name was changed to the Andover and Haverhill Railroad on April 18, 1837, reflecting plans to build further toHaverhill, Massachusetts (opened later that year), and yet further toPortland,Maine, with renaming to the Boston and Portland Railroad on April 3, 1839, opening to the New Hampshire state line in 1840.
The Boston and Maine Railroad was chartered inNew Hampshire on June 27, 1835, and the Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts Railroad was incorporated March 12, 1839, inMaine, both companies continuing the proposed line toSouth Berwick, Maine. The railroad opened in 1840 toExeter,New Hampshire, and on January 1, 1842, the two companies merged with the Boston and Portland to form a new Boston and Maine Railroad.
.jpg)
On February 23, 1843, the B&M opened toAgamenticus, on the line of thePortland, Saco and Portsmouth Railroad in South Berwick. On January 28 of that year, the B&M andEastern Railroad came to an agreement to both lease the PS&P as a joint line toPortland.
The Boston and Maine Railroad Extension was incorporated on March 16, 1844, due to a dispute with theBoston and Lowell Railroad overtrackage rights rates between Wilmington and Boston. That company was merged into the main B&M on March 19, 1845, and opened on July 1, leading to the abandonment of the old connection to the B&L (later reused by the B&L for itsWildcat Branch). In 1848, another original section was abandoned, as a new alignment was built from Wilmington north toNorth Andover, Massachusetts in order to better serveLawrence, Massachusetts.
A new alignment to Portland opened in 1873, splitting from the old route atSouth Berwick, Maine. The old route remained a part of theEastern Railroad's Main Line (described below). This completed the B&M "main line", which would become known as the Western Route Main Line.
As the B&M grew, it also gained control of former rivals, including:
On March 28, 1883, the boards of directors of B&M and theEastern Railroad Company voted to ratify the proposition that Eastern Railroad would be leased by B&M.[2] However, a disagreement about the wording of the contract delayed its execution until December 2, 1884.[3][4] On May 9, 1890, B&M purchased Eastern Railroad outright.[5] This provided a second route to Maine, ending competition along the immediate route between Boston and Portland. Along with the Eastern, the B&M also acquired many branch lines, including theConway Branch, theSaugus Branch, theSouth Reading Branch, and branches toMarblehead andRockport, Massachusetts.[6]
The Worcester and Nashua Railroad was organized in 1845 (opened 1848) and the Nashua and Rochester Railroad in 1847, forming a line betweenWorcester,Massachusetts, andRochester,New Hampshire, viaNashua. The W&N leased the N&R in 1874, and the two companies merged into theWorcester, Nashua and Rochester Railroad in 1883. The B&M leased the line on January 1, 1886. This acquisition also included the continuation from Rochester toPortland,Maine, incorporated in 1846 as theYork and Cumberland Railroad. It opened partially in 1851 and 1853, was reorganized as thePortland and Rochester Railroad in 1867, and opened the rest of the way in 1871. It was again reorganized in 1881 and then operated in conjunction with the line to Worcester.
On April 1, 1887, the B&M leased theBoston and Lowell Railroad, adding not only trackage in theBoston area, but also theCentral Massachusetts Railroad west toNorthampton, theBoston, Concord and Montreal Railroad into northernNew Hampshire, theSt. Johnsbury and Lake Champlain Railroad to northwesternVermont, and theConnecticut and Passumpsic Rivers Railroad fromWhite River Junction intoQuebec. However, the BC&M was separated in 1889 and merged with theConcord Railroad to form theConcord and Montreal Railroad, which the B&M leased on April 1, 1895, gaining the Concord Railroad's direct line betweenNashua andConcord. Additionally, the St. Johnsbury and Lake Champlain Railroad, owned by the B&M through stock, was leased to theMaine Central Railroad by 1912. TheCentral Massachusetts Railroad stayed a part of the B&M, as did theConnecticut and Passumpsic Rivers Railroad (as the Passumpsic Division).
TheNorthern Railroad was leased to the Boston and Lowell in 1884, but that lease was canceled and the Northern was on its own until 1890, when it was re-leased to the B&L, then part of the B&M. The Northern owned a number of lines running west fromConcord.
On January 1, 1893, the B&M leased theConnecticut River Railroad, with the main line fromSpringfield, Massachusetts north along theConnecticut River toWhite River Junction, Vermont, where theConnecticut and Passumpsic Rivers Railroad (acquired in 1887) continued north. Along with this railroad came the Ashuelot Railroad, which had been acquired in 1877.
The B&M acquired theBoston, Concord and Montreal Railroad in 1887, but gave it up in 1889, allowing it to merge with theConcord Railroad to form theConcord and Montreal Railroad. That company did poorly on its own and was leased by the B&M on April 1, 1895, giving the B&M the majority of lines inNew Hampshire.
The B&M leased theFitchburg Railroad on July 1, 1900. This was primarily the main line from Boston west via theHoosac Tunnel to theAlbany, New York, area, with various branches. On December 1, 1919, the B&M purchased the Fitchburg Railroad.
At one point, the B&M also owned a majority of stock of theMaine Central Railroad, stretching fromQuebec via northernNew Hampshire to southern and easternMaine.
The B&M flourished with the growth of New England's mill towns in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but still faced financial struggles. It came under the control ofJ. P. Morgan and hisNew York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad around 1910, but anti-trust forces wrested control back. Later, it faced heavy debt problems from track construction and from the cost of acquiring theFitchburg Railroad, causing a corporate reorganization in 1919.
Beginning in the 1930s, freight business was hurt by the leveling-off of New England manufacturing growth and by new competition from trucking. In 1925, B&M reported 2956 million net ton-miles of revenue freight and 740 million passenger-miles; at the end of the year it operated 2291 route-miles, including "42.85 miles of electric street railway". (Those totals do not include B&C, M&WR, StJ&LC or YH&B.)
The B&M's most traveled and well known passenger trains included theAlouette,Ambassador,Cheshire,Day White Mountains,East Wind,Green Mountain Flyer,Gull,Kennebec,Minute Man,Montrealer/Washingtonian,Mountaineer,Pine Tree,Red Wing, andState of Maine. The B&M even promoted its passenger trains with theTimetable Marble radio advertisement. However, the popularization of theautomobile doomed B&M as a passenger carrier.
After steady growth from 1901 to 1913, passenger rail ridership around Boston peaked in 1920 and began to decline due to competition from private automobiles and service cuts during World War I.[7]: 11 In the mid-1920s, after several difficult years, the B&M discontinued service on some marginal lines and began using small self-propelled railcars on others.[7]: 68 A second round of discontinuances occurred from 1931 to 1936 as the Great Depression reduced traffic. Ridership sharply increased during World War II; the B&M had a slower postwar decline than its contemporaries, though major frequency reductions occurred in 1949–1950.[7]: 13 The B&M began testingBudd Rail Diesel Cars (RDCs) in 1952; in 1954, the railroad decided to switch all commuter service to RDCs to cut costs.[7]: 13
Discontinuances in the 1920s and 1930s primarily affected minor branches and rural intercity routes, but the 1950s saw the loss of more significant intercity routes. September, 1952 saw the first cut to the four main intercity mainlines, asEastern Route service was cut fromPortland, Maine toPortsmouth, New Hampshire.[8]: 154 (Portland continued to see service to Boston on the Western Route throughDover, New Hampshire.) The New York–MontrealGreen Mountain Flyer/Mount Royal, which had Boston sections running on the B&M via Bellows Falls, ended when theRutland Railroad discontinued all passenger service, in 1953.[8]: 44 The northern section of the Boston–Wells River, Vermont route ended in 1954 (thus endingconnections to Quebec City), as didManchester–Portsmouth service.[8]: 86, 126 Concord–Claremont Junction service ended in 1955, and the Boston section of theAmbassador was reduced to a Boston–White River Junction RDC connecting train in 1956.[9][8]: 122 Fitchburg mainline service was trimmed fromTroy, New York, toWilliamstown, Massachusetts, in January 1958, and discontinued soon afterward.[7]: 89
.svg){kind=logo}
The B&M became unprofitable in 1958 and moved to shed its money-losing passenger operations.[7]: 15 On May 18, 1958, the B&M severely reduced Boston commuter service. The Maynard Branch, Saugus Branch,Essex Branch, and Stoneham Branch were cut, and theCentral Mass Branch was cut fromClinton toHudson. Almost all inner-suburb commuter stations within theMTA transit district were closed. Intercity service toBellows Falls, Vermont andBrattleboro, Vermont (theCheshire) via the Cheshire Branch was also cut.[7] Service was trimmed again from Williamstown toGreenfield on December 30, 1958, and cut toFitchburg on April 23, 1960.[7]: 15 Further cuts on June 14, 1959, terminated the Swampscott Branch, Marblehead Branch,Danvers Branch, and the north half of theWoburn Loop.[7] TheState of Maine Express - the last through service between New York City and Maine - and the Boston–HalifaxGull were discontinued in 1960.[10][11] Long rural lines toNorth Conway andBerlin, New Hampshire were cut on December 3, 1961.[8]: 148, 333 By 1962, the B&M was preparingICC applications to discontinue all remaining service.[7]: 15
After the major cuts by the B&M and theNew Haven Railroad in the late 1950s, public opinion in Massachusetts began to favor supporting Boston commuter service to prevent it from being cut entirely. From January 1963 to March 1964, the state Mass Transportation Commission funded an experiment testing various fares and service levels on the two railroads. On August 3, 1964, theMassachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) was formed (as an expansion of the MTA funding district) to subsidize suburban commuter rail operations.[7]: 15 In December 1964, the MBTA and B&M reached an agreement for the MBTA to subsidize in-district service (within about 20 miles (32 km) of Boston) should the ICC applications be approved. Municipalities outside the MBTA district could directly subsidize continued service.[7]: 15
After approval of the applications, the B&M discontinued most interstate service on January 4, 1965. Service via Concord toLaconia, New Hampshire andto Montreal via White River Junction ended, though a single Boston–Concord round trip remained. Western Route service to Portland and Eastern Route service to Portsmouth were discontinued; single Boston–Dover and Boston–Newburyport round trips were retained.[7]: 15 On January 18, 1965, commuter service was cut to the MBTA district and subsidies began. Fitchburg Route service was cut toWest Concord; New Hampshire Route and Western Route service toWilmington, save for the Concord and Dover trip; Eastern Route service toManchester andWenham except for the Newburyport trip; andCentral Mass service toSouth Sudbury.[12] After out-of-district communities agreed to subsidies, service was re-extended toAyer,Lowell,Ipswich, andRockport on June 28.[12]
TheMontrealer was discontinued in September, 1966; local service on theConnecticut River Line lasted until the end of that year.[13]: 211 On June 30, 1967, the Concord trip was cut to Lowell, and the Dover trip toHaverhill. The four routes with single daily round-trips slowly ended: South Sudbury on November 26, 1971; Newburyport in April 1976; Haverhill in June 1976; and Bedford on January 10, 1977. (However, Haverhill service was restored byMVRTA subsidy in 1979.)[12] On December 27, 1976, the MBTA bought all B&M commuter equipment, as well as most of the B&M's trackage on Boston's northside (including several abandoned lines). On March 12, 1977, the B&M also won the contract for the southside commuter rail lines that had once been part of the New Haven andB&A: the first time that Boston's commuter rail system had been operated by a single entity. The B&M operated the wholeMBTA Commuter Rail system under contract to the MBTA until 1987.[12] The final B&M line to lose passenger service was the Woburn Branch (former Woburn Loop), which was cut on January 30, 1981, due to poor track quality.[12] Under public control, commuter rail service has returned to several lines cut by the B&M, and Portland intercity service returned with theAmtrakDowneaster, in 2001.[12]
The B&M filed for bankruptcy in December 1970. During bankruptcy the B&M reorganized. It rebuilt its existing fleet of locomotives, leased new locomotives and rolling stock and secured funds for upgrading its track and signal systems.
For much of the 1970s, the Boston and Maine limped along. In 1973 and 1974 the B&M was on the brink of liquidation. The B&M was offered the opportunity to merge its properties into the newConrail in 1976, but opted out.
By 1980, though still a sick company, the B&M started turning around thanks to aggressive marketing and its purchase of a cluster of branch lines in Connecticut. The addition of coal traffic and piggyback service also helped. In 1983, the B&M emerged from bankruptcy when it was purchased by Timothy Mellon'sGuilford Transportation Industries for $24 million. This was the beginning of the end of the Boston & Maine corporate image, and the start of major changes, such as new labor issues which caused the strikes of 1986 and 1987, and drastic cost-cutting such as the 1990 closure of B&M'sMechanicville, New York, site: the largest rail yard and shop facilities on the B&M system.
Guilford Rail System changed its name toPan Am Railways in 2006. Up untilCSX Transportation acquired Pan Am Railways on June 1, 2022, Boston & Maine Corporation continued to exist, but only as a non-operating ward of PAR. Boston & Maine owned the property (and also employed its own railroad police), whileSpringfield Terminal Railway, a B&M subsidiary created by owner Timothy Mellon to break the unions' higher wage scales,[citation needed] operated the trains and performed maintenance. Pan Am Railways and all its subsidiaries are now owned by CSX.
Pan Am entered a joint venture withNorfolk Southern Railway (NS) in April, 2009 to formPan Am Southern (PAS). PAR transferred to the PAS assets that included its 155-mile (249 km) main line track between Mechanicville, New York, and Ayer, Massachusetts, including the Hoosac Tunnel and Fitchburg line as far as Littleton, Massachusetts, and 281 miles (452 km) of secondary and branch lines, plustrackage rights, in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont. NS transferred cash and other property valued at $140 million to the joint venture, $87.5 million of which was expected to be invested within a three-year period in capital improvements on thePatriot Corridor, such as terminal expansions, track and signal upgrades. Springfield Terminal provides all railroad services for the joint venture.
Service at B&M'sformer yard in Mechanicville, New York, was restored as an intermodal and automotive terminal in January 2012, under PAS.[14]
A number of accidents andtrain wrecks occurred during the railroad's history; various examples of incidents that were reported in local or regional newspapers follow. All equipment involved was Boston & Maine, unless noted as a third party.
On November 26, 1905, an express trainrear-ended a local passenger train inLincoln, Massachusetts, resulting in the deaths of 15 passengers and two railroad employees.
On October 4, 1906, a military special train rear-ended a stopped passenger train atLansingburgh, New York, resulting in the deaths of five people on the passenger train;[15] a sixth died later in hospital.[16]
On September 15, 1907,a significant wreck occurred nearCanaan, New Hampshire. Four miles (6.4 km) west of Canaan Station, the southbound Quebec to Boston express, crowded with passengers returning from theSherbrooke Fair, collided head-on with a northboundfreight train. The accident claimed 26 lives, and 17 others were seriously injured.[17] The accident was found to be due to a mistake made by a dispatcher, who mis-identified a train in one of his communications.[18]
On October 2, 1907, a passenger train and a freight train suffered a head-on collision inWorcester, Massachusetts, at Barber's Crossing.[19] There were no fatalities, but multiple passengers and crew members were injured.[19] The accident was attributed to theengineer of the passenger train violating ablock signal.[19]
On March 20, 1908, two freight trains had a head-on collision approximately1+1⁄2 miles (2.4 km) south ofHaverhill, New Hampshire, resulting in the deaths of four crew members.[20][21]
On September 21, 1909, near the Pattee station in the West Canaan village of Canaan, New Hampshire, the Montreal Express had arear-end collision with the Quebec Express.[22] The Quebec Express had trouble maintaining speed and failed to adequately warn the Montreal Express.[23]: 22–23 No passengers died, but an engineer and fireman on the Montreal Express were killed, as was a trespasser who had been riding on that train outside the baggage car.[23]: 23
On September 10, 1918, a passenger train was rear-ended by a freight train inDummerston, Vermont, killing three passengers and injuring 25 others.[24]
On August 19, 1949, a switching error in Canaan, New Hampshire, resulted in the head-on collision between the northbound and southbound editions of theAmbassador, which provided passenger service between Boston and Montreal. There were no fatalities, but 44 people were injured.[25]
On November 12, 1954, the Boston-boundRed Wing passenger train overturned inNashua, New Hampshire, resulting in the death of one woman and injuring 19 other people.[26] Crew members stated that a braking failure led to the crash; it was the first fatal accident for the railroad since 1918.[27]
On February 28, 1956,a stopped local train was rear-ended by aBuddliner inSwampscott, Massachusetts, resulting in the deaths of 11 passengers and two crew members.
On December 28, 1966, aBuddlinercollided with a stalled oil truck owned by Oxbow Transport Corporation at a crossing inEverett, Massachusetts; the ensuing fire claimed the lives of 11 passengers and two crew members.
The B&M operated a number ofnamed passenger trains, which were often the premier intercity service on their routes. Most were through service that were shared between the B&M and other railroads, including theCanadian National Railway (CN),Canadian Pacific Railway (CP),Central Vermont Railway (CV),Maine Central Railroad (MEC),New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad (NH),Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR),Quebec Central Railway (QC), andRutland Railroad (RUT). Trains originating in New York City or Washington, D.C., ran through Springfield (using theConnecticut River Line) or Worcester (using theWorcester Branch) and bypassed Boston.[28][29] Certain commuter trains with wealthy clientele were also named; several of these lasted into the MBTA era.[30] These tables list major named intercity trains operated by the B&M.
| Name | # | Destination | Partner railroad(s) | Final B&M station | Year discontinued | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alouette | 5/20 | Montreal viaPlymouth andNewport | CP | Wells River | 1956 | Operated viaWhite River Junction after 1954. UnnamedRDC train continued until 1965. |
| Ambassador | 307/332 | Montreal via White River Junction andEssex Junction | CV | White River Junction | 1956 | New York section lasted until 1966. |
| Cannon Ball | 313/320 | Plymouth viaConcord | – | – | 1959 | |
| Cheshire | 5505/5506 | Bellows Falls viaKeene | CV | White River Junction | 1958 | |
| Flying Yankee | 15/16 | Bangor viaDover,Portland, andAuburn | MEC | Portland | 1957 | |
| Green Mountain Flyer | 64/65 | Montreal via Bellows Falls,Rutland, andBurlington | RUT | Bellows Falls | 1953 | |
| Gull | 8/23 | Halifax via Portland andVanceboro | CN, CP, MEC | Portland | 1960 | |
| Kennebec | 11/12 | Bangor via Dover, Portland, andBrunswick | MEC | Portland | 1958 | |
| Minute Man | 58/59 | Troy via Fitchburg | – | – | 1958 | Connecting service to Chicago via theNew York Central Railroad |
| Mount Royal | 5502/5511 | Montreal via Bellows Falls, Rutland, and Burlington | RUT | Bellows Falls | 1953 | |
| Mountaineer | 2909/2924 | Littleton via Dover andConway | MEC | Intervale | 1955 | |
| New Englander | 302/325 | Montreal via White River Junction and Essex Junction | CV | White River Junction | 1953 | |
| Penobscot | 22/27 | Bangor via Dover, Portland, and Auburn | MEC | Portland | 1957 | |
| Pine Tree | 14/19 | Bangor via Dover, Portland, and Brunswick | MEC | Portland | 1958 | |
| Red Wing | 302/325 | Montreal via White River Junction and Wells River | CP | Wells River | 1959 | Exchanged through cars with theConnecticut Yankee. |
| Speed Merchant | 4/9 | Portland via Dover | – | – | 1965 |
| Name | # | Destination | Partner railroad(s) | Final B&M station | Year discontinued | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ambassador | 307/332 | Montreal via White River Junction and Essex Junction | NH, CV | White River Junction | 1966 | ||
| Connecticut Yankee | 74/79 | Quebec City via White River Junction and Newport | CP, NH, QC | Wells River | 1952 | Exchanged through cars with theRed Wing. | |
| Day White Mountains | 72/77 | Berlin via Wells River | NH | – | 1956 | ||
| Montrealer/Washingtonian | 70/71 | Montreal via White River Junction and Essex Junction | NH, CV, PRR | White River Junction | 1966 | ||
| Night White Mountains | 71/76 | Berlin via Wells River | NH | – | 1956 | ||
| North Wind | 75/70 | Whitefield or Bretton Woods via White River Junction | NH, CV, MEC | White River Junction | 1956 | Summers only. |
| Name | # | Destination | Partner railroad(s) | Final B&M station | Year discontinued | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bar Harbor Express | 84/85 | Bar Harbor (via ferry) viaAyer, Portland, and Bangor | PRR, NH, MEC | Portland | 1960 | Summers only. |
| East Wind | 120/121 | Bar Harbor (via ferry) via Ayer, Portland, and Bangor | PRR, NH, MEC | Portland | 1953 | Summers only. |
| State of Maine | 81/82 | Bangor via Ayer and Portland | NH, MEC | Portland | 1960 |
The 1935 three-car trainset known as theFlying Yankee, virtually identical to the streamlined equipment theBudd Company built for theChicago Burlington & QuincyPioneer Zephyr, was retired in 1957 and was then displayed at theRailroad for another 36 years.[31] The equipment was relocated and eventually purchased by the State of Maine, but both public and private restoration efforts were unsuccessful.[31] In November 2023, the state of New Hampshire put the equipment up for sale, with a focus on "the relocation and encouraged restoration" of the trainset.[31] In April 2024, the trainset was sold to the Flying Yankee Association, who hopes to restore and operate the set in theMt. Washington Valley, with a possibility of running it on theConway Scenic Railroad.[32] The trainset was moved to North Conway where it regained its trucks.
Five steam locomotives are also preserved with all being located in the northeast. These consist of 0-6-0 no. 410 inLowell, Massachusetts,[33] 0-6-0 no. 444 inDunkirk, New York,[34] 4-4-0 no. 494 at theWhite River Junction station inWhite River Junction, Vermont,[35] 2-6-0 no. 1455 at theDanbury Railway Museum inDanbury, Connecticut,[36] and4-6-2 no. 3713 atSteamtown National Historic Site inScranton, Pennsylvania.[37] Additionally, a sixth locomotive (4-6-2 no. 3666) is still around being submerged in thePiscataqua River inPortsmouth, New Hampshire.[38]
A lease of the Eastern Railroad to this company upon terms agreed upon by your Directors and those of the Eastern Railroad Company was ratified by both corporations at meetings held on March 28, 1883.
The lease of the Eastern Railroad to this Company was ratified by your votes on the 2d of December, 1884, and the leased property was duly delivered to us.
Agreeable to your vote, the purchases of the Eastern and Conway properties [...] have been perfected, the deeds of conveyance passed, and possession taken under them on May 9, 1890.
Media related toBoston and Maine Railroad at Wikimedia Commons
 Subway(List of stations) |
| ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Commuter Rail(List of stations) |
| ||||||||
 Bus | |||||||||
| Other services |
| ||||||||
| Planned projects | |||||||||
| Predecessors | |||||||||
| Other | |||||||||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
