Grafton and Upton Railroad

Grafton and Upton Railroad
Grafton and Upton 1750 in North Grafton, MA
Overview
Status	Operating
Owner	Jon Delli Priscoli
Locale	Worcester County,Massachusetts
Termini	Grafton Franklin
Service
Type	Short line railroad
History
Opened	1873
Closed	still operating
Technical
Line length	24.85 Miles
Character	Surface Level
Track gauge	4 ft8+1⁄2in(1,435 mm)
Old gauge	originally3 ft(914 mm) gauge
Route map Framingham/Worcester Line North Grafton Yard Mill Siding Grafton Center Yard Grafton-UptonBorder West Upton Yard Upton Siding Upton-HopedaleBorder Hopedale Yard Hopedale-MilfordBorder Milford Yard ToForge Park/495 Former route toFraminghamandHollistonviaMilford Branch Former route toHopkintonviaMilford Secondary

TheGrafton and Upton Railroad(reporting markGU) is aClass IIIshort line railroadin east-centralMassachusetts.This 24.85 mile line runs fromGraftontoFranklinand connects toCSX Transportationlines at both ends.Following a period of decline and neglect, maintenance and repairs began in 2008 with the aim of returning the line to operable condition.

History

TheGrafton Centre Railroadwas chartered October 22, 1873 and opened August 20, 1874 as a3 ft(914 mm)narrow gaugeconnection fromGraftonto a junction with theBoston and Albany RailroadatNorth Grafton.The last narrow gauge train ran on July 9, 1887. The line was converted to4 ft8+1⁄2in(1,435 mm)standard gaugeon September 1, 1887.

On February 17, 1888, the name was changed to theGrafton and Upton Railroadby an act of the state legislature. An extension toWest Uptonopened on March 12, 1889, and an extension toMilfordopened on May 17, 1890, connecting to theMilford and Woonsocket Railroad,later a line of theNew Haven Railroad.

TheUpton Street Railwaywas absorbed in 1902 and named the 'Electric Loop' or 'Upton Loop'. Passenger service on this loop and the main line was provided by cars leased from theMilford and Uxbridge Street Railway.

In November 1894William F. Draperof theDraper Companywas appointed to the Board of Directors. The Draper Company eventually purchased the G&U and operated it as a subsidiary.

Electric operations typically took place during the daytime, while steam locomotives used the tracks during the nighttime hours. Electric operations ceased on July 3, 1946, and the railroad dieselized during the 1950s. It was at this time that the whole line was upgraded to a heavier grade of track, the first overhaul since the narrow gauge was replaced in 1887.

The G&U ceased passenger service on August 31, 1928.U.S. Mailservice along withRailway Expressservice ceased in 1952.

The Draper Company sold the G&U in 1967 toRockwell International.Rockwell sold the G&U to a trucking company, Torco, Inc. ofWorcesteron January 29, 1979. Traffic has fluctuated over the years of Torco ownership.

The last train to Hopedale was in 1988 and for the next 5 years activity was localized solely to the Grafton yard. In 1993 the G&U bought their current engine, the St. Louis Union Station 212 and began hauling salt to Upton once again. This activity lasted until the late 90s.

Torco, Inc. eventually sold the G&U to the Lucy Family. In 2008 the G&U passed hands once again to Jon Delli Priscoli. Delli Priscoli has made clear his intentions to revitalize the railroad in its entirety from Grafton to Milford, and work began in earnest in early 2008.

On February 1, 2021, the G&U increased its trackage by nearly 50% from 16.5 miles to 24.85 miles with the acquisition of trackage rights from CSX to the 8.35 mileMilford Secondaryline. This is the first expansion of the G&U since it last expanded toMilfordnearly 131 years ago in 1890.

2000s renovation

In 2004 a test run was made on the track fromNorth GraftontoWest Upton.This track was determined to be in usable condition but beyond this point it was so deteriorated that would have been dangerous to operate a train.

In March 2008, 50% of the largely dormant G&U was sold, with the option to purchase the rest. Some in the town ofUptonopposed any re-opening or increased use of the railroad line but were unable to have any influence. "We can't stop the railroad," said Selectmen Chairwoman Marsha Paul, "It is going to open. It will be about two years. It's something we'll have to monitor and watch."The new owner, Delli Priscoli, claims that "Railroads are coming back."

In October 2008 the North Grafton depot was expanded to accommodate two cars instead of one.

On December 31, 2009, a test run was conducted, and it was announced that the portion of the line from North Grafton to West Upton was operable. This is the largest rehabilitation the line has seen since the 1950s.

An article in theMilford Daily Newsdated September 11, 2012, stated: "State and local officials drove a ceremonial spike into a South Main Street railroad crossing Monday, signifying the start of reconstruction of the Milford and Hopedale portion of the Grafton and Upton Railroad... Work on the Milford and Hopedale stretch is part of the second phase of getting the railroad back in shape... The first phase of the work was the stretch of track from Grafton to West Upton... [Railroad spokesman Doug Pizzi] said that he expects crossing construction in Milford will begin within the next month and hopes the entire track will be completed by the end of the year."

As of February 2021, the following is complete:

• TheMilfordyard has been completely cleared of trees.
• TheHopedaleyard has been completely cleared. The old engine house, scale, freight depot, and most of the yard's track have been removed.
• The line fromNorth GraftontoMendon StreetinHopedalehas been completely rebuilt. Improvements include new tracks, new ties, relayed stone ballast and extensive ditch work.
• TheWest Uptonyard had its switches and track refurbished with fresh ties and new stone ballast. Two new spurs were also built.
• The remaining oldcrossing signalsatUpton Streetin Grafton,Mendon Streetand Greene Street in Hopedale, and South Main Street in Milford have been removed.
• The propane facility in North Grafton has been completed.
• New grade crossings along the entire line have been installed, including through Hopedale and Milford.
• Newcrossing signalshave been installed at North Street, Jordan Boulevard, andUpton Streetin Grafton. Signals in Upton at Williams Street, Hartford Avenue, Maple Avenue, and Pleasant Street have also been installed.
• G&U took control of the 8.35 mile CSXMilford Secondaryline fromFranklintoMilfordon February 1, 2021.

MBTA proposals

In July 2011, the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization started studies into extendingFranklin Lineservice fromForge Park/495intoMilfordandHopedale.This study would be the first study into this since a former study in 1997, which concluded that the extension was not high-priority. The study looked into a station in Hopedale, near the privately ownedDraper Mill,and infill stations in Milford andBellingham.A second Milford station was proposed in a 2003 plan for the town near the intersections of Depot and Central Street, but it lies on a spur off of the tracks. Although the study was completed, the extension was put on hold for the near future.

Locomotive roster

Grafton and Upton 10, aGE 44-ton switcher,at theNewport and Narragansett Bay Railroadin 2023

Until 2017, the Grafton and Upton operated a fleet of variousEMDlocomotives, includingGP7s,GP9s,CF7s,and anF7.These were replaced by one leased and three purchasedMP15AClocomotives in 2017 and 2018.

External links

• Official website

Further reading

• Hartley, Scott A. (December 2021). "Short Line: Grafton & Upton".Trains.Kalmbach.pp. 44–45.