Bay Colony Railroad
 | |
 Bay Colony Railroad locomotive inMedfield, Massachusetts,in 2017 | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Braintree, Massachusetts |
| Reporting mark | BCLR |
| Locale | Massachusetts |
| Dates of operation | 1982–2023 |
| Predecessor | Conrail |
| Successor | Massachusetts Coastal Railroad |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft8+1⁄2in(1,435 mm)standard gauge |
TheBay Colony Railroad(reporting markBCLR) was ashortline railroad(STBClass III) operating inMassachusetts.
Formerly operating along most of the south coast region (including all lines onCape Cod), Bay Colony's final operations ceased in late 2023, when the only two remaining lines (a roughly six-mile stretch of track betweenNew BedfordandWestport,referred to as theWatuppa Branch,as well as a section of theMillis Branchfrom Medfield Junction to Millis) were purchased byMassachusetts Coastal Railroad.
In addition to moving freight for its customers, Bay Colony also performedAAR-certified repairs on rolling stock and contract track construction projects for other railroads. It had a sister railroad, theSeminole Gulf Railway,which is based out ofFort Myers,Florida.
History
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The Bay Colony railroad was chartered on March 31, 1977, with the intent of taking over freight service on former New Haven lines fromConrail,which was planning to abandon service.[1]The lines were purchased by the state government, and Bay Colony took over all freight operations on the lines on June 12, 1982 with a 25-year contract.[2]
Bay Colony expressed interest in purchasing theBelfast and Moosehead Lake Railroadin 1983.[3]
The contract for the railroad lines owned by the State of Massachusetts administered by the Executive Office of Transportation (EOT), which included the Cape Cod main expired on December 31, 2007. It was awarded to a new company, theMassachusetts Coastal Railroad,which took over on January 1, 2008. At that time the Bay Colony ceased operation on those lines, but continued to maintain operations in other areas of the state, namely the Millis branch (until 2018) and the Watuppa branch.[2]The Bay Colony Railroad maintained its headquartered inBraintree, Massachusetts,and owned 6 miles (9.7 km) of active trackage within Massachusetts.[4]
Bay Colony continued operations along theMillis Branch,a roughly eight-mile segment of track betweenNeedham Junctionand the formerMillis station.This line interchanges with CSX at Medfield. By May 2018, Bay Colony had ceased regular operations of this branch following the closure of GAF Roofing, the biggest customer on the line.[4]Bay Colony also operated along theWatuppa Branch(also referred to as the North Dartmouth Industrial Track), a roughly six-mile stretch of track in the south coast of the state. The branch diverges from theNew Bedford Secondaryand passes through the town ofDartmouthbefore terminating in Westport. Interchange was with Mass Coastal in New Bedford.[4]
In November 2023, Mass Coastal indicated that it had agreed to purchase the Millis Branch and Watuppa Branch from Bay Colony and operate the lines, ending all remaining operations by the Bay Colony.[5][6]However, on December 15, theSurface Transportation Boardrejected the transfer of Millis Branch operations due to uncertainty about the status of the line.[7]Mass Coastal announced the purchase of the Bay Colony was final in February 2024, excluding the Millis Branch which remained held up by legal issues.[8]Mass Coastal expects to acquire the Millis Branch in summer 2024.[9]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^"about bay colony".Archived fromthe originalon 2003-04-07.Retrieved2007-10-18.
- ^ab"Massachusetts Coastal named to operate commonwealth-owned lines".Trains News Wire.Kalmbach Publishing.2007-10-08.Retrieved2007-10-18.
- ^Griffin, Walter (March 7, 1984)."Council Gets Briefing on B&M".Bangor Daily News.pp. 1, 16.
- ^abcHDR; AECOM; Fitzgerald & Halliday, Inc.; HMMH (May 2018).MassDOT State Rail Plan(Report). p. 35.RetrievedJune 17,2023.
- ^"STB Docket No. FD 36738"(PDF).Surface Transportation Board. November 16, 2023. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on November 19, 2023.
- ^"STB Docket No. FD 36739"(PDF).Surface Transportation Board. November 16, 2023. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on November 19, 2023.
- ^"Decision: Docket No. FD 36738"(PDF).Surface Transportation Board. December 15, 2023. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on January 5, 2024.
- ^Trains Staff (2024-02-06)."Mass Coastal to acquire Bay Colony Railroad".Trains.Retrieved2024-04-18.
- ^Luczak, Marybeth (February 9, 2024)."Mass Coastal Acquiring Bay Colony Assets".Railway Age.RetrievedApril 18,2024.
External links
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