Abandoned Commuter Rail Stations

[B&Mguy]

Oops, I saw S. Ashburnham on the old system map in front of the Lowell Station. I guess they never actua;;y stopped there but put it on the maps anyways. I'm amazed that map has survived all these years. Imagine the confusion it causes when someone from out of town looks at it and thinks they can get a train to Concord, NH at Lowell...

[CSX Conductor]

But there are no physical remains of Mount Hope.

[MBTA3247]

Further west on the line, Riverside station used to serve both the Green Line and the railroad, but the railroad stop has been abandoned.

The Green Line has always had it's own station at Riverside, and never used the B&A one.

[sery2831]

No one has mentioned 'Harbor' on the Gloucester Branch. There is still some parts of that station there...

[theseaandalifesaver]

[quote="sery2831"]No one has mentioned 'Harbor' on the Gloucester Branch. There is still some parts of that station there...[/quote]Anything worth checking out?

[Rockingham Racer]

Service to Concord and Dover NH continued until 1967 after the MBTA switched to subsidising service only to towns in the MBTA in early 1965. Newburyport also paid the B&M to operate a single train into 1976, and Haverhill had a single train (don't know funding details) till about the same time. The Newburyport train stopped at Rowley for the first few years, and the Haverhill train stopped at North Andover and Shawsheen (both buildings still exist) till the end AFAIK.

Pretty sure the North Andover station is long gone.

[Tracer]

Is this the old Pawtucket/Central falls station? Whats the history of this place?

http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&F ... &encType=1

[TomNelligan]

Is this the old Pawtucket/Central falls station? Whats the history of this place?

Yes, that's it. It was built by the New Haven RR and opened in 1916. It's a pretty big building, as you can see, and was once a busy place, although the surrounding neighborhood isn't what it was in those days. It was last used as a passenger stop in 1981, although the station building had been closed prior to that. It is currently derelict although there was talk a couple years ago of developing it into some sort of commercial space.

[Ron Newman]

When I last saw it a few years ago, I think a small part of Pawtucket-Central Falls was being used as a church? Not sure now.

[Ron Newman]

Where was this 'Harbor' station and when was it last used? I guess I thought it was the same place as West Gloucester.

[Tom coughlin]

Other stations on South Side lines abandoned during the MBTA era:
East Foxborough (1977)
Rustcraft (1979 or so?) serving the greeting card company of the same name; just east of the current Dedham Corp Park station.
Plimptonville on the Franklin Branch was abandoned in 1981 for a short while but reinstated later that year.

[tober]

You are correct on that... sorry, I was confusing Waltham North and Waltham Highlands in my original message. It's tough being an old guy.

Waltham North was just a platform at the time Central Mass passenger service ended in 1971. Waltham Highlands is the one that is still alive and well, as you note. If you include Roberts, the downtown station at Moody Street, Beaver Brook, and Clematis Brook, Waltham had six different stops within city limits as late as 1971! And in prehistoric times there was yet another one, Riverside, at the point where Prospect Street crosses under the Fitchburg Line. It was a commuter stop for the enormous Waltham Watch Company that was located directly across the river at that point.

That's not really surprising, given how important (as a city) Waltham used to be.

Slightly off-topic, but I don't think it merits creating a new topic: What town/city has the most currently active MBTA commuter rail stations within its limits? Beverly has 5 - Beverly Depot, North Beverly, Montserrat, Prides Crossing, and Beverly Farms. Does any other place have equally many or more?

[MBTA3247]

Slightly off-topic, but I don't think it merits creating a new topic: What town/city has the most currently active MBTA commuter rail stations within its limits? Beverly has 5 - Beverly Depot, North Beverly, Montserrat, Prides Crossing, and Beverly Farms. Does any other place have equally many or more?

Boston has 12: North Station, South Station, Back Bay, Yawkey, Ruggles, Forest Hills, Hyde Park, Readville, Uphams Corner, Morton St, Fairmount, and JFK/UMass.

[Ron Newman]

More than that! You left out Roslindale, Bellevue, Highland, and West Roxbury. That makes 16, unless we've both overlooked some more.

[sery2831]

Where was this 'Harbor' station and when was it last used? I guess I thought it was the same place as West Gloucester.

It's right before the draw bridge on the right side going outbound. I guess there is an apartment complex there and the station served the complex. But I could be wrong about that.