Yard 21 - Somerville

Speaking of the cleaning up of the Yard 21 lead... It looks like the invasive weeds are reestablishing themselves. I also notice two wooden line poles have been erected, maybe PTC!

To scroll back a bit to 08-06 postings about B&M yards in and around Boston, It was pretty much an unmanageable hodgepodge of named yards. The numbering came into force with George Hannauer, B&M president from 1927 until his fatal heart attack at the 1929 Dartmouth-Yale game. He came to the B&M as a rehabilitator of terminal operations -- the Indiana Harbor Belt, for one -- and put in the Yard 7 and 8 humps in an effort to make Boston a fluid operation. At least some of the fill that brought the New Hampshire main over the Valley Tracks came from the leveling of Asylum Hill, original site of McLean Hospital. If you go to the McLean website, there is an old topo showing the hospital and track layout.
There should be B&M employee magazines from that period on file somewhere with greater detail.

What’s the story with the abandoned pair of tracks beyond the inbound side of the Orange Line at Sullivan Sq.? They seem to fade off into nothing at Assembly Sq. What was their purpose? Were they a casualty of the Assembly stop construction?

I think they are remains of the former Harvard Branch, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvard_Branch_Railroad

Edit: At least that's what what I thought I read somewhere on here before. But looking at this MAP, the most likely candidate is the Grand Junction.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mi ... 52692&z=14

It is not the Harvard Branch. Harvard Branch left the Fitchburg RR at about Village Street in Somerville, where the Fitchburg narrowed down to two tracks and made quite a jog to the right going outbound. The map showing rail lines in color is not correct. The Grand Junction crossed the Western near Tower C and followed the Eastern, crossing the Mystic River on B & M Draw 7 on it own track (B & M had two tracks - maintenance was done by B & M and Boston & Albany paid 1/3 and B & M 2/3 - 1 track vs 2 tracks). The Grand Junction crossed the Eastern at so-called Boston Elevated Crossing which was right around Boston Elevated/MTA Everett Shops. GJ followed Eastern (actually it was Eastern followed GJ - which was there first) to Cary or Carey Ave. Chelsea. Even in my time at B & M, late 1960s, B & M was charging GJ for something at Cary or Carey Cut. The overgrown tracks on inbound side of the Orange Line at Sullivan are remains of B & M yard tracks.

Pete wrote: ↑Tue Sep 24, 2019 12:55 pm What’s the story with the abandoned pair of tracks beyond the inbound side of the Orange Line at Sullivan Sq.? They seem to fade off into nothing at Assembly Sq. What was their purpose? Were they a casualty of the Assembly stop construction?

Those were the leads to the B&M's Yard 21 that serviced the First National Store and the Ford plant. That area has since become Assembly Row. The last use I can remember was for storage of the MBTA's Pullman computer rail coaches.

Here is a thread about it:

http://www.railroad.net/viewtopic.php?f=65&t=54635

Those are the 3rd & 4th Irons heading towards Assembly Square/Old Yard 21.
Still in use by PAR and MBTA/Keolis.

They are now barricaded at the Cambridge St bridge, so the leads aren't that leading anymore. Sometimes you will see a few freight cars and the odd occasion a bi-level heading out for an overhaul. I think there maybe some flats to carry new rail as I type. I remember an acid tank car leak there in April 2004 that shutdown the Orange Line.

As recent as 3 or 4 years ago though the barricade was at the north side Sullivan Square.

I remember seeing the MBTA park an work extra train of gondola cars right on the other side of Sullivan Square.

It was then there was another minor derailment and that was that. Also there are some areas of the concrete retaining wall, for Brighton St and housing, have been compromised so I doubt there will be any repair or future use of the trackage.

The leads towards Yard 21 are going to be used by PAR and Keolis/T MW as its
desperately needed for storage and operations since Yard 8 is retired. Especially
true when the new connection at Washington St down through Innerbelt Rd is put
in service.

The bike path people would dearly love to have the Yard 21 right-of-way.

D

That's what I thought too. I think we have lost enough rail infrastructure/storage in the area.

Are the sidings that head towards the Hood plant called anything? There seem to be enough left of those for some storage.

There was/is a myriad of tracks down at that location - FX (Old Tower C).

The track off the outbound main down at Sullivan is known as the Left Hand.
It crossed the Mystic Wharf Branch at grade (like the mainline) and went to
the area of HP Hood. Stubbed out at the Wharf track and used for MW equipment.

Track 12 (the spur to Costa Produce), The Davis Track (connected the Mystic
Wharf Branch to Yard 2) among others. All "inactive".

The derelict RDCs, Milk car, flatcars are in part of Yard 2 or Quay Tracks (long, long ago!)

D

Mod Note: Merged with existing Yard 21 topic, thanks dieciduej for the link!