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Marion line; the state awarded $ 110,000 in construction funds in July 2020. As of
November 2020, the 1.5-mile (2.4 km) section along Industrial Drive was expected to begin construction in spring 2021. The remaining section through Mattapoisett will be completed at a later date. State funding for early planning of Phase 2A in Mattapoisett was awarded in 2022.
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drop their passengers; locomotives would (in earlier years) use a turntable to turn around; and from there would pick up the waiting passengers and return down the branch. As an interesting side note, one sign on one side of the passenger station said "West
Wareham", while to sign on the opposite side said "Tremont".
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Perhaps the second largest customer of the line was the
Fairhaven Iron Works, which had a foundry on the corner of Union and Laurel Streets, in Fairhaven Center, near Atlas Tack. From here, iron products were shipped out, although it is uncertain the exact time period during which this took place. In
530:
The last stop on the line was West
Wareham, or more commonly referred to as Tremont. This is where the Fairhaven Branch spurs off from the Cape Cod main line. From here passengers would disembark and await a train to Boston, or Cape Cod, depending on their destination. At this location, trains would
495:
In total, there were 5 stations along the
Fairhaven Branch. The first station was the Fairhaven passenger station on Railroad Wharf. This was the main railroad station for Fairhaven. Passengers disembarking from the Fairhaven-New Bedford Ferry that operated from Railroad Wharf (and was owned by the
413:
for recreation. He and others built a series of replacement bridges across the widening channel, with the last completed in 2010. In 1999, 3.1 miles (5.0 km) of the former line from the
Fairhaven terminus to the Mattapoisett town line was converted to the Phoenix Rail Trail (named after nearby
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awarded a $ 7 million contract for the construction, with notice to proceed given in late March. The cost of the section, which was significantly higher than most rail trail construction, was due to the environmental difficulty of constructing a trail through sensitive wetlands. It opened in April
360:
Beginning in the 1920s, automobiles and improved highways began to provide major competition to the New Haven. The company began cutback on operations of many branch lines. The New Haven's freight operations declined on the
Fairhaven Branch. The railroad tried a couple of times in the 1940s to end
437:
The Marion
Pathway, constructed largely on the railroad right-of-way, was planned to be completed from Point Road through Marion Center to the Mattapoisett town line in 2021. Mattapoisett plans to complete an additional 0.5-mile (0.80 km) connecting segment to reach Industrial Drive from the
380:
Railroads, took over operations of the New Haven and hauled the loads of sand the 2.5 miles between the sand pit and
Tremont Junction, where they would be picked up by the Cape Cod local freight. This continued until 1973, when the Penn Central abandoned the rest of the line to Tremont.
388:
ran down a short portion of the overgrown and dilapidated
Fairhaven Branch. The train was only able to go so far because of dense overgrowth and poor track conditions. This would be the last passenger train on the Fairhaven Branch, and the last train the branch would ever see.
512:
station at Sconticut Neck Road. This station was primarily to serve the growing summer population in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Passengers could get off here and take the trolley down Sconticut Neck to Wilbur's Point and other summer colonies on the Neck.
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1893, the iron works burned to the ground, and they moved their operations to the wharf next to Railroad Wharf in Fairhaven. The rail spur which the iron works utilized is visible in a painting of the Fairhaven Center by Arthur Moniz in the Rogers Room of the
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Several other smaller customers utilized the line to ship their goods, including a coal dealer in Mattapoisett, and a sand pit in Marion, owned by the Whitehead Brothers Company of New Jersey. Whitehead Brothers, also known as WHIBCO, shipped out
825:
The Fairhaven Branch had several customers throughout its existence. Perhaps the largest and most prominent customer of the line was the Atlas Tack Company, which had a total of three sidings that ran up to the North side of the building (two
446:
The Fairhaven Branch Railroad, about 15 miles long from Fairhaven to Wareham, ran through the center of Fairhaven, past the Atlas Tack Company, through East Fairhaven into Mattapoisett, where the tracks turned north, across the present day
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in Fairhaven Yard. Here, customers that wished to ship their goods by rail, but did not have a direct rail connection and/or were not near the railroad, could bring their goods to the freight house and have them shipped via rail.
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of industrial sand until 1973. Another known customer of the line was the C.P. Washburn Company, which had a feed store on Route 105 in Marion. Some other small customers may have used the line to ship out their goods from the
834:). From here, tacks, nails and other products made at the factory were shipped out by rail, and materials used in the making of these products such as paints and other chemicals were brought in to the factory until 1953.
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could connect with trains to all points from here. The station also featured a telegraph office with a full-time telegraph officer. Today, the location of the station and the yard at Railroad wharf is occupied by
409:
began in the 1970s. In 1996, a local resident built a narrow wooden bridge across the outlet channel of Eel Pond in Mattapoisett, enabling use of a 0.5-mile (0.80 km) section of the former
301:. Born in 1840, he was the son of a former ship's captain and grocer in Fairhaven. After graduating from high school in 1857, "Hen" Rogers hired on with the Fairhaven Branch Railroad as an
455:. The tracks ran through Marion and connected with the main line to Cape Cod at West Wareham/Tremont. Another notable fact is that the line crossed 4 significant rivers, including the
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and a stone foundation for what was likely a signal stand remain today, sitting in the front yards of homeowners on Railroad Avenue, which was once the right-of-way.
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service and abandon the Fairhaven Branch, but vocal shippers protested. Finally, in 1953, the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) formally granted the abandonment.
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Only used for a few years at the turn of the century as a flag stop for summer residents. Just north of Sconticut Neck Road at the intersection with the bike path.
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A dirt lot presently covers where Mattapoisett Station once stood. A whitlepost can be seen across the street in a residential front yard on Railroad St.
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418:). The first 1 mile (1.6 km) of the Mattapoisett Rail Trail was completed in 2010, extending the trail to Mattapoisett Neck Road. That year,
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grant to fund construction of the next 1.28 miles (2.06 km) in Mattapoisett from Mattapoisett Neck Road to Depot Street. In February 2019,
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309:. He worked for three or four years, carefully saving what he could from his meager earnings. Eventually, Henry Rogers rose within the growing
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The Fairhaven Branch was formally abandoned between Fairhaven and Marion on April 2, 1953. Between 1953 and 1968, the New Haven moved
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students rebuilt the bridge over the Mattapoisett River, allowing use of a further 0.4 miles (0.64 km) of unpaved right-of-way.
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maintenance facility. Prior to that, it was used for the second half of the 20th century by the Hathaway-Braley Company as a wharf.
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Mattapoisett was the next station on the line. It was located on Railroad Avenue. Today, the station no longer stands, but a stone
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via steamship. The railroad was merged into the Old Colony Railroad in 1883, four years after the Old Colony leased the
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The Fairhaven Branch Railroad (FBRR) was incorporated in 1849, chartered in 1851, and built from 1852 to 1854. The
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Marion, the next station on the line, is the only stop with a station that survives today. Located on
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328:(better known as the "New Haven") leased the massive Old Colony system, which by then included the
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1172:"Railroad Valuation Map Index." Railroad Valuation Map Index. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2017.
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Marion station is the only station that still stands today on the Fairhaven Branch.
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Fairhaven station around 1880. The locomotive pictured is OCRR #7, The "Northern".
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1002:(Press release). Massachusetts Department of Transportation. February 14, 2019.
945:"Mattapoisett Woman of the Year: For Bonne DeSousa, better biking is a mission"
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and everything substantially east of it, as well as long branches northwest to
1000:"MassDOT Awards Contract for a New Shared-Use Path Connection in Mattapoisett"
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and covered hoppers of sand from the WHIBCO sand pit in Marion. In 1969, the
1016:(Press release). Massachusetts Department of Transportation. March 27, 2019.
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that once bridged the line over the Sippican River can be seen from I-195.
880:"Mattapoisett Man of the Year: Bike Path crusader in it for the long haul"
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in 1898, this gave the New Haven a virtual monopoly on rail transport in
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1055:"Mattapoisett bike boardwalk delayed for repairs, now open for cyclists"
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terminals at New Bedford and Fairhaven, which afforded connections to
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The Woods Hole, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority
1115:"Mattapoisett details plan for Industrial Drive bike path section"
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1029:"New East Coast Greenway Bike Path Extension Open in Fairhaven"
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Western terminus until 1953, which connected with the ferry to
964:"Mattapoisett bike path extension to move forward this spring"
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Predecessors of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad
527:, it serves the community today as a daycare and restaurant.
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and east again, parallel to and just south of the current
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2023 after a delay due to repairs to a boardwalk section.
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In January 2019, the state received a $ 9 million federal
1014:"New Shared-Use Path Connection in Mattapoisett Advances"
1145:
1168:
The Chronology of Railroading in Walpole, Massachusetts
1135:. Commonwealth of Massachusetts. June 2022. p. 6.
1102:. Commonwealth of Massachusetts. July 2020. p. 1.
1088:. Friends of the Mattapoisett Bike Path. January 2019.
1160:
Edward Appleton, Massachusetts Railway Commissioner,
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Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School
1083:"January 2019 Mattapoisett-Marion Bike Path update"
384:On March 7, 1992, a passenger excursion run by the
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Boston, Clinton, Fitchburg and New Bedford Railroad
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Boston, Clinton, Fitchburg and New Bedford Railroad
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Boston, Clinton, Fitchburg and New Bedford Railroad
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297:Notable among the early employees of the FBRR was
982:"MassDOT moves forward on Mattapoisett bike path"
372:, created out of a merger between the New Haven,
294:, the successor to the New Bedford and Taunton.
8:
821:1913 Map of the New Haven Yard at Fairhaven.
508:The second station on this line was a small
453:Interstate 195 (Rhode Island–Massachusetts)
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1245:American companies disestablished in 1861
943:DeCicco, Michael J. (December 26, 2018).
899:"Many support rail trail with Bike Night"
326:New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad
150:New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad
120:New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad
65:New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad
1230:Railway companies disestablished in 1861
1162:History of the Railways of Massachusetts
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496:Fairhaven Branch Railroad) and from the
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278:bought the line in 1861, including its
1250:American companies established in 1849
1133:"2022 MassTrails Awards (81 Projects)"
922:. Wilderness Press. pp. 131–132.
401:The east end of the Phoenix Rail Trail
313:to become one of the three key men in
15:
1225:Railway companies established in 1849
7:
1240:1849 establishments in Massachusetts
1113:Seeberger, Tim (November 23, 2020).
962:Monahan, Daniel (January 13, 2019).
916:Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (2007).
897:Sparling, Georgia (April 14, 2014).
467:in Marion. Part of the former stone
405:Proposals to convert the line to a
878:Gonet, Sarah (December 26, 2012).
135:New Bedford & Taunton Railroad
50:New Bedford & Taunton Railroad
14:
459:in Fairhaven, the Eel River and
276:New Bedford and Taunton Railroad
1220:Defunct Massachusetts railroads
1053:Mulligan, Frank (May 9, 2023).
491:Tremont station at West Wareham
1100:"2020 MassTrails Grant Awards"
340:. Along with the lease of the
330:Boston and Providence Railroad
1:
1185:Fairhaven Bikeway Committee
1027:Hall, Nancy (May 4, 2023).
94:West Wareham, Massachusetts
1266:
1146:Whitehead Brothers Company
350:Boston and Albany Railroad
76:Southeastern Massachusetts
1235:Old Colony Railroad lines
1156:Railroad History Database
932:– via Google Books.
760:
712:
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463:in Mattapoisett, and the
232:Fairhaven Branch Railroad
188:15.1 miles (24.3 km)
130:Fairhaven Branch Railroad
45:Fairhaven Branch Railroad
23:
19:Fairhaven Branch Railroad
1195:Marion Pathway Committee
89:Fairhaven, Massachusetts
1190:Mattapoisett Rail Trail
919:Rail-Trails New England
792:41.788611°N 70.765556°W
742:41.717286°N 70.772055°W
694:41.660530°N 70.819842°W
646:41.639041°N 70.881061°W
597:41.633653°N 70.905538°W
534:The entire line was in
299:Henry Huttleston Rogers
173:1953 (Fairhaven–Marion)
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797:41.788611; -70.765556
747:41.717286; -70.772055
699:41.660530; -70.819842
651:41.639041; -70.881061
602:41.633653; -70.905538
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370:Penn Central Railroad
324:On March 1, 1893 the
175:1976 (Marion–Tremont)
770:West Wareham/Tremont
498:Union Street Railway
342:New England Railroad
258:, a town across the
1210:Old Colony Railroad
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554:Miles to Fairhaven
315:John D. Rockefeller
252:Old Colony Railroad
236:short-line railroad
145:Old Colony Railroad
60:Old Colony Railroad
988:. August 24, 2018.
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813:Railroad customers
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461:Mattapoisett River
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319:Standard Oil trust
311:petroleum industry
1059:South Coast Today
986:South Coast Today
949:South Coast Today
884:South Coast Today
840:Millicent Library
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386:Cape Cod Railroad
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613:New Bedford
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469:arch bridge
356:Abandonment
346:New England
264:New Bedford
194:Track gauge
185:Line length
126:Operator(s)
1204:Categories
860:References
853:team track
783:70°45′56″W
780:41°47′19″N
733:70°46′19″W
730:41°43′02″N
685:70°49′11″W
682:41°39′38″N
637:70°52′52″W
634:41°38′21″N
588:70°54′20″W
585:41°38′01″N
407:rail trail
303:expressman
284:Woods Hole
576:Fairhaven
569:Fairhaven
560:Lat/long
551:Locality
525:Route 105
510:flag stop
334:Fitchburg
256:Fairhaven
180:Technical
152:1893-1953
147:1883-1893
142:1879-1883
137:1861-1879
132:1854-1861
67:1893-1953
62:1883-1893
57:1879-1883
52:1861-1879
47:1854-1861
36:Abandoned
830:and one
828:trailing
557:Station
475:Stations
307:brakeman
248:Cape Cod
213: in
103:Stations
28:Overview
1033:FUN 107
762:Wareham
431:MassDOT
366:boxcars
270:History
246:on the
208:⁄
157:History
111:Service
82:Termini
1164:(1871)
1064:May 9,
1038:May 7,
926:
832:facing
721:Marion
714:Marion
563:Notes
338:Lowell
234:was a
170:Closed
162:Opened
116:System
72:Locale
33:Status
1086:(PDF)
766:15.00
442:Route
280:ferry
262:from
41:Owner
1066:2023
1040:2023
924:ISBN
718:9.98
670:5.09
620:1.36
573:0.00
538:and
427:CMAQ
376:and
336:and
305:and
286:and
230:The
165:1854
317:'s
238:in
1206::
1117:.
1074:^
1057:.
1031:.
984:.
966:.
947:.
901:.
882:.
868:^
615:.
542:,
352:.
321:.
266:.
219:)
1121:.
1068:.
1042:.
970:.
951:.
905:.
886:.
215:(
210:2
206:1
203:+
201:8
106:5
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