Somerville Junction

Somerville Junction was the name of a railroad junction and station in Somerville, Massachusetts, United States. The station, which closed in 1927,[1] was located at the site of the present-day park near the intersection of Centre and Woodbine Streets.[2][3] Nearby, a westward connector split off from the main line of the Boston and Lowell Railroad. It was built by the B&L to connect to the Lexington and Arlington Railroad after its 1870 acquisition. A branch was later added, extending the connector to form the Fitchburg Cutoff. A publication highlighting Somerville railroad history in connection with the MBTA Green Line extension project includes a photo of the depot (also seen here, to the right) and a discussion of Somerville Junction's history.[1] Per 1895 maps, the station was situated about 70 yards (65 meters) from the Central Street bridge,[4] and the junction of the tracks was about 240 yards (225 meters) farther northwest.[5]

Somerville Junction station in 1907

Laurin A. Woodward was station agent from 1871 to the 1920s; in 1921, his 50 years of such work were believed to be the longest in New England.[6][7] The station building was abandoned by the early 1930s.[8] The B&M received permission to close the stop in 1939, though some service may have maintained into the 1940s.[9][10][11] It was closed completely prior to the 1958 cuts that closed North Somerville, Tufts College, and Medford Hillside stations.[12]

References and notes
  1. "Rails of the Past Guiding the Green Line of the Future" (PDF). Somerville Bicycle Committee and the Somerville Historic Preservation Commission. May 31, 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 2, 2016.
  2. The Park at Somerville Junction, at the site of the former station, was dedicated on September 25, 2008. Centre St. is not to be confused with Central St.
  3. "Parks and Open Space - Park at Somerville Junction". Retrieved 2017-01-23.
  4. 1895 G. W. Bromley & Co. map showing station location Accessed January 23, 2017
  5. 1895 G. W. Bromley & Co. map showing junction Accessed January 23, 2017
  6. "Many railroad men in N. E. have served half-century". Boston Globe. March 3, 1924. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "For fifty years a station agent". Boston Globe. August 31, 1921. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "How would you like to live in a railroad station". Boston Globe. July 15, 1933. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Two Stations closed on Boston & Maine". Boston Globe. December 28, 1939. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Proposed Rapid Transit Route: Lechmere to Woburn". Report of the Legislative Commission on Rapid Transit. 1945. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014 – via Somerville Transportation Equity Partnership.
  11. "New Rail Fares". Boston Globe. October 18, 1947. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. "Drastic Service Cuts Approved on Five B.& M. Divisions". Daily Boston Globe. 19 April 1958. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.