Taunton station (Old Colony Railroad)

Old Colony Railroad Station is an historic Italianate train station located off Dean Street (US Route 44) in Taunton, Massachusetts. The historic station, also known as Dean Street, is proposed to be joined by the modern Taunton station around 2030 as part of Phase 2 of the South Coast Rail project.

Taunton
The historic Old Colony Railroad Station building. A new MBTA platform would be built just to the north.
LocationOff Dean Street
Taunton, Massachusetts
Coordinates41°54′16″N 71°4′56″W
Owned byMassachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
Line(s)Dean Street Industrial Track
Platforms1 side platform (proposed)
Tracks1 (current)
2 (proposed)
Construction
Parking209 (proposed)
Bicycle facilities8 spaces (proposed)
Disabled accessYes
History
Opened1866
Opening2030 (proposed)
Closed1897
Rebuilt1876
Previous namesDean Street
Services
Preceding station MBTA Following station
East Taunton
toward Battleship Cove or New Bedford
 South Coast Rail
2030 (proposed)
 Raynham Place
toward South Station
Old Colony Railroad Station
LocationTaunton, Massachusetts
Built1876
Architectural styleItalianate
MPSTaunton MRA
NRHP reference No.84002192 [1]
Added to NRHPJuly 5, 1984

History

The first Taunton station was constructed in 1866 when the Dighton and Somerset Railroad (owned by the Old Colony & Newport Railway) was opened. Originally to be called Taunton, it was renamed as Dean Street in 1865 (before the station even opened) because of the completion of Taunton Central station across town.[2]

The MBTA platform is proposed to be built north of the historic station building

The 1876 building, a distinctive brick Italianate structure, is the only surviving railroad station in the city. It has a main hip roof with modillioned eave and corbelled cornice, and a steeply pitched central gable section. At the track level a second roof is supported by large wooden brackets. The building's corners are articulated by stone quoining.[3] The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places as Old Colony Railroad Station in 1984.[1][2]

Around 1882, the Old Colony began consolidating service at Taunton Central, beginning with through services. By 1895, only the Boat Train still served Dean Street.[4] All service to the station ended around 1897 (though the station appeared on local maps for some time afterwards), and the line was abandoned from Dean Street to Raynham in 1932.[4][5]

A new MBTA Commuter Rail station, Taunton, is proposed to be built at the site by 2030 as part of the second phase of the South Coast Rail project. An 800-foot-long high-level platform would be constructed just north of the historic building to serve a single passenger track; a freight passing track would also be added.[6] The passing track was not present in original designs, but was added because the original one-track design would have prevented some wide freight trains from using the line.[7]

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. Roy, John H. Jr. (2007). A Field Guide to Southern New England Railroad Depots and Freight Houses. Branch Line Press. p. 146. ISBN 9780942147087.
  3. "NRHP nomination for Old Colony Railroad Station". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved 2015-06-05.
  4. Karr, Ronald Dale (2017). The Rail Lines of Southern New England (2 ed.). Branch Line Press. pp. 389–395. ISBN 9780942147124.
  5. "City of Taunton". Atlas of Massachusetts. George H. Walker & Company. 1904 – via Ward Maps.
  6. "Figure 3.2-25 Taunton Station Proposed Reconstruction" (PDF). Volume II: FEIS/FEIR Figures Final Environmental Impact Statement/Final Environmental Impact Report on the South Coast Rail Project proposed by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New England District. August 2013.
  7. "Existing Taunton Station / Proposed Construction" (PDF). Massachusetts Department of Transportation. July 1, 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 4, 2014.
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