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The Providence and Worcester Railroad is a
Class II railroad In the United States, railroad carriers are designated as Class I, II, or III, according to annual revenue criteria originally set by the Surface Transportation Board in 1992. With annual adjustments for inflation, the 2019 thresholds were US$5 ...
operating of tracks in
Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...
,
Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
, and
Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the ...
, as well as
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
via
trackage right Railway companies can interact with and control others in many ways. These relationships can be complicated by bankruptcies. Operating Often, when a railroad first opens, it is only a short spur of a main line. The owner of the spur line may con ...
s. The company was founded in 1844 to build a railroad between
Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts ...
, and
Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 census, making it the second- most populous city in New England after ...
, and ran its first trains in 1847. A successful railroad, the P&W subsequently expanded with a branch to East Providence, Rhode Island, and for a time leased two small Massachusetts railroads. Originally operating on a single track, its busy mainline was
double-tracked Double tracking or doubling is an audio recording technique in which a performer sings or plays along with their own prerecorded performance, usually to produce a stronger or bigger sound than can be obtained with a single voice or instrument. ...
beginning in 1853, following a fatal collision that year in
Valley Falls, Rhode Island Valley Falls is a village and census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Cumberland, Rhode Island, Cumberland, Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 11,547 at the 2010 United States ...
. The P&W operated independently until 1888, when the New York, Providence and Boston Railroad (NYP&B) leased it; the
New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad , commonly known as The Consolidated, or simply as the New Haven, was a railroad that operated in the New England region of the United States from 1872 to December 31, 1968. Founded by the merger of ...
obtained the lease in 1892 when it purchased the NYP&B. The P&W continued to exist as a company, as special rules protecting minority shareholders made it prohibitively expensive for the New Haven to outright purchase the company. The New Haven continued to lease the Providence and Worcester for 76 years, until the former was merged into
Penn Central The Penn Central Transportation Company, commonly abbreviated to Penn Central, was an American class I railroad that operated from 1968 to 1976. Penn Central combined three traditional corporate rivals (the Pennsylvania, New York Central and th ...
(PC) at the end of 1968. Penn Central demanded the shareholder rules keeping P&W alive be rewritten, and also threatened to abandon the company's tracks. In response, a group of P&W shareholders launched a fight with PC, convincing the
Interstate Commerce Commission The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) was a regulatory agency in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887. The agency's original purpose was to regulate railroads (and later trucking) to ensure fair rates, to elimina ...
(ICC) to cancel the lease and let the P&W exit the New Haven's merger and go free. Against expectations, the ICC agreed, and following court battles P&W prevailed and began operating independently again after 85 years. Upon regaining its independence, the railroad expanded through purchasing a number of railroad lines from the
Boston and Maine Railroad The Boston and Maine Railroad was a U.S. Class I railroad in northern New England. Originally chartered in 1835, it became part of what was the Pan Am Railways network in 1983 (most of which was purchased by CSX in 2022). At the end of 1970 ...
and PC successor
Conrail Conrail , formally the Consolidated Rail Corporation, was the primary Class I railroad in the Northeastern United States between 1976 and 1999. The trade name Conrail is a portmanteau based on the company's legal name. It continues to do bus ...
in the 1970s and 1980s. The company turned a profit operating lines bigger companies lost money on, and invested heavily in improving its infrastructure. P&W also absorbed a number of shortline railroads in Connecticut and Rhode Island. Entering the 1990s, P&W had expanded to several hundred miles of track. However, a number of the company's largest customers shut down or ended rail service during this decade, and the Providence and Worcester responded by pivoting to expanding interchange with other railroads. P&W also signed an agreement to run
unit train A unit train, also called a block train or a trainload service, is a train in which all cars (wagons) carry the same commodity and are shipped from the same origin to the same destination, without being split up or stored en route. They are dist ...
s of crushed stone from Connecticut quarries to
Queens, New York Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...
over the
Northeast Corridor The Northeast Corridor (NEC) is an electrified railroad line in the Northeast megalopolis of the United States. Owned primarily by Amtrak, it runs from Boston through Providence, New Haven, Stamford, New York City, Philadelphia, Wilmington, ...
. In 2016, the Providence and Worcester was purchased by railroad holding company Genesee & Wyoming, without any significant changes to operations. P&W is headquartered in Worcester, and maintains significant facilities there, in Valley Falls, in Plainfield, Connecticut, and in
New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134 ...
. It operates a variety of GE and EMD diesel locomotives to power its trains. P&W serves major ports in New Haven, Providence, and
Davisville, Rhode Island Davisville, Rhode Island is a village in the town of North Kingstown in the U.S. state of Rhode Island that was formerly the home of the Davisville Naval Construction Battalion Center, which housed the United States Navy's SeaBees. Village de ...
(the latter via a connection to switching and terminal railroad
Seaview Transportation Company The Seaview Transportation Company, also known as the Seaview Railroad, is a terminal railroad in North Kingstown, Rhode Island that serves the port of Davisville and surrounding industries. The railroad began operations in 1978 on trackage that fo ...
). In addition to the lines it directly owns and operates, P&W freight trains share tracks with
Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada. ...
,
Metro-North Railroad Metro-North Railroad , trading as MTA Metro-North Railroad, is a suburban commuter rail service run by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), a public authority of the U.S. state of New York and under contract with the Connectic ...
, and
MBTA Commuter Rail The MBTA Commuter Rail system serves as the commuter rail arm of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's transportation coverage of Greater Boston in the United States. Trains run over of track to 141 different stations, with 58 stati ...
passenger trains on the Northeast Corridor and two Metro-North branches in Connecticut. Key commodities carried by P&W include lumber, paper, chemicals, steel, construction materials and debris, crushed stone, automobiles, and plastics. While the company is primarily a freight railroad, since the 1980s it has occasionally operated passenger excursions, using refurbished passenger cars purchased from Amtrak.


Original Providence and Worcester Railroad


Founding

The Providence and Worcester Railroad was preceded by the
Blackstone Canal The Blackstone Canal was a waterway linking Worcester, Massachusetts, to Providence, Rhode Island (and Narragansett Bay) through the Blackstone Valley via a series of locks and canals during the early 19th century. History The initiative for t ...
, which opened between
Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts ...
, and
Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 census, making it the second- most populous city in New England after ...
, in 1828. While the canal was initially somewhat successful, its owner went bankrupt after the canal was severely damaged by flooding in 1841, and was forced to petition the state of Rhode Island for additional funds. The canal also competed for water with the many mills along the Blackstone Valley, which used
water power Hydropower (from el, ὕδωρ, "water"), also known as water power, is the use of falling or fast-running water to produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by converting the gravitational potential or kinetic energy of a ...
to operate their machinery. Railroads had begun developing across New England by the 1840s, and in early 1844 a group of Rhode Island citizens petitioned the
Rhode Island General Assembly The State of Rhode Island General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. A bicameral body, it is composed of the lower Rhode Island House of Representatives with 75 representatives, and the upper Rhode Island Se ...
for a charter to build a railroad from Providence to the Massachusetts state line. This group also petitioned the
Massachusetts General Court The Massachusetts General Court (formally styled the General Court of Massachusetts) is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the earliest days of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, ...
for a charter to build in that state from the state line to Worcester. The railroad was incorporated in Massachusetts as the Providence and Worcester Railway on March 12, 1844, and in Rhode Island as the Providence and Worcester Railroad in May 1844. The two companies were merged November 25, 1845, as the Providence and Worcester Railroad. The company bought the Blackstone Canal and began construction, partly on its banks, in 1845. The canal was shut down in 1848, shortly after the railroad was completed.


Delays in construction

Local enthusiasm was high for the new railroad, with one Providence resident quoted as saying " t isnot so much what will the projected route add to the prosperity of Providence, as can we do without it?" The city's residents feared that without a railroad to connect their city to others, Providence would be reduced in importance compared to other cities in the region. Despite high local support, in July 1845, the railroad was still short $200,000 ($ in 2021) out of a needed sum of $1,000,000 ($ in 2021) per the company's charter, and had not begun construction. Residents began to doubt the railroad would ever be built, with one citizen writing in a
letter to the editor A letter to the editor (LTE) is a letter sent to a publication about an issue of concern to the reader. Usually, such letters are intended for publication. In many publications, letters to the editor may be sent either through conventional ma ...
to a local newspaper that "...any hope of its completion, founded upon the present condition of the corporation, is desperate indeed." By September 1845, residents worried over rumors that investors from
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
were planning to build a new railroad between
Woonsocket, Rhode Island Woonsocket ( ), is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 43,240 at the 2020 census, making it the sixth largest city in the state. Being Rhode Island's northernmost city, Woonsocket lies directly south of ...
, and
Dedham, Massachusetts Dedham ( ) is a town in and the county seat of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 25,364 at the 2020 census. It is located on Boston's southwest border. On the northwest it is bordered by Needham, on the southwest ...
, which would not serve Providence. Despite fears the company would fail, it announced on October 8, 1845, that thanks to additional funding, including a $100,000 ( in 2021) investment by Jacob Little, the requisite $1,000,000 had been reached, plus a further $100,000 for the Massachusetts section of the line, and that construction would begin immediately. The funding was obtained entirely from private sources.


Construction and operations

Construction of the Providence and Worcester Railroad employed a significant number of immigrants, in particular from Ireland. The line opened in two sections, the part south of Millville on September 27, 1847, and the rest on October 20. The line from Providence to
Central Falls Central Falls is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 22,583 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. With an area of only , it is the smallest and most densely popula ...
was shared with the Boston and Providence Railroad, which at the same time built a connection from its old line (ending in East Providence) over to the P&W. Both companies shared the P&W-built Providence Union Station, which opened in 1848; New York, Providence and Boston Railroad trains also served this station. This station was originally planned to be placed over the
Great Salt Cove Waterplace Park is an urban park situated along the Woonasquatucket River in downtown Providence, Rhode Island at the original site of the Great Salt Cove. Finished in 1994, Waterplace Park is connected to 3/4 mile of cobblestone-paved pedestria ...
, a large cove in the city; public opposition led by
Zachariah Allen Zachariah Allen (September 15, 1795 – March 17, 1882) was an American textile manufacturer, scientist, lawyer, writer, inventor and civil leader from Providence, Rhode Island. He was educated at Phillips Exeter Academy and at Brown Universit ...
convinced the city to preserve the cove and change the station's location. Construction had been more expensive than anticipated, due both to difficulties encountered in earthworks for the railroad and to relatively high prices for iron and labor from 1845 to 1847, as well as significant investments in a large depot in Providence. Despite this, the company quickly began to make a large profit upon opening, thanks to the significant amount of traffic it carried; this trend would continue for the remainder of the company's independent operations. The opening of the railroad, along with other railroads in the region, spurred an increase in industry in the region; Providence in particular developed significant textile, jewelry, and metals industries. In particular, the P&W, along with the Boston and Providence, was credited with bringing the city of Pawtucket out of an economic downturn. The line linked the communities along its route to the busy railroad junction in Worcester. In May 1853, the owners of the Norfolk County Railroad were able to purchase a majority of the Providence and Worcester's stock, by paying well above market value for shares. This purchase was an attempt to use the P&W as a means to route more traffic along the Norfolk County Railroad, which was bankrupt as a result of insufficient business, and by consequence increase the value of that company's stock. The efforts of the Norfolk County Railroad culminated in an attempt at a
hostile takeover In business, a takeover is the purchase of one company (the ''target'') by another (the ''acquirer'' or ''bidder''). In the UK, the term refers to the acquisition of a public company whose shares are listed on a stock exchange, in contrast to t ...
, when shareholders from that railroad tried to add ten new members to the company's board of directors. The company's president and clerk refused to recognize a vote to approve the new directors, defeating the attempt and leaving the stockholders from the "ricketty and bankrupt" Norfolk County Railroad with nothing but $100,000 ($ in 2021) in debt to show for their efforts. That same year, the worst accident in the company's history occurred in
Valley Falls, Rhode Island Valley Falls is a village and census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Cumberland, Rhode Island, Cumberland, Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 11,547 at the 2010 United States ...
. Two trains collided head-on, resulting in 14 fatalities. The fallout of this incident was partially responsible for the P&W double tracking its mainline, which began shortly after the accident. This proceeded slowly, and the final section of single track wasn't upgraded until 1885, 32 years later. The P&W benefited from a general increase in economic activity and shipping during the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...
; though little of its freight was directly related to the war effort, the company paid off all its debts and invested $20,000 ($ in 2021) on track improvements in 1864 alone.


Expansion

The Providence and Worcester leased two other railroads: the Milford and Woonsocket Railroad in 1868, and the Hopkinton Railroad, a northward extension of the Milford and Woonsocket, in 1872. Neither company directly connected to any P&W line. Both leases expired in 1883, with the two railroads resuming independent operation that year; the Milford and Woonsocket took over the Hopkinton the following year. Following an 1872 agreement with the New Jersey Central Railroad and a coal company to build a coal dock near Providence, the company began construction in 1874 on the long
East Providence Branch The East Providence Branch is a railroad line in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, in the United States. It connects Valley Falls, Rhode Island, to East Providence, Rhode Island, via South Attleboro, Massachusetts, and Pawtucket, Rhode Island. The b ...
between Valley Falls and East Providence. The branch opened the same year, and provided an alternate routing for coal imports that avoided the use of horses through downtown Providence. The East Providence Branch briefly saw passenger service between 1893 and 1897; it was otherwise exclusively used for freight trains.


End of independence

In February 1888, the New York, Providence and Boston Railroad announced plans to lease the Providence and Worcester Railroad, effective May 1, 1888, subject to approval by shareholders of both companies. The NYP&B agreed to pay $310,000 ($ in 2021) per year, plus up to $50,000 a year in stock-related payments, in exchange for the lease. A member of the special committee appointed by the P&W board of directors, at the vote to ratify the lease, noted that "there were 372 women stockholders, representing 8,975 shares, equivalent at par to $897,500 – a peculiar holding which was not found in any other corporation in the country". Both railroads' stockholders and boards of directors approved the lease, with P&W shareholders unanimously in favor, and in May 1888, the Providence and Worcester ceased to be an independent railroad. In 1892, the
New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad , commonly known as The Consolidated, or simply as the New Haven, was a railroad that operated in the New England region of the United States from 1872 to December 31, 1968. Founded by the merger of ...
(commonly known as the New Haven) gained control of the P&W when it leased the New York, Providence and Boston. The New Haven operated the P&W for the next 77 years.


Under the New Haven

Despite the company's lease, unusual rules about shares and control meant that the New Haven only owned a very small number of shares91 out of 35,000by 1905. That year, the New Haven attempted to get a bill passed in the Rhode Island General Assembly that would allow it to condemn the shares of minority shareholders that owned stock in the companies it leased. Due to significant opposition, most fiercely by the Providence and Worcester Railroad, this attempt was defeated; the bill was amended to require the owning railroad to hold at least 75 percent of a company's shares before condemnation of minority shareholders' shares was possible. This meant that the New Haven could not purchase the P&W unless it was willing to buy 75 percent of the company's shares, securing the P&W's continued existence as a company. These same rules protecting minority shareholders would pave the way for the Providence and Worcester to regain its independence in the future. Both freight and passenger train traffic were initially strong under New Haven control. Fifteen passenger trains traveled the line each day in 1919, but by 1935 just one passenger train ran each way. The
State of Maine Express The ''State of Maine'' was an overnight passenger train between New York City and Portland, Maine, that was operated jointly for more than 50 years by the Boston and Maine Railroad and the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. It departed ...
, which connected New York City and
Portland, Maine Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metropo ...
, began using the P&W route in 1946, adding a second train on the line each way daily. The New Haven began removing the double track on the P&W mainline in the 1950s, and it was reduced to a single track with passing sidings by 1963. Passenger train service on the line was cut back during the 1950s as well; after experimenting with four local trains each way in 1953, the New Haven cut the schedule back to one local round trip per day in 1954; this round trip was also discontinued by 1957. The State of Maine Express ended operations in 1960, leaving no passenger trains on the line.


Plans for regained independence

In the 1960s, a group of Providence and Worcester shareholders began plotting to acquire the company. They recruited Robert H. Eder, a businessman from Providence, to lead their efforts. The group launched three
proxy fight A proxy fight, proxy contest or proxy battle (sometimes even called a proxy war) is an unfriendly contest for the control over an organization. The event usually occurs when a corporation's stockholders develop opposition to some aspect of the cor ...
s to take control; the last one ended in 1966 with Eder as the Providence and Worcester's new president. Two years later, the company incorporated in Delaware, while maintaining the voting rules from the company's original 1844 charter. In 1968, with the New Haven's merger into
Penn Central Transportation Company The Penn Central Transportation Company, commonly abbreviated to Penn Central, was an American class I railroad that operated from 1968 to 1976. Penn Central combined three traditional corporate rivals (the Pennsylvania, New York Central and th ...
imminent, Eder and the group evaluated their options, including breaking away from the New Haven, allowing the company to be merged into the Penn Central, or seeking to instead be merged into the
Norfolk and Western Railway The Norfolk and Western Railway , commonly called the N&W, was a US class I railroad, formed by more than 200 railroad mergers between 1838 and 1982. It was headquartered in Roanoke, Virginia, for most of its existence. Its motto was "Precis ...
. Though the latter company did not connect to the Providence and Worcester, at that time it was considering a purchase of the
Delaware and Hudson Railway The Delaware and Hudson Railway (D&H) is a railroad that operates in the Northeastern United States. In 1991, after more than 150 years as an independent railroad, the D&H was purchased by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CP). CP operates D&H ...
.


The new Providence and Worcester Railroad


Separation from Penn Central

The New Haven continued to operate the Providence and Worcester under its lease for nearly 80 years, and the shareholders of the P&W received their dividends, until in 1969 the Penn Central Transportation Company was forced by the
Interstate Commerce Commission The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) was a regulatory agency in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887. The agency's original purpose was to regulate railroads (and later trucking) to ensure fair rates, to elimina ...
(ICC) to absorb the New Haven, which had been bankrupt since 1961. The Penn Central did not want the P&W, and in October 1968 specifically asked the ICC for it to be excluded from the merger, calling the lease situation "unfair and unreasonable". Despite its objections, and threatening to the ICC that it would abandon the Providence and Worcester's tracks if it were forced to include it in the merger, Penn Central was ordered to assume the New Haven's lease. The New Haven had purchased a number of the P&W's shares in the three-quarters of a century it had held the lease, holding 28 percent of the company's total shares by the time Penn Central took over. While the New Haven had long tolerated the peculiar rules that kept the P&W alive as a company, the railroad's new lessor was not willing to tolerate them any longer and demanded the voting rules and clauses that heavily restricted its control be rewritten. The same rules that left the New Haven unable to take over the P&W also frustrated the Penn Central, which found itself with only three percent voting power, despite both leasing the company and inheriting the New Haven's portion of the company's shares. Already displeased with being forced to take over the unprofitable New Haven, Penn Central rapidly began abandoning unprofitable ex-New Haven lines. Included on the list for abandonment was much of the Providence and Worcester mainline, forcing the P&W's shareholders into action to save the company. To do this, they turned to the same government entity that ordered the Penn Central to acquire the New Haven: the Interstate Commerce Commission. On April 6, 1970, the P&W's shareholders asked the ICC to allow their company to exit the merger and become independent. Penn Central was unwilling to allow this to happen, as it wanted both to continue serving large customers near Providence and Worcester and access to the P&W's real estate holdings in Providence, leading to a series of court battles. While the ICC approved the Providence and Worcester's request to resume independent operations on August 25, 1972, the legal fights continued until December 20, 1972, when a federal court ordered the Penn Central to allow the Providence and Worcester to end its lease and assume control of its lines. The lease came to an end on February 3, 1973, with the P&W becoming independent again after 85 years.


Expansion

The newly independent P&W began with of track between its two namesake cities in addition to the East Providence Branch and two isolated Penn Central lines ( from Slatersville to Woonsocket and a branch at Valley Falls) which were transferred as well. For motive power, P&W initially operated a small fleet of five ALCO RS-3 locomotives, plus five
caboose A caboose is a crewed North American railroad car coupled at the end of a freight train. Cabooses provide shelter for crew at the end of a train, who were formerly required in switching and shunting, keeping a lookout for load shifting, dam ...
s, all leased from fellow Northeastern United States railroad Delaware and Hudson Railway. The Providence and Worcester found its first opportunity for expansion in a recently abandoned line cast off by the
Boston and Maine Railroad The Boston and Maine Railroad was a U.S. Class I railroad in northern New England. Originally chartered in 1835, it became part of what was the Pan Am Railways network in 1983 (most of which was purchased by CSX in 2022). At the end of 1970 ...
(B&M). In 1974, P&W purchased this long branch between Worcester and
Gardner, Massachusetts Gardner, officially the City of Gardner, is a city in Worcester County in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. The population was 21,287 in the 2020 census. Gardner is home of such sites as the Blue Moon Diner, Dunn State Park, G ...
from B&M, connecting it with the latter company's main line. Penn Central had not forgotten how the P&W had escaped from its control, and created delays in car interchange between itself and the P&W, until the latter company once again appealed to the ICC for assistance. The new connection with the B&M in Gardner allowed P&W access to a more friendly interchange partner. Almost immediately, the independent P&W was recognized for providing exemplary service to its customers, in direct contrast with Penn Central; in 1974 the Rhode Island Department of Transportation recommended giving sole responsibility for all freight rail in Providence to P&W. Needing a more permanent solution than its leased ALCOs, P&W first reached out to dominant American locomotive manufacturers GE Transportation and
General Motors The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...
' Electro Motive Division, but both refused to give the newly independent company quotes for new locomotives. Shunned by American manufacturers, P&W turned to
Montreal Locomotive Works Montreal Locomotive Works (MLW) was a Canadian railway locomotive manufacturer which existed under several names from 1883 to 1985, producing both steam and diesel locomotives. For a number of years it was a subsidiary of the American Locomot ...
(MLW), the Canadian affiliate of ALCO which survived ALCO's dissolution in 1969. MLW saw an opportunity to sell its first locomotives in America, and accepted P&W's order for five new MLW M-420R locomotives, tagging on to an order for 80 M-420s by
Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway Company (french: Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada) is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN i ...
. These new locomotives became the backbone of the Providence and Worcester fleet, and the older RS-3s were given back to the Delaware and Hudson. The federal government created the
United States Railway Association The United States Railway Association (USRA) was a government-owned corporation created by United States federal law that oversaw the creation of Conrail, a railroad corporation that would acquire and operate bankrupt and other failing freight ra ...
(USRA) in 1974 to manage the formation of
Conrail Conrail , formally the Consolidated Rail Corporation, was the primary Class I railroad in the Northeastern United States between 1976 and 1999. The trade name Conrail is a portmanteau based on the company's legal name. It continues to do bus ...
, which was to take over a number of bankrupt railroads in the Northeast, including Penn Central. Penn Central owned a line that connected Worcester to
Groton, Connecticut Groton is a town in New London County, Connecticut located on the Thames River. It is the home of General Dynamics Electric Boat, which is the major contractor for submarine work for the United States Navy. The Naval Submarine Base New London is ...
, via Plainfield, Connecticut. The USRA decided to include only the portion between Groton and Plainfield in Conrail, with the remaining portion reverting to its original owner: the Norwich and Worcester Railroad (N&W). The N&W had been leased by a variety of railroads since 1869, but was now independent again, and proposed to resume operating its portion of the line. Seeing an opportunity for expansion, the Providence and Worcester made a bid for the line from Plainfield to Worcester as well, winning the support of Connecticut business groups, unions, and
Chris Dodd Christopher John Dodd (born May 27, 1944) is an American lobbyist, lawyer, and Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party politician who served as a United States senator from Connecticut from 1981 to 2011. Dodd is the List of United Sta ...
, at the time a U.S. Representative. The latter stated in January 1974 that it was "extremely questionable whether the Norwich and Worcester has demonstrated the ability to provide even minimal service to eastern Connecticut." The USRA found the arguments of the Providence and Worcester and its supporters that it was in a better position to take over the line on account of its years of profitable operations persuasive, and transferred it to the railroad later that year. The remaining of the N&W went to Conrail, but the Providence and Worcester was not satisfied with its share of the line and sought to acquire the rest of the line from the newly formed railroad. Conrail initially was unprofitable, and in 1976 the Providence and Worcester approached the company with an offer to buy its 27-mile line between Plainfield and Groton. Conrail was unwilling to give up the line, which was one of its most profitable in the state, leading the Connecticut Department of Transportation to request that the federal government order the line transferred that year. The following year, Conrail was forced to sell the line, due to the law that established the company requiring it to sell lines to any private companies offering a fair price. Despite this, Conrail continued to operate the line while debate continued between the two railroads over what constituted a 'fair price' – Conrail wanted over $3 million, while the Providence and Worcester offered under $1 million. Finally, on May 20, 1980, a federal court announced it was ordering Conrail to sell the line to the P&W for $1.75 million, which the three justices on the court decided was a fair price.


1980s

As P&W expanded its network, the company gave heavy attention to
maintenance of way Maintenance of way (commonly abbreviated to MOW) refers to the maintenance, construction, and improvement of rail infrastructure, including tracks, ballast, grade, and lineside infrastructure such as signals and signs. Track The most fundamen ...
, spending significant funds to improve the condition of lines it purchased, many of which had long suffered from deferred maintenance by previous owners. Both the states served by P&W and the federal government contributed funding to support repairs. Further expansion came in 1982, when the Providence and Worcester acquired all of Conrail's lines in Rhode Island, along with some in Connecticut. While P&W wanted all of Conrail's lines in Southern New England, it had to compete with the Boston & Maine, at the time in the sights of newly formed Guilford Transportation Industries, which bought significant portions of Conrail's network in Connecticut. The Providence and Worcester objected to allowing Guilford to form a major railroad network in New England, to no avail. The P&W also purchased two shortline railroads in Rhode Island between 1981 and 1982: the Moshassuck Valley Railroad and the Warwick Railway. In December 1987, the railroad's owner, Capital Properties Inc. of Providence, announced it was divesting the Providence and Worcester, with Capital's shareholders each getting 2 shares of the railroad's stock per share of Capital stock.


1990s

The Providence and Worcester further expanded into Connecticut in 1993, when it purchased Conrail's line between Cedar Hill Yard in North Haven and Middletown. Between November 1993 and June 1994, the railroad improved the line in cooperation with the Connecticut Department of Transportation, replacing over 5,000 ties and of rail in a $650,000 project. After the project was complete, its speed limit increased from 10 to 25 miles per hour. The increased speed and frequency of trains concerned some residents along the line, who advocated for the installation of gates and lights at railroad crossings for safety. P&W ultimately bought the Middletown-based shortline Connecticut Central Railroad in 1998, adding a cluster of branch lines in that city to its network. In the mid-1990s, the railroad suffered a significant reduction in traffic when a number of its major customers closed or relocated. In response, the company focused on expanding interchange traffic with other railroads. The company reached an agreement in 1996 for trackage rights over the
Northeast Corridor The Northeast Corridor (NEC) is an electrified railroad line in the Northeast megalopolis of the United States. Owned primarily by Amtrak, it runs from Boston through Providence, New Haven, Stamford, New York City, Philadelphia, Wilmington, ...
between
New Haven New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,023 ...
and the New York and Atlantic Railway's
Fresh Pond Junction Fresh Pond Junction is a freight yard in the Ridgewood and Glendale neighborhoods of Queens, New York City. It is operated by the New York & Atlantic Railway, which serves Long Island, New York using tracks owned by the Long Island Rail Road ...
yard in
Queens, New York Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...
. The Providence and Worcester uses these trackage rights to haul stone between its connection with the
Branford Steam Railroad The Branford Steam Railroad is standard-gauge industrial railroad that serves the Tilcon Connecticut stone quarry in North Branford, Connecticut, in the United States. It was founded in 1903 by Louis A. Fisk, a businessman from Branford, C ...
and New York City.


21st century

The Boston Surface Railroad was formed in 2014 with a goal of restoring passenger service on the P&W main line between Providence and Worcester, which was discontinued by the New Haven in 1960. If successful, Boston Surface would contract its train operations out to the Providence and Worcester. Plans for commuter service, with a stop in Woonsocket, were on hold as of 2019, with the Rhode Island Department of Transportation reporting that no substantial progress on launching train operations had been made. P&W formed an agreement with the
New England Central Railroad The New England Central Railroad is a regional railroad in the New England region of the United States. It began operations in 1995, as the successor of the Central Vermont Railway (CV). The company was originally a subsidiary of holding comp ...
in 2012 to move Canadian National Railway trains between Canada and southern New England. A similar agreement was signed in 2014 to move
Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canad ...
freight, with Vermont Rail System joining along with NECR. This was made possible by the reopening of a mothballed P&W line between Willimantic and Versailles, Connecticut in 2007, which had been out of service for several decades. P&W trains connect with New England Central at Willimantic via this line. Shortline holding company Genesee & Wyoming announced in August 2016 that it intended to buy the Providence and Worcester Railroad for $25.00 per share, or approximately $126 million. The acquisition was completed on November 1, 2016, with P&W's shares placed in a trust pending
Surface Transportation Board The Surface Transportation Board (STB) of the United States is a federal, bipartisan, independent adjudicatory board. The STB was established on January 1, 1996, to assume some of the regulatory functions that had been administered by the Interstat ...
approval. The STB approved the acquisition on December 16, 2016, subject to a condition that G&W not interfere with the ability of Pan Am Railways (via its operating subsidiary Springfield Terminal) to connect with CSX in Worcester. G&W stated that it "does not contemplate any material changes to P&W's operations, maintenance, or service" following the purchase. P&W sold its former headquarters at 75 Hammond Street in Worcester in October 2022, relocating to 381 Southbridge Street, also in Worcester. In 2019, the Providence and Worcester reopened of track between
Hartford Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since t ...
and Rocky Hill, known as the Wethersfield Secondary, which had been out of service since 2008. The reopened line provided a more direct route for freight to reach Middletown.


Operations

The Providence and Worcester Railroad is headquartered in Worcester, an important interchange point with
CSX Transportation CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of track. ...
. Other interchange points include: * Pan Am Southern in Gardner, Massachusetts * New England Central Railroad in Willimantic, Connecticut * New York and Atlantic Railway in Queens * CSX in New Haven * Housatonic Railroad in
Danbury, Connecticut Danbury is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, located approximately northeast of New York City. Danbury's population as of 2022 was 87,642. It is the seventh largest city in Connecticut. Danbury is nicknamed the "Hat Cit ...
*
Connecticut Southern Railroad The Connecticut Southern Railroad is a long short-line railroad operating in Connecticut and Massachusetts. The company was formed in 1996 as a spinoff of Conrail by shortline holding company RailTex and subsequently acquired in 2000 by Rai ...
in
Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since t ...
Through haulage agreements, the railroad also connects with Canadian National Railway, Canadian Pacific Railway, and
Norfolk Southern Railway The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad in the United States formed in 1982 with the merger of Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. With headquarters in Atlanta, the company operates 19,420 route miles (31 ...
. As of 2016, P&W served 140 distinct customers on its lines, and had a workforce of 138 employees.


Facilities

P&W's primary maintenance facility for locomotives and railcars is located in Worcester near the company's headquarters building. A secondary facility in Plainfield, Connecticut, is responsible for maintenance of trucks and also houses the company's paint shop for repainting locomotives.


Train operations

As of 2016, Providence and Worcester freight trains are based out of the following locations: * Worcester: Trains based out of Worcester operate between Gardner, Massachusetts, where P&W connects to Pan Am Southern, and both Plainfield and Davisville, with freight exchanged with the
Seaview Transportation Company The Seaview Transportation Company, also known as the Seaview Railroad, is a terminal railroad in North Kingstown, Rhode Island that serves the port of Davisville and surrounding industries. The railroad began operations in 1978 on trackage that fo ...
at the latter location. Local trains based out of Worcester serve facilities in the city, including a significant intermodal yard. * Plainfield: From Plainfield, P&W operates trains southward to Willimantic, site of a connection with the New England Central Railroad. Another regularly operated train operates between Plainfield and Cedar Hill Yard in North Haven, Connecticut, via Groton, Connecticut. * Valley Falls: A pair of local freight trains are based in Valley Falls. These serve customers in Rhode Island, particularly the Port of Providence. * North Haven: P&W leases track space at Cedar Hill Yard from its owners, CSX and Amtrak. Local freight trains based at Cedar Hill operate to Middletown, Connecticut, and the Port of New Haven. Other local freights based here provide freight service for rail-based shippers on Metro-North Railroad's
Danbury Branch The Danbury Branch is a diesel branch of the Metro-North Railroad New Haven Line from downtown Norwalk, Connecticut north to Danbury, mostly single-tracked. It opened in 1852 as the Danbury and Norwalk Railroad. Until the early 1970s, passenger ...
, and the Waterbury Branch from
Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby g ...
southward. Cedar Hill is also the base of operations for
unit train A unit train, also called a block train or a trainload service, is a train in which all cars (wagons) carry the same commodity and are shipped from the same origin to the same destination, without being split up or stored en route. They are dist ...
s of
construction aggregate Construction aggregate, or simply aggregate, is a broad category of coarse- to medium-grained particulate material used in construction, including sand, gravel, crushed stone, slag, recycled concrete and geosynthetic aggregates. Aggregate ...
. These trains originate at quarries in Plainfield and
Wallingford, Connecticut Wallingford is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, centrally located between New Haven and Hartford, and Boston and New York City. The population was 44,396 at the 2020 census. The community was named after Wallingford, in En ...
, as well as an interchange with the Branford Steam Railroad in
Branford, Connecticut Branford is a shoreline town located on Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut, about east of downtown New Haven. The population was 28,273 at the 2020 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a to ...
. Some trains are destined for
Tilcon Connecticut Tilcon Connecticut, commonly known as Tilcon, is a construction and aggregates company located in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was founded in 1923 as Angelo Tomasso Inc (today known as the Tomasso Group). , the company is a subsidiary of ...
facilities in Danbury, Old Saybrook, and Groton, Connecticut, while the remainder travel to Fresh Pond Junction where trains are handed off to the New York and Atlantic Railway for destinations on Long Island.


System

The Providence and Worcester directly owns and operates: * Its main line, connecting Providence and Worcester via Woonsocket. ** The Slatersville branch, between Woonsocket and Slatersville. * The East Providence Branch and East Junction Branch, two connected branch lines. The East Providence Branch originates at Valley Falls Yard where it meets the P&W main line and ends in East Providence, where it meets the East Junction Branch. The latter branch runs between East Providence and the end of P&W's operating rights in
Seekonk, Massachusetts Seekonk is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States, on the Massachusetts border with Rhode Island. It was incorporated in 1812 from the western half of Rehoboth. The population was 15,531 at the 2020 census. Until 1862, the town o ...
. * The Moshassuck Industrial Track and the Warwick Industrial Track, which are remnants of the Moshassuck Valley Railroad in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, and the Warwick Railway in Cranston, Rhode Island, respectively. * The Norwich and Worcester main line, between Worcester and Norwich. ** A branch of this line between Plainfield and Versailles, Connecticut. * A three-mile-long branch line in Groton, Connecticut, which connects to the Northeast Corridor. * The former
Boston and New York Air-Line Railroad The Boston and New York Air-Line Railroad (commonly known simply as The Air Line, known as the New Haven, Middletown and Willimantic Railroad before 1875) was a railroad in Connecticut. Envisioned as a direct route between New Haven and Boston, ...
between North Haven and Middletown, Connecticut. * The Belle Dock line which serves the Port of New Haven. P&W operates on but does not own the following: * The Harbor Junction Industrial Track, a branch serving the
Port of Providence A port is a maritime law, maritime facility comprising one or more Wharf, wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge Affreightment, cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can a ...
, owned by the City of Providence. * A branch between Versailles and Willimantic, Connecticut, owned by CTDOT. * The former
Connecticut Valley Railroad The Connecticut Valley Railroad was a railroad in the state of Connecticut founded in 1868. The company built a line along the Connecticut River between Hartford and Old Saybrook, which opened in 1871. It was reorganized as the Hartford and Con ...
route between Middletown and
Wethersfield, Connecticut Wethersfield is a town located in Hartford County, Connecticut. It is located immediately south of Hartford along the Connecticut River. Its population was 27,298 at the time of the 2020 census. Many records from colonial times spell the nam ...
, owned by the Connecticut Department of Transportation. * P&W has rights on the line between
Fall River, Massachusetts Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The City of Fall River's population was 94,000 at the 2020 United States Census, making it the tenth-largest city in the state. Located along the eastern shore of Mount H ...
, and the former
Sakonnet River rail bridge The Sakonnet River rail bridge was a swing bridge that spanned the Sakonnet River between Portsmouth and Tiverton, Rhode Island, connecting Aquidneck Island to the mainland. History The bridge was built in 1899 by the Pennsylvania Steel Company ...
in Tiverton, Rhode Island, but does not use them, as the line, owned by the Rhode Island Department of Transportation, is out of service. P&W has freight rights on several passenger lines, owned by Amtrak and Metro-North Railroad, meaning it can both serve freight customers and run through trains on them: * Amtrak's Northeast Corridor between Providence and New Haven. * Metro-North Railroad's Danbury Branch. * Metro-North Railroad's Waterbury Branch, from Derby southward. Finally, P&W has overhead trackage rights on several lines, meaning the company may operate trains over them but cannot serve customers on them: * The Housatonic Railroad between Derby and Danbury. * The Northeast Corridor between New Haven and
New Rochelle New Rochelle (; older french: La Nouvelle-Rochelle) is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the southeastern portion of the state. In 2020, the city had a population of 79,726, making it the seventh-largest in the state o ...
, then over the Hell Gate Line and the New York Connecting Railroad to Fresh Pond Junction. * The Northeast Corridor from Providence to
Attleboro, Massachusetts Attleboro is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It was once known as "The Jewelry Capital of the World" for its many jewelry manufacturers. According to the 2020 census, Attleboro had a population of 46,461. Attleboro is ...
, then the New Bedford Secondary and Fall River Secondary to Fall River. These rights allow access to P&W's operating rights south of Fall River, but are unused, as the tracks south of Fall River are out of service.


Former system

Several lines acquired from Penn Central or Conrail have been abandoned, including: * The Washington Secondary between
Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
and Providence. * The former Southbridge and Blackstone Railroad between Southbridge and
Webster Webster may refer to: People *Webster (surname), including a list of people with the surname *Webster (given name), including a list of people with the given name Places Canada *Webster, Alberta * Webster's Falls, Hamilton, Ontario United Stat ...
. * The former Pawtuxet Valley Railroad between
Pontiac Pontiac may refer to: *Pontiac (automobile), a car brand *Pontiac (Ottawa leader) ( – 1769), a Native American war chief Places and jurisdictions Canada *Pontiac, Quebec, a municipality ** Apostolic Vicariate of Pontiac, now the Roman Catholic D ...
and Cranston. * A short spur in Valley Falls. * The northern portion of the former Moshassuck Valley Railroad in Lincoln. * The former
Providence, Warren and Bristol Railroad The Providence, Warren and Bristol Railroad (also known as the Bristol Secondary) was a railroad in the state of Rhode Island that connected the city of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence with Bristol, Rhode Island. The company was formed in 18 ...
from East Providence southward. * Freight rights on
Aquidneck Island Aquidneck Island, also known as Rhode Island, is an island in Narragansett Bay in the state of Rhode Island. The total land area is , which makes it the largest island in the bay. The 2020 United States Census reported its population as 60,109. ...
, following the closure of the Sakonnet River rail bridge in 1980. The Providence and Worcester Railroad has been noted for maintaining its tracks to a high standard. Generally, all main lines are maintained to allow a maximum speed of . The concern that G&W might reduce these high maintenance standards was raised by a shipper during G&W's acquisition of P&W.


Commodities carried

P&W reported carrying 34,402 carloads in 2013. Some significant types of cargo transported by the P&W including construction debris, aggregates, construction materials, lumber, steel, plastics, and chemicals. P&W formerly transported unit trains of coal to several power plants in New England. The trains originated at ports in Providence and New Haven and were handed off to Pan Am Railways for final delivery. By 2016, P&W reported over 21,000 carloads of total coal traffic from 2000 onwards. Intermodal traffic is carried by P&W between the connection with CSX in Worcester and an intermodal facility just south of Worcester. Continued focus on small customers remains a part of P&W's operations. An example cited by several sources is the company's dedication to serving lumber customer Arnold Lumber in West Kingston, Rhode Island, which receives one or two cars of freight at a time. Serving this customer requires P&W trains to travel farther southward on the Northeast Corridor than for any other customer, finding space between Amtrak trains which travel up to on this particular segment.


Passenger trains

The Providence and Worcester does not operate regularly scheduled passenger train service, but has maintained a small fleet of ex-
Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada. ...
passenger cars since the 1980s, which have been used both as a business train for the company and for a variety of chartered passenger trains in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. The company also operates a Christmas train in November and December of each year. The train, themed on the movie ''The Polar Express'', departs from
Woonsocket station Woonsocket station is a former railroad station located at Depot Square in downtown Woonsocket, Rhode Island. It was built by the Providence and Worcester Railroad in 1882 to replace a previous station built in 1847. History Hachiko Depo ...
and travels along the company's main line, and has operated since 1999.


Rolling stock

As of 2016, the Providence and Worcester Railroad operated the following locomotives:


Real estate

For many years, the Providence and Worcester Railroad had significant real estate holdings in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. In 1976, the railroad began construction on the South Quay Marine Terminal in East Providence, adjacent to the terminus of the East Providence Branch. P&W filled in a portion of the Providence River and planned to turn it into a major shipping facility. While P&W long looked for a partner to develop the project, it remained unused for decades. P&W finally sold the location in 2019 to RI Waterfront Enterprises, which in September 2022 began developing the site to support construction of wind turbines. Several P&W-built stations are preserved. In addition to the Woonsocket station, which still sees seasonal passenger service from P&W's Polar Express trains, freight or passenger stations also exist in
Manville, Rhode Island Manville is a village in the town of Lincoln in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. It is located at latitude 41.9616° North, longitude 71.4744° West. It has been assigned the ZIP Code 02838. It is a mill village that lies alo ...
;
Uxbridge, Massachusetts Uxbridge is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts first colonized in 1662 and incorporated in 1727. It was originally part of the town of Mendon, MA, Mendon, and named for the Marquess of Anglesey, Earl of Uxbridge. The town is located south ...
( Uxbridge station); and
Whitinsville, Massachusetts Whitinsville is an unincorporated village within the town of Northbridge in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Whitinsville is a census-designated place (CDP) and its population was 6,750 at the 2020 census. Whitinsville is pronoun ...
.


Station listing


See also

* List of New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad precursors * Railroads in New England


Notes


References

* * * *


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Providence Worcester Railroad 2016 mergers and acquisitions Companies affiliated with the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Companies operating former Boston and Maine Railroad lines Companies operating former New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad lines Connecticut railroads Massachusetts railroads New York (state) railroads Regional railroads in the United States Rhode Island railroads Railway companies established in 1844 Genesee & Wyoming Providence and Worcester Railroad