West Barnstable station is a railway station in

West Barnstable, Massachusetts West Barnstable is a seaside village in the northwest part of the town of Barnstable, Massachusetts. Once devoted to agricultural pursuits, West Barnstable now is largely residential and historic. Originally founded in 1639 as part of its neighbori ...

. The train station currently serves as a weekend stop for several excursion trains operated by the

Cape Cod Central Railroad The Cape Cod Central Railroad is a heritage railroad located on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. It operates on a rail line known as the Cape Main Line which is owned by Massachusetts Department of Transportation. The line was previously owned and ope ...

. The station building, which is owned by the Town of Barnstable, Massachusetts, is the headquarters on the Cape Cod Chapter of the

National Railway Historical Society The National Railway Historical Society (NRHS) is a non-profit organization established in 1935 in the United States to promote interest in, and appreciation for the historical development of railroads. It is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsyl ...

(NRHS).

History

Railroad Station, West Barnstable, Massachusetts - No

The original passenger station in West Barnstable was opened in 1854 by the

Cape Cod Railroad The Cape Cod Railroad (also currently referred to as the Cape Main Line) is a railroad in southeastern Massachusetts, running from Pilgrim Junction in Middleborough across the Cape Cod Canal Railroad Bridge, where it splits towards Hyannis in one ...

. This station was torn down and a new station was built, at the same location, by the

New Haven 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 ...

in 1911 at a cost of $18,000. The original architecture style of the station was identical to the stations that the New Haven Railroad built in Buzzards Bay and Sagamore around the same time. The station served trains to Boston and seasonal trains to New York City and remained in service until 1964 when the New Haven Railroad ran its last passenger trains to Cape Cod including the ''

Day Cape Codder The Cape Codder was a pair of day and night passenger trains run by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad (NH) from the latter 1920s to the mid 1960s, with some brief interruptions. Its distinction was the longest tenure of direct summerti ...

.'' Between 1986 and 1996 it was an unmanned station stop for

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

's '' Cape Codder'' service. It is one station that has been eliminated from the schedule of the seasonal ''Cape Flyer'' train service between Boston and Hyannis. From the 19th Century, under the

Old Colony Railroad The Old Colony Railroad (OC) was a major railroad system, mainly covering southeastern Massachusetts and parts of Rhode Island, which operated from 1845 to 1893. Old Colony trains ran from Boston to points such as Plymouth, Fall River, ...

and until 1964 under 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 ...

, passenger trains served Sandwich. Trains of the 1940s-1960s included the ''Day Cape Codder'' and the ''Neptune.'' The property once included a detached freight house but it was torn down a few decades ago. The station was used as a shooting location for the films ''

The Golden Boys ''The Golden Boys'' is a romantic comedy, set on Cape Cod in 1905, about three 70-year-old retired sea captains who try to lure an attractive middle-aged woman into marriage. Developed under the working title ''Chatham'', the film is an adaptat ...

'' (2008) and ''

The Lightkeepers ''The Lightkeepers'' is a 2009 American romantic comedy film written and directed by Daniel Adams, and stars Richard Dreyfuss, Blythe Danner, Bruce Dern, Mamie Gummer, Tom Wisdom and Julie Harris in her final film role. Zana Messia wrote the f ...

'' (2009). The Cape Cod Chapter of the NRHS signed a twenty-year lease on the building in 2012. They have been restoring it as a historical railway station and museum since 2001 when they became the custodian of the building. The station building, which is open to the public on Saturdays between May and October, also hosts numerous special events, including

National Train Day National Train Day was a holiday started by Amtrak in 2008 as a method to spread information to the general public about the advantages of railway travel and the history of trains in the United States. It was held each year on the Saturday closest ...

in May, the West Barnstable village festival in August and the Cranberry Express in October. During the summer, West Barnstable serves as a stop for select excursion trains running from Hyannis to the Cape Cod Canal, often including an additional stop at the historic

Pairpoint Glass Pairpoint Glass Company is an American glass manufacturer based in Sagamore, Massachusetts. It is currently the oldest operating glass company in the United States.John Zientek"The Revival of Pairpoint, America's Oldest Operating Glass Company,"G ...

facility in Sagamore. Although trains depart from Hyannis every day of the week during the summer, West Barnstable is only served on Saturdays.

References

External links

Cape Cod Chapter, National Railway Historical SocietyGoogle Maps Street View image of the stationCape Cod Model Railroad Club
- located next to the West Barnstable station {{authority control Barnstable, Massachusetts Cape Cod Central Railroad stations Old Colony Railroad Stations on Cape Cod Stations along Old Colony Railroad lines Former Amtrak stations in Massachusetts Buildings and structures in Barnstable, Massachusetts Tourist attractions in Barnstable County, Massachusetts Museums in Barnstable County, Massachusetts Railroad museums in Massachusetts 1911 establishments in Massachusetts