The Billerica and Bedford Railroad was an early
narrow gauge railroad
A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard-gauge railway, standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and .
Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with Minimum r ...
in
, built to demonstrate the advantages of a gauge railroad.
History
George E. Mansfield, of
Hazelwood, Massachusetts, allegedly became an early promoter of the two foot gauge after seeing the
Ffestiniog Railway
The Ffestiniog Railway ( cy, Rheilffordd Ffestiniog) is a heritage railway based on narrow-gauge, located in Gwynedd, Wales. It is a major tourist attraction located mainly within the Snowdonia National Park.
The railway is roughly long an ...
in operation in
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
. This has been a popular idea but Mansfield never made the claim of visiting Wales in any of his numerous writings. In an article in the October 24, 1875 ''Boston Herald,'' George explained how his idea of a small-gauge railroad was developed based on the needs of small towns followed the railroad depression of that year. He persuaded the citizens of
Billerica
Billerica (, ) is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 42,119 according to the 2020 census. It takes its name from the town of Billericay in Essex, England.
History
In the early 1630s, a Praying India ...
of the economies of a two-foot line, and became general manager of the Billerica and Bedford when it was chartered in 1876. Construction began in May 1877, and the line was completed between
North Billerica and
Bedford
Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...
in August 1877, a distance of .
The line was built very cheaply in accordance with narrow gauge doctrine, but rapidly found itself financially embarrassed. Turntables were built at each end of the railroad, and a
wye and
engine-house were built at Bedford, but no stations were ever constructed along the line. The company went bankrupt and was liquidated in June 1878.
Mansfield, undeterred, went on to promote the two foot gauge in
Maine
Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...
, where the largest network of these lines in the United States was ultimately built. The
standard-gauge
A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), International gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge and European gauge in Europe, and SGR in Ea ...
Boston and Lowell Railroad
The Boston and Lowell Railroad was a railroad that operated in Massachusetts in the United States. It was one of the first railroads in North America and the first major one in the state. The line later operated as part of the Boston and Maine R ...
used most of the B&B roadbed to extend its Lexington Branch in May 1885. 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 ...
took over the line in 1887.
Station stops on the line along were Bedford, Springs Road, Bedford Springs, South Billerica, Turnpike (Nuttings Lake), Billerica, Bennett Hall and North Billerica. (Only the Bedford and North Billerica station depot structures still stand.) Passenger service stopped on the last day of 1931 and the line was used as a freight line until it was abandoned from Bedford Depot to Billerica Depot in 1962. The line was further abandoned from Billerica Depot to Bennett Hall about 1980.
The two locomotives were named after
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
's
sprites,
Ariel
Ariel may refer to:
Film and television
*Ariel Award, a Mexican Academy of Film award
* ''Ariel'' (film), a 1988 Finnish film by Aki Kaurismäki
* ''ARIEL Visual'' and ''ARIEL Deluxe'', 1989 and 1991 anime video series based on the novel series ...
and
Puck.
Rolling stock
See also
*
Lexington and West Cambridge Railroad
The Lexington and West Cambridge Railroad was a railroad company chartered in 1845 and opened in 1846 that operated in eastern Massachusetts. It and its successors provided passenger service until 1977 and freight service until 1980 or early 1981. ...
for later history of the right-of-way, including use as a rail trail
*
Sandy River Railroad The Sandy River Railroad was a narrow gauge railway built to serve the towns of Strong and Phillips in the Sandy River valley upstream of Farmington. The Sandy River Railroad was the first narrow gauge common carrier railroad built in the State ...
for later history of the rolling stock
*
Sumner Heights and Hazelwood Valley Railroad for the experimental railway through George E. Mansfield's backyard
Footnotes
References
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External links
Billerica and Bedford historyAn 1879 description of its location, permanent way, and rolling stock, 27 pagesAdvertising cards
{{DEFAULTSORT:Billerica Bedford Railroad
Defunct Massachusetts railroads
2 ft gauge railways in the United States
Narrow gauge railroads in Massachusetts
Predecessors of the Boston and Maine Railroad
Railway companies established in 1876
Railway companies disestablished in 1878
Billerica, Massachusetts
Bedford, Massachusetts
1876 establishments in Massachusetts
American companies established in 1876