Fairhaven Branch Railroad
| Fairhaven Branch Railroad | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Status | Abandoned |
| Locale | Southeastern Massachusetts |
| Termini |
Fairhaven, MA West Wareham, MA |
| Operation | |
| Owner |
Fairhaven Branch Railroad 1854-1861; New Bedford & Taunton Railroad 1861-1883; Old Colony Railroad 1883-1893; New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad 1893-1953 |
| Operator(s) | New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad (1893–1953) |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 15.1 Miles |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
Fairhaven Branch Railroad 1854-1861; New Bedford & Taunton Railroad 1861-1883; Old Colony Railroad 1883-1893;
The Fairhaven Branch Railroad was a short-line railroad in Massachusetts. It ran from West Wareham on the Cape Cod main line of the Old Colony Railroad, southwest to Fairhaven, a town across the Acushnet River from New Bedford.
The Fairhaven Branch Railroad (FBRR) was incorporated in 1849, chartered in 1851, and built from 1852 to 1854. The New Bedford and Taunton Railroad bought the line in 1861, including its ferry terminals at New Bedford and Fairhaven, which afforded connections to Woods Hole and Marthas Vineyard via steamship. The railroad was merged into the Old Colony Railroad in 1883, four years after the Old Colony leased the Boston, Clinton, Fitchburg and New Bedford Railroad, the successor to the New Bedford and Taunton.
On March 1, 1893 the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad (better known as the "New Haven") leased the massive Old Colony system, which by then included the Boston and Providence Railroad and everything substantially east of it, as well as long branches northwest to Fitchburg and Lowell. Along with the lease of the New England Railroad in 1898, this gave the New Haven a virtual monopoly on rail transport in New England south of the Boston and Albany Railroad.
...
Wikipedia