The Boston and Maine Railroad (; commonly known as Boston & Maine, abbreviated B&M) was a U.S. Class I railroad in northern New England. It was chartered in 1835, and 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 operated on of track, not including Springfield Terminal. That year, it reported of revenue freight and .
History
The Andover and Wilmington Railroad was incorporated March 15, 1833, to build a branch from the Boston and Lowell Railroad at Wilmington, Massachusetts, north to Andover, Massachusetts. The line opened to Andover on August 8, 1836. The name was changed to the Andover and Haverhill Railroad on April 18, 1837, reflecting plans to build further to Haverhill, Massachusetts (opened later that year), and yet further to Portland, Maine, with renaming to the Boston and Portland Railroad on April 3, 1839, opening to the New Hampshire state line in 1840.
The Boston and Maine Railroad was chartered in New Hampshire on June 27, 1835, and the Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts Railroad was incorporated March 12, 1839, in Maine, both companies continuing the proposed line to South Berwick, Maine. The railroad opened in 1840 to Exeter, New Hampshire, and on January 1, 1842, the two companies merged with the Boston and Portland to form a new Boston and Maine Railroad.
right|thumb|[[Woodburytype of 0-4-0 Achilles, Baldwin Locomotive Works, 1871]]
thumb|right|1898 map
thumb|right|Locomotive emerging from Salem station on the Eastern line, }
thumb|right|Boston and Maine depot in Boston, circa 19th century
On February 23, 1843, the B&M opened to Agamenticus, on the line of the Portland, Saco and Portsmouth Railroad in South Berwick. On January 28 of that year, the B&M and Eastern Railroad came to an agreement to both lease the PS&P as a joint line to Portland.
The Boston and Maine Railroad Extension was incorporated on March 16, 1844, due to a dispute with the Boston and Lowell Railroad over trackage rights rates between Wilmington and Boston. That company was merged into the main B&M on March 19, 1845, and opened on July 1, leading to the abandonment of the old connection to the B&L (later reused by the B&L for its Wildcat Branch). In 1848, another original section was abandoned, as a new alignment was built from Wilmington north to North Andover, Massachusetts in order to better serve Lawrence, Massachusetts.
A new alignment to Portland opened in 1873, splitting from the old route at South Berwick, Maine. The old route remained a part of the Eastern Railroad's Main Line (described below). This completed the B&M "main line", which would become known as the Western Route Main Line.
Acquisitions
As the B&M grew, it also gained control of former rivals, including:
Eastern
On March 28, 1883, the boards of directors of B&M and the Eastern Railroad Company voted to ratify the proposition that Eastern Railroad would be leased by B&M. However, a disagreement about the wording of the contract delayed its execution until December 2, 1884. On May 9, 1890, B&M purchased Eastern Railroad outright. This provided a second route to Maine, ending competition along the immediate route between Boston and Portland. Along with the Eastern, the B&M also acquired many branch lines, including the Conway Branch, the Saugus Branch, the South Reading Branch, and branches to Marblehead and Rockport, Massachusetts.
Worcester, Nashua and Portland
thumb|left|B&M station in [[Wells, Maine, .]]
thumb|left|B&M train passing through [[Saco, Maine, .]]
The Worcester and Nashua Railroad was organized in 1845 (opened 1848) and the Nashua and Rochester Railroad in 1847, forming a line between Worcester, Massachusetts, and Rochester, New Hampshire, via Nashua. The W&N leased the N&R in 1874, and the two companies merged into the Worcester, Nashua and Rochester Railroad in 1883. The B&M leased the line on January 1, 1886. This acquisition also included the continuation from Rochester to Portland, Maine, incorporated in 1846 as the York and Cumberland Railroad. It opened partially in 1851 and 1853, was reorganized as the Portland and Rochester Railroad in 1867, and opened the rest of the way in 1871. It was again reorganized in 1881 and then operated in conjunction with the line to Worcester.
Boston and Lowell
On April 1, 1887, the B&M leased the Boston and Lowell Railroad, adding not only trackage in the Boston area, but also the Central Massachusetts Railroad west to Northampton, the Boston, Concord and Montreal Railroad into northern New Hampshire, the St. Johnsbury and Lake Champlain Railroad to northwestern Vermont, and the Connecticut and Passumpsic Rivers Railroad from White River Junction into Quebec. However, the BC&M was separated in 1889 and merged with the Concord Railroad to form the Concord and Montreal Railroad, which the B&M leased on April 1, 1895, gaining the Concord Railroad's direct line between Nashua and Concord. Additionally, the St. Johnsbury and Lake Champlain Railroad, owned by the B&M through stock, was leased to the Maine Central Railroad by 1912. The Central Massachusetts Railroad stayed a part of the B&M, as did the Connecticut and Passumpsic Rivers Railroad (as the Passumpsic Division).
Northern
thumb|right|Boston and Maine railroad yard, [[Keene, New Hampshire, about 1916]]The Northern Railroad was leased to the Boston and Lowell in 1884, but that lease was canceled and the Northern was on its own until 1890, when it was re-leased to the B&L, then part of the B&M. The Northern owned a number of lines running west from Concord.
Connecticut River
On January 1, 1893, the B&M leased the Connecticut River Railroad, with the main line from Springfield, Massachusetts north along the Connecticut River to White River Junction, Vermont, where the Connecticut and Passumpsic Rivers Railroad (acquired in 1887) continued north. Along with this railroad came the Ashuelot Railroad, which had been acquired in 1877.
Concord and Montreal
The B&M acquired the Boston, Concord and Montreal Railroad in 1887, but gave it up in 1889, allowing it to merge with the Concord Railroad to form the Concord and Montreal Railroad. That company did poorly on its own and was leased by the B&M on April 1, 1895, giving the B&M the majority of lines in New Hampshire.
Fitchburg
thumb|right|B&M Station at [[Littleton, Massachusetts, about 1910. This station still exists.]]
The B&M leased the Fitchburg Railroad on July 1, 1900. This was primarily the main line from Boston west via the Hoosac Tunnel to the Albany, New York, area, with various branches. On December 1, 1919, the B&M purchased the Fitchburg Railroad.
At one point, the B&M also owned a majority of stock of the Maine Central Railroad, stretching from Quebec via northern New Hampshire to southern and eastern Maine.
20th century
right|thumb|B&M 1916 system map
The B&M flourished with the growth of New England's mill towns in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but still faced financial struggles. It came under the control of J. P. Morgan and his New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad around 1910, but anti-trust forces wrested control back. Later, it faced heavy debt problems from track construction and from the cost of acquiring the Fitchburg Railroad, causing a corporate reorganization in 1919.
Beginning in the 1930s, freight business was hurt by the leveling-off of New England manufacturing growth and by new competition from trucking. In 1925, B&M reported 2956 million net ton-miles of revenue freight and 740 million passenger-miles; at the end of the year it operated 2291 route-miles, including "42.85 miles of electric street railway". (Those totals do not include B&C, M&WR, StJ&LC or YH&B.)
The B&M's most traveled and well known passenger trains included the Alouette, Ambassador, Cheshire, Day White Mountains, East Wind, Green Mountain Flyer, Gull, Kennebec, Minute Man, Montrealer/Washingtonian, Mountaineer, Pine Tree, Red Wing, and State of Maine. The B&M even promoted its passenger trains with the Timetable Marble radio advertisement. However, the popularization of the automobile doomed B&M as a passenger carrier.
Passenger service cuts
thumb|right|1901 map of the B&M (plus the [[Maine Central Railroad|MEC) near its maximum extent]]
thumb|right|1956 map of remaining B&M service
After steady growth from 1901 to 1913, passenger rail ridership around Boston peaked in 1920 and began to decline due to competition from private automobiles and service cuts during World War I. In the mid-1920s, after several difficult years, the B&M discontinued service on some marginal lines and began using small self-propelled railcars on others. (Portland continued to see service to Boston on the Western Route through Dover, New Hampshire.) The New York–Montreal Green Mountain Flyer/Mount Royal, which had Boston sections running on the B&M via Bellows Falls, ended when the Rutland Railroad discontinued all passenger service, in 1953. Long rural lines to North Conway and Berlin, New Hampshire were cut on December 3, 1961. After out-of-district communities agreed to subsidies, service was re-extended to , , , and on June 28. On June 30, 1967, the Concord trip was cut to Lowell, and the Dover trip to . The four routes with single daily round-trips slowly ended: South Sudbury on November 26, 1971; Newburyport in April 1976; Haverhill in June 1976; and Bedford on January 10, 1977. (However, Haverhill service was restored by MVRTA subsidy in 1979.)
Incidents
thumb|right|1905 Baker Bridge train wreck
thumb|right|1907 Canaan train wreck
A number of accidents and train wrecks occurred during the railroad's history; various examples of incidents that were reported in local or regional newspapers follow. All equipment involved was Boston & Maine, unless noted as a third party.
On November 26, 1905, an express train rear-ended a local passenger train in Lincoln, Massachusetts, resulting in the deaths of 15 passengers and two railroad employees.
On October 4, 1906, a military special train rear-ended a stopped passenger train at Lansingburgh, New York, resulting in the deaths of five people on the passenger train; a sixth died later in hospital.
On September 15, 1907, a significant wreck occurred near Canaan, New Hampshire. west of Canaan Station, the southbound Quebec to Boston express, crowded with passengers returning from the Sherbrooke Fair, collided head-on with a northbound freight train. The accident claimed 26 lives, and 17 others were seriously injured. The accident was found to be due to a mistake made by a dispatcher, who mis-identified a train in one of his communications.
On October 2, 1907, a passenger train and a freight train suffered a head-on collision in Worcester, Massachusetts, at Barber's Crossing.
On March 20, 1908, two freight trains had a head-on collision approximately south of Haverhill, New Hampshire, resulting in the deaths of four crew members.
On September 21, 1909, near the Pattee station in the West Canaan village of Canaan, New Hampshire, the Montreal Express had a rear-end collision with the Quebec Express. The Quebec Express had trouble maintaining speed and failed to adequately warn the Montreal Express.
On September 10, 1918, a passenger train was rear-ended by a freight train in Dummerston, Vermont, killing three passengers and injuring 25 others.
On August 19, 1949, a switching error in Canaan, New Hampshire, resulted in the head-on collision between the northbound and southbound editions of the Ambassador, which provided passenger service between Boston and Montreal. There were no fatalities, but 44 people were injured.
On November 12, 1954, the Boston-bound Red Wing passenger train overturned in Nashua, New Hampshire, resulting in the death of one woman and injuring 19 other people. Crew members stated that a braking failure led to the crash; it was the first fatal accident for the railroad since 1918.
On February 28, 1956, a stopped local train was rear-ended by a Buddliner in Swampscott, Massachusetts, resulting in the deaths of 11 passengers and two crew members.
On August 17, 1964, two Buddliners suffered a head-on collision in Winchester, Massachusetts, injuring 30 people. Certain commuter trains with wealthy clientele were also named; several of these lasted into the MBTA era. These tables list major named intercity trains operated by the B&M.<!-- Trains removed from this list due to lack of notabiltiy or information: Businessman, Monadnock, Night White Mountains Express-->
Boston trains
{|class="wikitable sortable"
!Name!!#!!Destination!!Partner railroad(s)!!Final B&M station!!Year discontinued!!Notes
|-
|Alouette || 5/20 || Montreal via Plymouth and Newport || CP || Wells River || 1956 || Operated via after 1954. Unnamed RDC train continued until 1965.
|-
|Ambassador || 307/332 || Montreal via White River Junction and || CV || White River Junction || 1956 || New York section lasted until 1966.
|-
| Cannon Ball || 313/320 || Plymouth via Concord || – || – || 1959 ||
|-
| Cheshire || 5505/5506 || via Keene || CV || White River Junction || 1958 ||
|-
| Flying Yankee || 15/16 || Bangor via , Portland, and Auburn || MEC || Portland || 1957 ||
|-
| Green Mountain Flyer || 64/65 || Montreal via Bellows Falls, , and Burlington || RUT || Bellows Falls || 1953 ||
|-
| Gull || 8/23 || Halifax via Portland and Vanceboro || CN, CP, MEC || Portland || 1960 ||
|-
| Kennebec || 11/12 || Bangor via Dover, Portland, and || MEC || Portland || 1958 ||
|-
| Minute Man || 58/59 || Troy via Fitchburg || – || – || 1958 || Connecting service to Chicago via the New York Central Railroad
|-
| Mount Royal || 5502/5511 || Montreal via Bellows Falls, Rutland, and Burlington || RUT || Bellows Falls || 1953 ||
|-
| Mountaineer || 2909/2924 || Littleton via Dover and Conway || MEC || Intervale || 1955 ||
|-
| New Englander || 302/325 || Montreal via White River Junction and Essex Junction || CV || White River Junction || 1953 ||
|-
| Penobscot || 22/27 || Bangor via Dover, Portland, and Auburn || MEC || Portland || 1957 ||
|-
| Pine Tree || 14/19 || Bangor via Dover, Portland, and Brunswick || MEC || Portland || 1958 ||
|-
| Red Wing || 302/325 || Montreal via White River Junction and Wells River || CP || Wells River || 1959 || Exchanged through cars with the Connecticut Yankee.
|-
| Speed Merchant || 4/9 || Portland via Dover || – || – || 1965 ||
|}
New York/Washington trains via Springfield
{|class="wikitable sortable"
!Name!!#!!Destination!!Partner railroad(s)!!Final B&M station!!Year discontinued!!Notes
|-
|Ambassador || 307/332 || Montreal via White River Junction and Essex Junction || NH, CV || White River Junction || 1966 ||
|-
| Connecticut Yankee || 74/79 || Quebec City via White River Junction and Newport || CP, NH, QC || Wells River || 1952 || Exchanged through cars with the Red Wing.
|-
| Day White Mountains || 72/77 || Berlin via Wells River || NH || – || 1956 ||
|-
| Montrealer/Washingtonian || 70/71 || Montreal via White River Junction and Essex Junction || NH, CV, PRR || White River Junction || 1966 ||
|-
| Night White Mountains || 71/76 || Berlin via Wells River || NH || – || 1956 ||
|-
| North Wind || 75/70 || Whitefield or Bretton Woods via White River Junction || NH, CV, MEC || White River Junction || 1956 ||Summers only. ||
|}
New York/Washington trains via Worcester
{|class="wikitable sortable"
!Name!!#!!Destination!!Partner railroad(s)!!Final B&M station!!Year discontinued!!Notes
|-
| Bar Harbor Express || 84/85 || Bar Harbor (via ferry) via , Portland, and Bangor || PRR, NH, MEC || Portland || 1960 || Summers only.
|-
| East Wind || 120/121 || Bar Harbor (via ferry) via Ayer, Portland, and Bangor || PRR, NH, MEC || Portland || 1953 || Summers only.
|-
| State of Maine || 81/82 || Bangor via Ayer and Portland || NH, MEC || Portland || 1960 ||
|}
Surviving equipment
The 1935 three-car trainset known as the Flying Yankee, virtually identical to the streamlined equipment the Budd Company built for the Chicago Burlington & Quincy Pioneer Zephyr, was retired in 1957 and was then displayed at the Railroad for another 36 years. The equipment was relocated and eventually purchased by the State of Maine, but both public and private restoration efforts were unsuccessful. The trainset was moved to North Conway where it regained its trucks.
Five steam locomotives are also preserved with all being located in the northeast. These consist of 0-6-0 no. 410 in Lowell, Massachusetts, 0-6-0 no. 444 in Dunkirk, New York, 4-4-0 no. 494 at the White River Junction station in White River Junction, Vermont, 2-6-0 no. 1455 at the Danbury Railway Museum in Danbury, Connecticut, and 4-6-2 no. 3713 at Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Additionally, a sixth locomotive (4-6-2 no. 3666) is still around being submerged in the Piscataqua River in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
See also
- Northeast Airlines, which began in 1931 as Boston-Maine Airways
Footnotes
References
External links
- Boston & Maine Railroad Historical Society
- July 1, 1923 Official List - Officers, Agents and Stations
- Boston & Maine All-Time Pre-Guilford Diesel Roster
- Selected Annual Reports for Boston and Maine, Internet Archive; 1849–1965, years missing