Providence and Springfield Railroad
Pascoag station circa 1915-1930
Overview
HeadquartersProvidence, Rhode Island
Dates of operation1873–1890
SuccessorNew York and New England Railroad
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Length29 miles (47 km)

The Providence and Springfield Railroad was a railroad in the U.S. states of Rhode Island and Massachusetts. It was originally chartered as the Woonasquatucket Railroad in 1857, and renamed to the Providence and Springfield Railroad in 1872. Construction started in 1872, and the line opened between the Olneyville neighborhood of Providence and Pascoag, Rhode Island, in 1873.

The Providence and Springfield was leased by the New York and New England Railroad in 1890. The NY&NE extended the line northward to Douglas, Massachusetts, in 1893.[1][2] The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad took control of the NY&NE in 1895. The extension north of Pascoag was abandoned in 1937, and the remainder of the line in 1962. Parts of the right of way have been converted into rail-trails.

History

Smithfield station in 2018

The Providence and Springfield Railroad was originally chartered as the Woonasquatucket Railroad in January 1857.[3][4] No progress was made at first, as the Panic of 1857 and the Civil War precluded any investment in the new company.[5] While the charter was renewed several times, the railroad was not organized until 1871.[5] The company's name was changed to the Providence and Springfield Railroad in January 1872 by an act of the Rhode Island General Assembly.[6] A second act passed contemporaneously authorized the City of Providence to purchase up to $500,000 worth of bonds to support the railroad's construction, and other towns to subscribe to the railroad's stock.[6] The railroad was intended to link Providence to Springfield, Massachusetts, meeting the Boston and Albany Railroad.[4] Construction began in 1872 and the railroad opened approximately 20.5 miles (33.0 km) from Providence's Olneyville neighborhood to Pascoag, Rhode Island, in August 1873.[1]

At first, Providence and Springfield Railroad trains covered the remaining two to Providence Union Station via trackage rights over the Hartford, Providence and Fishkill Railroad (HP&F) main line. This was ended when the Providence and Springfield built a parallel track of its own along the HP&F alignment, with the HP&F's agreement, in 1874.[1][4] The company built its own station in Providence in 1880 at Gaspee Street, near the Great Salt Cove.[1][4]

The Providence and Springfield was leased by the New York and New England Railroad in 1890. The NY&NE expanded the Providence and Springfield northward from Pascoag to Douglas, Massachusetts, connecting to the NY&NE main line there.[1]

The NY&NE was succeeded by the short-lived New England Railroad in 1895, under the control of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad (the New Haven), which took direct control in 1898. The New England Railroad shut down the line north of Pascoag within a year of assuming operations; it was returned to service in 1904.[1] Trains north of Pascoag were ended again in 1926, and the NY&NE-built extension abandoned in 1937. The original Providence and Springfield Railroad main line continued to see local freight service until abandonment in 1962, and the two miles (3.2 km) originally built in 1874 followed in 1965. Several segments of the railroad are now rail-trails, including the Woonasquatucket River Greenway. A preserved station remains in Smithfield, Rhode Island.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Karr, Ronald Dale (2017). The Rail Lines of Southern New England (2nd ed.). Pepperell, Massachusetts: Branch Line Press. pp. 163–165. ISBN 978-0-942147-12-4. OCLC 1038017689. Retrieved 2021-10-22.
  2. ↑ Heppner, Frank H. (2012). Railroads of Rhode Island: Shaping the Ocean State's Railways. Charleston, South Carolina: History Press. pp. 95–97. ISBN 978-1-61423-363-3. OCLC 841413913.
  3. ↑ Bartlett, John Russell (1863). "Preface". Index to the Printed Acts and Resolves Of, and of the Petitions and Reports to the General Assembly of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations from the Year 1850 to 1862. A. Anthony, Printer to the State. pp. XX.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Francis, George B. (May 1909). "Railroad Terminal Improvements At Providence, R.I." Journal of the Association of Engineering Societies. XLII (5): 246–248, 260 – via Google Books.
  5. 1 2 Bayles, Richard Mather (1891). History of Providence County, Rhode Island. W. W. Preston.
  6. 1 2 State of Rhode Island (1875). Statutes of the State of Rhode Island Relating to the City of Providence, and Ordinances of the City. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Riverside Press. pp. 71–73, 350.
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