Lucius Beebe Memorial Library, Wakefield, Mass.

Title

Lowell Street Station, 1929

Description

"At one time, Wakefield had six railroad stations, servicing the three branches of the Boston & Maine Railroad: the Main line, the Salem branch, and the Danvers-Newburyport branch. The Lowell Street station accommodated the latter branch. The extension of the Boston and Maine Railroad from Wilmington to Boston in 1845, placed the Town of Wakefield on the main line, eventually leading to an increase in population and status as an important railroad center. The later construction of the Danvers-Newburyport Railroad and the South Reading Branch (the Salem Branch) through Wakefield brought residents closer to other parts of the state and New England. In 1894, the three branches of the railroad attracted over 1,500 riders to and from Boston each day. Forty trains passed through Wakefield daily. Usage dropped off in the early 1920's, and in 1924, there were 20 incoming and outgoing trips daily. This lead [sic] to an announcement in December, 1924 that the Boston & Maine would abandon 76 miles of 'unprofitable tracks, 30 of which were in Massachusetts.' Service from Wakefield Center station (Water Street) to Newburyport and beyond was targeted. The railroad company blamed the 'unprofitable mileage' on the fact that 'the system is a combination of many small roads constructed years ago' and 'the rapid development of the motor bus and motor truck and the extensive program of highway construction and improvement.' Service continued, and in September, 1925, the railroad company made another announcement that the Danvers-Newburyport line would be curtailed to one trip each way through Wakefield. At the time, the line had an operating loss of $106,000 annually. Opposition from other communities mounted and an agreement was made that two trips on the Danvers-Newburyport branch would be kept, leaving Newburyport at 6 a.m. and 7:02 a.m. (reaching Wakefield at 7:14 and 8:21 a.m.) and leaving Boston at 4:49 p.m. and 5:28 p.m. The only stops between Wakefield Center and Newburyport were in Georgetown and Topsfield. Several stations were closed along the way, including the Lowell Street and Lynnfield stations. B & M Transportation Company provided busses [sic] from Lynnfield to the Lowell Street station to Center Station to the present upper station. The passenger stations were retained for shelter purposes only." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.

Image from the Wakefield Municipal Gas and Light Department annual calendar, 2001

Photo courtesy of the Wakefield Historical Society.

Contributor

Institution: Lucius Beebe Memorial Library

Wakefield Municipal Gas & Light Department (Wakefield, Mass.)

D'Onofrio, Jayne M.

Coverage

Massachusetts--Middlesex (county)--Wakefield

Date

1929

Format

image/jpeg

Publisher

[Wakefield, Mass.] : Wakefield Municipal Gas & Light Department

Subject

Railroad stations

Type

still image

Photographs

Original Format

1 picture : b&w

Extent

21 x 25 cm.