Lowell and Lawrence Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Lowell and Lawrence Railroad was a small independent railroad that was chartered in 1846 to build a rail line linking the two giant Merrimack River Valley
cities of Lowell, Massachusetts
to Lawrence, Massachusetts
.
Originally, the line was going to be built along the Merrimack River
, but the residents of Tewksbury
, upset that they had been bypassed by both the Boston and Lowell Railroad
and the Boston and Maine Railroad
requested that the new line come through their town.
Construction began in 1846 and passed through Tewksbury and West Andover and met the B&M main line in South Lawrence. The line opened in 1848 and began running both freight and passenger service between the two cities. Passengers could access Boston by either connecting to the B&M in Lawrence or the B&L in Lowell.
The year the L&L opened, the Salem and Lowell Railroad
was chartered and its line was built from Peabody
to the L&L's line just a little over a mile east of Tewksbury Center. The S&L was ready for business in 1850 and the L&L ran the line under contract. The meeting of the two lines was a Wye that the two lines gave three different names to. The north point of the Wye was called Lawrence Jct; the west point was called Tewksbury Jct and the south point was called Salem Jct. By the time the two lines fell under control of the Boston and Lowell, the entire Wye was called Tewksbury Jct.
In 1852, the L&L allowed the B&M to run passenger service from Wilmington
Jct to Lowell along the two lines in defiance of the monopoly owned by the B&L for all rail service between Lowell and Boston. B&L filed suit in 1855 and won in court. Because of this violation, the B&L acquired the L&L and took over operation in 1858.
By the time that the B&M took over control of the B&L in 1887, the Lowell and Lawrence was obsolete. The B&M had built its own branch line to Lowell in 1874, after the B&L's monopoly ran out in 1865, and it closely paralleled the L&L's main line, meaning it was not worth it for the B&M to maintain two line between Lowell and Lawrence. The B&M ran some passenger service over the line until 1924 and then slowly started to abandon the line. First from Pikes Siding in South Lawrence to Tewksbury Jct in 1926. Then Tewksbury Jct to Tewksbury Center later that year when the B&M abandoned the Salem & Lowell from Tewksbury Jct to Wilmington Jct.
Between 1895 and 1900, service ended on the line from its start at the Bleachery in Lowell to Wamesit in Tewksbury where the B&M and the L&L shared a station. This stretch of track was not, however, legally abandoned until 1936. The tracks were removed and the line from Tewksbury Center was directly connected to the B&M's Lowell Branch line. Freight traffic ran from Wamesit to Tewksbury Center until 1979 and then was completely abandoned in 1983.
The only part of the Lowell and Lawrence still in operation today are at either end of where the lines began and ended. In Lawrence, the first two miles of the line from Lawrence to Pikes Siding is still used as an industrial spur. In Lowell, where the two lines paralleled each other only a half mile apart, the B&M abandoned its line from the Bleachery to the Concord River
and built a connecting line to the L&L, keeping the first mile of the line in service. Pan Am Railways
still uses this part of the line as its main line through the city of Lowell.
Merrimack Valley
The Merrimack Valley is a bi-state region along the Merrimack River in the states of New Hampshire and Massachusetts, United States. The Merrimack is one of the larger waterways in the New England region and has helped define the livelihood and culture of those living along it since native...
cities of Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 106,519. It is the fourth largest city in the state. Lowell and Cambridge are the county seats of Middlesex County...
to Lawrence, Massachusetts
Lawrence, Massachusetts
Lawrence is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States on the Merrimack River. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a total population of 76,377. Surrounding communities include Methuen to the north, Andover to the southwest, and North Andover to the southeast. It and Salem are...
.
Originally, the line was going to be built along the Merrimack River
Merrimack River
The Merrimack River is a river in the northeastern United States. It rises at the confluence of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee rivers in Franklin, New Hampshire, flows southward into Massachusetts, and then flows northeast until it empties into the Atlantic Ocean at Newburyport...
, but the residents of Tewksbury
Tewksbury, Massachusetts
Tewksbury is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 28,961 at the 2010 census.- History :Tewksbury was first settled in 1637 and was officially incorporated in 1734 from Billerica. Like Tewksbury Township, New Jersey, it is named after the town of Tewkesbury,...
, upset that they had been bypassed by both the Boston and Lowell Railroad
Boston and Lowell Railroad
The Boston and Lowell Railroad is a historic railroad that operated in Massachusetts. It was one of the first railroads in North America and the first major one in the state...
and the Boston and Maine Railroad
Boston and Maine Railroad
The Boston and Maine Corporation , known as the Boston and Maine Railroad until 1964, was the dominant railroad of the northern New England region of the United States for a century...
requested that the new line come through their town.
Construction began in 1846 and passed through Tewksbury and West Andover and met the B&M main line in South Lawrence. The line opened in 1848 and began running both freight and passenger service between the two cities. Passengers could access Boston by either connecting to the B&M in Lawrence or the B&L in Lowell.
The year the L&L opened, the Salem and Lowell Railroad
Salem and Lowell Railroad
The Salem and Lowell Railroad was a branch line of the Boston and Lowell Railroad and ran off the Essex Railroad in Peabody, Massachusetts to Tewksbury, Massachusetts where it met the Lowell and Lawrence Railroad at Tewksbury Jct....
was chartered and its line was built from Peabody
Peabody, Massachusetts
Peabody is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population is about 53,000. Peabody is located in Boston's North Shore suburban area.- History :...
to the L&L's line just a little over a mile east of Tewksbury Center. The S&L was ready for business in 1850 and the L&L ran the line under contract. The meeting of the two lines was a Wye that the two lines gave three different names to. The north point of the Wye was called Lawrence Jct; the west point was called Tewksbury Jct and the south point was called Salem Jct. By the time the two lines fell under control of the Boston and Lowell, the entire Wye was called Tewksbury Jct.
In 1852, the L&L allowed the B&M to run passenger service from Wilmington
Wilmington, Massachusetts
Wilmington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 22,325 at the 2010 census.-History:Wilmington was first settled in 1665 and was officially incorporated in 1730, from parts of Woburn, Reading and Billerica. Minutemen from Wilmington responded to the alarm...
Jct to Lowell along the two lines in defiance of the monopoly owned by the B&L for all rail service between Lowell and Boston. B&L filed suit in 1855 and won in court. Because of this violation, the B&L acquired the L&L and took over operation in 1858.
By the time that the B&M took over control of the B&L in 1887, the Lowell and Lawrence was obsolete. The B&M had built its own branch line to Lowell in 1874, after the B&L's monopoly ran out in 1865, and it closely paralleled the L&L's main line, meaning it was not worth it for the B&M to maintain two line between Lowell and Lawrence. The B&M ran some passenger service over the line until 1924 and then slowly started to abandon the line. First from Pikes Siding in South Lawrence to Tewksbury Jct in 1926. Then Tewksbury Jct to Tewksbury Center later that year when the B&M abandoned the Salem & Lowell from Tewksbury Jct to Wilmington Jct.
Between 1895 and 1900, service ended on the line from its start at the Bleachery in Lowell to Wamesit in Tewksbury where the B&M and the L&L shared a station. This stretch of track was not, however, legally abandoned until 1936. The tracks were removed and the line from Tewksbury Center was directly connected to the B&M's Lowell Branch line. Freight traffic ran from Wamesit to Tewksbury Center until 1979 and then was completely abandoned in 1983.
The only part of the Lowell and Lawrence still in operation today are at either end of where the lines began and ended. In Lawrence, the first two miles of the line from Lawrence to Pikes Siding is still used as an industrial spur. In Lowell, where the two lines paralleled each other only a half mile apart, the B&M abandoned its line from the Bleachery to the Concord River
Concord River
The Concord River is a tributary of the Merrimack River in eastern Massachusetts in the United States. The river drains a small rural and suburban region northwest of Boston. One of the most famous small rivers in U.S...
and built a connecting line to the L&L, keeping the first mile of the line in service. Pan Am Railways
Pan Am Railways
Pan Am Railways, Inc. , known as Guilford Rail System before March 2006, is a holding company that owns and operates Class II regional railroads covering northern New England from Mattawamkeag, Maine to Rotterdam Junction, New York...
still uses this part of the line as its main line through the city of Lowell.