The Medway Branch Railroad

The Medway Branch Railroad was, as the name suggests, a short branch line from the Norfolk County Railroad at North Wrentham, MA (present-day Norfolk), running northwesterly toward Medway, MA, beginning in 1853. (Right-of-Way)

The road offered passengers round trips between Medway to North Wrentham, where they could connect to Boston and points east. If a train wasn't running, passengers could traverse the route via a handcar.

Passenger traffic did not sustain the line, and governmental funding did not come for the venture. In 1863, it came under the umbrella of the Boston Hartford & Erie, along with the Norfolk County Railroad.

Just one year later, the line was abandoned, making it one of the earliest railroad abandonments in Massachusetts.

Image: Boston Hartford & Erie Locomotive “Hooksett” [Medway Historical Society]

Thanks as always for reading!
Location: Norfolk, MA, USA

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