Bay Colony Railroad

Shortline railroad (STB Class III) operating in Massachusetts

"BCLR" redirects here. For the fictional character designated "B.C.L.R." and "B.C.L. RED" in the The Boys television series, see Soldier Boy.

Bay Colony Railroad

Bay Colony Railroad locomotive in Medfield, Massachusetts, in 2017

Overview
Headquarters| Braintree, Massachusetts
Reporting mark| BCLR
Locale| Massachusetts
Dates of operation| 1982-2023
Predecessor| Conrail
Successor| Massachusetts Coastal Railroad
Technical
Track gauge| 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge

The Bay Colony Railroad (reporting mark BCLR) was a shortline railroad (STB Class III) operating in Massachusetts.

Formerly operating along most of the south coast region (including all lines on Cape Cod), Bay Colony's final operations ceased in late 2023, when the only two remaining lines (a roughly six-mile stretch of track between New Bedford and Westport, referred to as the Watuppa Branch, as well as a section of the Millis Branch from Medfield Junction to Millis) were purchased by Massachusetts Coastal Railroad.

In addition to moving freight for its customers, Bay Colony also performed AAR-certified repairs on rolling stock and contract track construction projects for other railroads. It had a sister railroad, the Seminole Gulf Railway, which is based out of Fort Myers, Florida.

## History

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Bay Colony Railroad's original logo, marked on boxcar livery up through the mid-nineties

The Bay Colony railroad was chartered on March 31, 1977, with the intent of taking over freight service on former New Haven lines from Conrail, which was planning to abandon service.[1] The lines were purchased by the state government, and Bay Colony took over all freight operations on the lines on June 12, 1982 with a 25-year contract.[2]

Bay Colony expressed interest in purchasing the Belfast and Moosehead Lake Railroad in 1983.[3]

The contract for the railroad lines owned by the State of Massachusetts administered by the Executive Office of Transportation (EOT), which included the Cape Cod main expired on December 31, 2007. It was awarded to a new company, the Massachusetts Coastal Railroad, which took over on January 1, 2008. At that time the Bay Colony ceased operation on those lines, but continued to maintain operations in other areas of the state, namely the Millis branch (until 2018) and the Watuppa branch.[2] The Bay Colony Railroad maintained its headquartered in Braintree, Massachusetts, and owned 6 miles (9.7 km) of active trackage within Massachusetts.[4]

Bay Colony continued operations along the Millis Branch, a roughly eight-mile segment of track between Needham Junction and the former Millis station. This line interchanges with CSX at Medfield. By May 2018, Bay Colony had ceased regular operations of this branch following the closure of GAF Roofing, the biggest customer on the line.[4] Bay Colony also operated along the Watuppa Branch (also referred to as the North Dartmouth Industrial Track), a roughly six-mile stretch of track in the south coast of the state. The branch diverges from the New Bedford Secondary and passes through the town of Dartmouth before terminating in Westport. Interchange was with Mass Coastal in New Bedford.[4]

In November 2023, Mass Coastal indicated that it had agreed to purchase the Millis Branch and Watuppa Branch from Bay Colony and operate the lines, ending all remaining operations by the Bay Colony.[5][6] However, on December 15, the Surface Transportation Board rejected the transfer of Millis Branch operations due to uncertainty about the status of the line.[7] Mass Coastal announced the purchase of the Bay Colony was final in February 2024, excluding the Millis Branch which remained held up by legal issues.[8] Mass Coastal expects to acquire the Millis Branch in summer 2024.[9]

## See also

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* Cape Cod Canal Railroad Bridge

## References

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1. ^ "about bay colony". Archived from the original on 2003-04-07. Retrieved 2007-10-18.
2. ^ a b "Massachusetts Coastal named to operate commonwealth-owned lines". Trains News Wire. Kalmbach Publishing. 2007-10-08. Retrieved 2007-10-18.
3. ^ Griffin, Walter (March 7, 1984). "Council Gets Briefing on B&M". Bangor Daily News. pp. 1, 16.
4. ^ a b c HDR; AECOM; Fitzgerald & Halliday, Inc.; HMMH (May 2018). MassDOT State Rail Plan (Report). p. 35. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
5. ^ "STB Docket No. FD 36738" (PDF). Surface Transportation Board. November 16, 2023. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 19, 2023.
6. ^ "STB Docket No. FD 36739" (PDF). Surface Transportation Board. November 16, 2023. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 19, 2023.
7. ^ "Decision: Docket No. FD 36738" (PDF). Surface Transportation Board. December 15, 2023. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 5, 2024.
8. ^ Trains Staff (2024-02-06). "Mass Coastal to acquire Bay Colony Railroad". Trains. Retrieved 2024-04-18.
9. ^ Luczak, Marybeth (February 9, 2024). "Mass Coastal Acquiring Bay Colony Assets". Railway Age. Retrieved April 18, 2024.

## External links

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bay Colony Railroad.

* Company website

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Railroads of Massachusetts

Common carriers|

* Bay Colony Railroad
* Connecticut Southern Railroad
* CSX Transportation
* East Brookfield & Spencer Railroad
* Fore River Transportation Corporation
* Grafton and Upton Railroad
* Housatonic Railroad
* Massachusetts Central Railroad
* Massachusetts Coastal Railroad
* New England Central Railroad
* Pan Am Railways
* Pan Am Southern
* Pioneer Valley Railroad
* Providence and Worcester Railroad

Passenger carriers|

* Amtrak
* CTrail
* MBTA Commuter Rail

Heritage railroads|

* Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum
* Cape Cod Central Railroad

* See also: Former carriers in Massachusetts
* List of United States railroads by political division

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