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The Fall River Railroad was a railroad that ran between Fall River and Braintree, Massachusetts, United States. It was formed in 1845 as a merger between three railroads, which opened in phases in 1845 and 1846. The railroad merged into the Old Colony and Fall River Railroad in 1854.

History

The United Corporation of the Middleborough Railroad Corporation with the Fall River Branch Railroad Company and the Randolph and Bridgewater Railroad Corporation was formed in March 1845 by the merger of three unopened railroads:

• The Fall River Branch Railroad was incorporated in March 1844 to run north from the emerging textile town of Fall River to the New Bedford and Taunton Railroad either at Myricks Junction or Taunton (thus providing connections to Boston, New Bedford, and Providence).
• The Middleborough Railroad was incorporated in March 1845 to run south from Bridgewater through Middleborough to meet the Fall River Branch Railroad near Myricks.
• The Randolph and Bridgewater Railroad was incorporated in March 1845 to run north from Bridgewater through Randolph to meet the Old Colony Railroad in Braintree or Quincy.

The first segment opened between Myricks and downtown Fall River on June 9, 1845. In April 1846, the name was simplified to "Fall River Railroad". An extension from Myricks to Middleborough opened in mid-1846. A separate section of the line opened south from South Braintree to Randolph on August 26, 1846. That section was extended to North Bridgewater by October. The remaining portion between North Bridgewater and Middleborough opened on December 21, 1846, completing the line.

In 1847, the line was extended south a short distance to Fall River Wharf. That year, under the leadership of Richard Borden, the Fall River Railroad began regular steamship service to New York City. The service became known as the Fall River Line, which for many years was the preferred means of travel between Boston and New York City.

In 1854, the railroad merged with the Old Colony Railroad to become the Old Colony and Fall River Railroad. The combined company was renamed Old Colony and Newport Railway in 1863 and Old Colony Railway in 1872. It was acquired by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad in 1893. Passenger service between Myricks and Middleborough ended in 1931, followed by freight service the next year, and the section was abandoned in 1937. Passenger service south of Myricks ended in 1958, and north of Middleborough the next year; freight service continued on both remaining sections.

The Cape Cod and Hyannis Railroad operated passenger service on the portion of the line between South Braintree and Middleborough from 1984 to 1988. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority opened the Middleborough/Lakeville Line in 1997, restoring passenger service to that section. South Coast Rail passenger service, planned to begin in late 2023, will use the line between Myricks and Fall River.

See also

• Old Colony & Fall River Railroad Museum

References

1. ^ Karr, Ronald Dale (2017). The Rail Lines of Southern New England (2 ed.). Branch Line Press. pp. 401–405. ISBN 9780942147124.
2. "Chapter 100: An Act to incorporate the Fall River Branch Rail-road Company.". Acts and Resolves Passed by the General Court of Massachusetts in the year 1844. Massachusetts General Court. 1844. pp. 204–205.
3. "Chapter 234: An Act to establish the Middleborough Rail-road Corporation.". Acts and Resolves Passed by the General Court of Massachusetts in the year 1845. Massachusetts General Court. 1845. pp. 564–566.
4. "Chapter 226: An Act to establish the Randolph and Bridgewater Rail-road Corporation.". Acts and Resolves Passed by the General Court of Massachusetts in the year 1845. Massachusetts General Court. 1845. pp. 559–561.
5. Report of the Board of Railroad Commissioners, the Tax Commissioner and the Bank Commissioner, sitting as a commission, relative to the assets and liabilities of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad Company. Massachusetts Joint Commission on the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad Company. February 15, 1911. pp. 408–409.
6. "Fall River Railroad". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. June 5, 1845. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Chapter 259: An Act to change the Name of the United Corporation of the Middleborough Rail-road Corporation with the Fall River Branch Rail-road Company, and the Randolph and Bridgewater Rail-road Corporation, and for other purposes.". Acts and Resolves Passed by the General Court of Massachusetts, 1846, 1847, 1848. Massachusetts General Court. 1848. pp. 190–191.
8. "Fall River Rail Road". Fall River Monitor. August 29, 1846. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Commercial and Money Matters". New-York Tribune. August 27, 1846. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
10. Fall River Railroad (November 14, 1846). "Winter Arrangement". Fall River Monitor. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Rail Road". Fall River Monitor. December 26, 1846. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
12. Fall River Railroad (December 24, 1846). "New Notice". Herald of the Times. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
13. Hurd, D. Hamilton, ed. (1883). "Richard Borden". History of Bristol County, Massachusetts. Philadelphia: J.W. Lewis & Co. p. 374 – via Internet Archive.

v t e Fall River, Massachusetts
History	American Printing Company Battle of Freetown B.M.C. Durfee High School 1886 building Bradford Durfee Textile School/Bradford Durfee College of Technology Corky Row Historic District Downtown Fall River Historic District Fall River Railroad Fall River Iron Works Fall River Line Great Fall River fire of 1928 Highlands Historic District Lower Highlands Historic District Historic Places Oak Grove Cemetery Pocasset Manufacturing Company Slade's Ferry Bridge The Skeleton in Armor Truesdale Hospital USS Fall River (CA-131) Watuppa Branch
Geography	Fall River granite Freetown-Fall River State Forest Mount Hope Bay Quequechan River Taunton River Watuppa Ponds
People	Mariano S. Bishop Lizzie Borden Nathaniel B. Borden Richard Borden M. C. D. Borden Charlie Buffinton James Buffington Robert Correia Jasiel Correia John W. Cummings Orin Fowler Chris Herren Emeril Lagasse List of mayors of Fall River, Massachusetts Humberto Sousa Cardinal Medeiros Joe Raposo Jerry Remy Melvin Zais
Places	Academy Building Al Mac's Diner-Restaurant Battleship Cove Braga Bridge Copicut Woods Fall River Government Center Fall River Heritage State Park Interstate 195 (Rhode Island-Massachusetts) Marine Museum at Fall River List of mills Durfee Mills Flint Mills King Philip Mills New Harbour Mall Old Colony & Fall River Railroad Museum Quequechan Club Route 24 St. Joseph's Orphanage
Media	The Herald News WHTB WSAR
Education	Fall River Public Schools B.M.C. Durfee HS Diman Regional Vocational Technical HS Bristol Community College Closed Bishop Connolly HS Notre Dame School
Religion	Roman Catholic Diocese of Fall River St. Anne's Church and Parish Complex Notre Dame de Lourdes Church St. Patrick's Church

• Predecessors of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad
• Railway companies established in 1846
• Railway companies disestablished in 1854
• Defunct Massachusetts railroads
• Old Colony Railroad lines
• 1846 establishments in Massachusetts
• American companies established in 1846
• American companies disestablished in 1854