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The Whittenton Branch was a short railroad branch in the state of Massachusetts that formerly connected the city of Taunton and Raynham. The 3-mile (4.8 km) branch initially opened in 1881 and was later extended to connect the New Bedford and Taunton Railroad and the Dighton and Somerset Railroad.
| Whittenton Branch | |
|---|---|
 Whittenton Branch abutments at King Phillip Street | |
| Overview | |
| Status | Abandoned |
| Locale | Bristol County, Massachusetts |
| Termini |
|
| Former connections | Middleboro Secondary, Dighton and Somerset Railroad |
| Stations | 3 |
| Service | |
| Operator(s) | Old Colony Railroad, New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad |
| History | |
| Opened | 1882 (full length) |
| Closed | 1966 |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 4.8 km (3.0 mi) |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
The branch closed in 1966; the former right-of-way is currently abandoned.
In 1881, the Old Colony Railroad opened a connection to primarily serve the Whittenton Mills from Whittenton Junction. The following year, the line was extended to the Dighton and Somerset mainline at Raynham.[1] It was during this time that through passenger trains between Boston and the South Coast cities of New Bedford and Fall River were rerouted onto the newly completed Whittenton Branch between Raynham and Weir Junction, which allowed all service to stop at a new Taunton Central Station. Two new stations were established on the branch- Whittenton Junction and Whittenton- along with a stop at Raynham Junction at an existing station on the D&S mainline. 1893, the Old Colony Railroad was itself leased to the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. The New Haven further consolidated service to Taunton Central; by 1895, the Fall River Line's Boat Train was the only passenger service between Raynham and Weir Junction. All passenger services through Dean Street in Taunton ended in 1897.[2]
By 1932, the trackage between Raynham and Dean Street on the D&S mainline was removed; all rail traffic diverted onto the Whittenton Branch. All through passenger services on the Whittenton Branch ceased in 1958; freight services would continue until the full closure of the branch in 1966.[2]
South Coast Rail
When planning for the South Coast Rail project restarted in 2005, alternatives through Attleboro and Stoughton were considered. The Stoughton alternate chosen in 2009 included two possible routing options, one of which followed the former Whittenton Branch to the former Taunton Central Station location at Oak Street; however, this resulted in longer travel times as the Whittenton Branch includes several major curves.[3]
The Final Environmental Impact Statement, released in 2013, selected a route further east on the Dighton and Somerset mainline with Dean Street station as a downtown stop instead. The FEIS included the possibility of using the Whittenton Branch, but a station would have been built at Dana Street several blocks to the north of the Oak Street location, where the straighter track geometry would be more favorable for the construction of full-length high-level platforms.[4] Ultimately, the Dean Street location was preferred and is planned for Phase 2 of South Coast Rail in 2030.
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The former site of Whittenton Junction is located along what is now CSX's Middleboro Secondary, roughly 300 feet (91.4 m) north of the West Britannia Street crossing in Taunton. The line continues northeast through the village of Britanniaville into Raynham; the junction with the D&S mainline is located at the former Old Colony Raynham Station site in the village of North Raynham where the line crossed Broadway.[2]
Several structures are still extant along the former line which mostly consists of bridge abutments and infilled underpasses. The concrete railroad bridge that crosses the Mill River is also still extant.
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