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Stoughton station

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Coordinates: 42°7′27″N 71°5′58″W / 42.12417°N 71.09944°W / 42.12417; -71.09944
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Stoughton
1888-built Stoughton station building in 2016
General information
Location45 Wyman Street
Stoughton, Massachusetts
Coordinates42°7′27″N 71°5′58″W / 42.12417°N 71.09944°W / 42.12417; -71.09944
Line(s)Stoughton Branch
Platforms1 side platform
Tracks1
ConnectionsBus transport BAT: 14
Construction
Parking333 spaces ($4.00 fee)
Bicycle facilities6 spaces
AccessibleYes
Other information
Fare zone4
History
OpenedApril 7, 1845
Rebuilt1887–1888; 2020s (proposed)
Previous namesStoughton Central (c. 1866–November 1, 1896)[1]
Passengers
2018917 (weekday average boardings)[2]
Services
Preceding station MBTA Following station
Terminus Providence/​Stoughton Line Canton Center
toward South Station
Former services
Preceding station New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Following station
West Stoughton
toward Canton Junction
 Stoughton Branch Terminus
Canton
toward Boston
 Boston–Fall River North Easton
toward Fall River
Boston–New Bedford North Easton
toward New Bedford
Proposed services
Preceding station MBTA Following station
North Easton
toward Battleship Cove or New Bedford
 South Coast Rail
Phase 2
 Canton Center
toward South Station
Stoughton Railroad Station
Map
Built1888
ArchitectCharles Brigham
Architectural styleRomanesque Revival
NRHP reference No.74000384[3]
Added to NRHPJanuary 21, 1974

Stoughton station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in downtown Stoughton, Massachusetts. It is the current terminus of the Stoughton Branch of the Providence/Stoughton Line. Stoughton has one platform (split across Wyman Street) serving one track; the platform has a mini-high section for accessibility. The 1888-built station building, designed by architect Charles Brigham, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

History

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Circa-1890 depiction of the station

The Stoughton Branch Railroad opened from Canton – on the Boston and Providence Railroad (B&P) mainline – to Stoughton on April 7, 1845. The original Stoughton station was a wooden structure at Railroad Avenue.[4] It was destroyed by a fire on June 20, 1845; its replacement was destroyed by wind on October 13, 1845, while being built. The third station building, completed in 1846, was built of brick.[5] It included an engine house and freight house in the same building.[4]

The Stoughton Branch was extended south to North Easton by the Easton Branch Railroad on May 16, 1855.[6]: 29  The Dighton and Somerset Railroad opened its line between Somerset Junction (north of Fall River) and Braintree Highlands on September 24, 1866.[7]: 11 [8]: 393  It used the Easton Branch Railroad between North Easton and Stoughton Junction (south of Stoughton); passenger service ended between Stoughton and Stoughton Junction.[8]: 394 

The third station was replaced by a granite station with a 60-foot (18 m) tower designed by Charles Brigham. Construction began on May 27, 1887, and the new station opened in March 1888.[9] The Old Colony acquired the B&P in 1888, consolidating all the railways in southeastern Massachusetts under a single owner. The company routed some service to the South Coast cities of Fall River and New Bedford trains via Stoughton at times.[6]: 31  The Old Colony was leased by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad in 1893.[8]: 379  The station was called Stoughton Central until November 1, 1896, to differentiate it from the station on the Dighton and Somerset.[1]

The New Haven resumed running South Coast trains via Stoughton during and after World War I.[6]: 34  All service on the Dighton and Somerset line was routed via Stoughton after around 1924.[8]: 394  On August 4, 1924, a Boston-bound express train derailed just south of the station and damaged its walls.[10] The wreck was caused by two boys, ages seven and nine, who placed spikes on the rails so they could "see a real train wreck".[11] By 1927, almost all service to New Bedford and Fall River ran via Stoughton.[6]: 34 

South Coast service was rerouted via Mansfield in 1937 during the early stages of the 88 stations case, leaving the Stoughton branch with mostly shuttle trains to Canton Junction.[6]: 34  Some South Coast service was routed via Stoughton in 1950, and all service after 1955.[6]: 35  That remaining service ended on September 5, 1958, as the New Haven cut its unprofitable Old Colony Division. Stoughton Branch service remained because the branch had been associated with the B&P.[6]: 36, 96 

MBTA era

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A Penn Central train at Stoughton in 1971

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority began subsidizing some commuter service in 1965; Stoughton Branch service was not subsidized because the railroad did not have federal permission to discontinue it. The New Haven folded into Penn Central at the end of 1968. The MBTA purchased most of Penn Central's Boston commuter lines, including the Stoughton Branch and the ex-Dighton and Somerset as far as Taunton, on January 27, 1973. Penn Central continued to operate the service.[12] Stoughton station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 21, 1974 as Stoughton Railroad Station.[3] Penn Central merged into Conrail on April 1, 1976. The MBTA began subsidizing Stoughton service on September 28, 1976; it was eventually designated as part of the Providence/Stoughton Line.

On March 12, 1977, the Boston and Maine Railroad began operating the southside commuter rail lines, including the Providence/Stoughton Line – the first of several contract operators for the service. Beginning on March 31, 1977, the town of Stoughton began contributing to the subsidy for its service. This subsidy was later taken up by the Brockton Area Transit Authority.[12] Sunday service on the Stoughton Branch was added on July 11, 1992 – the first such service on the branch in decades – but all weekend service on the branch ended on February 14, 1993.[12]

By 1967, Stoughton station was the only remaining railroad station in Massachusetts with a clock tower.[13] In 1974, the town created a committee to plan restoration of the station. Some work began in 1975, but was put on hold until a lease with the MBTA was signed in 1977. Restoration work resumed in July 1977 and continued through the late 1980s at a cost exceeding $1 million.[4][14] A coffee shop opened in the building in 1981.[4] After the renovation, there was not continued maintenance, and the building again began to deteriorate.[14]

The station building was closed to passengers on May 1, 2009, when a vendor ended its arrangements to sell MBTA tickets.[15] In 2010, town officials began talks with the MBTA about leasing and renovating the building.[14] The MBTA listed the building for sale for $350,000 in May 2012 after the town declined to bring a purchase to a town meeting, but withdrew the listing that July after objections from the town.[13] In November 2015, town residents approved $250,000 for purchase of the station and $350,000 for exterior renovations.[16] The state legislature limited the sale price to $175,000 in 2017. In December 2018, the state announced a $75,000 grant for further restoration of the station building.[17] The town ultimately acquired the building in mid-2019 at a cost of $175,000.[18][19] The station was used in the 2019 film Little Women as a stand-in for Concord station.[20]

South Coast Rail

[edit]
Engineering drawing showing the rail line relocated slightly to the west, with full-length high-level platforms running north from Brock Street
2013 plans for reconstruction of the station

Stoughton station is proposed to be reconstructed as part of Phase 2 of the South Coast Rail project, which would reactive the Dighton and Somerset line between Stoughton and Taunton.[21] A second track would be added through the station to support increased bidirectional service; the two new platforms would be located fully south of Wyman Street. Plans published in 2009 called for 45-foot (14 m)-long mini-high platform at the southern end of the platforms, which would be located on a curve.[22]

Under 2013 plans, the tracks would be moved slightly west south of Wyman Street, with full-length high-level platforms built a block south at Brock Street, connected with an overhead pedestrian bridge. A new parking area with nearly twice the number of spaces would be built; the old right-of-way and parking areas would be redeveloped.[23] The town of Stoughton opposed the South Coast Rail plan because it would increase rail traffic though grade crossings in downtown Stoughton.[21]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Jacobs, Warren (October 1928). "Dates of Some of the Principal Events in the History of 100 Years of the Railroad in New England. 1826-1926". Railway and Locomotive Historical Society Bulletin. 17 (17). Railway and Locomotive Historical Society: 15–28. JSTOR 43504499.
  2. ^ Central Transportation Planning Staff (2019). "2018 Commuter Rail Counts". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
  3. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  4. ^ a b c d The Stoughton Railroad Station One Hundredth Anniversary (PDF). Stoughton Railroad Station Restoration, Inc. 1988.
  5. ^ Foley, Kate Sullivan (May 22, 2009). "TIMELESS TRACKS: Exhibit shows off historic Stoughton train station". The Enterprise. Archived from the original on March 10, 2025.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Humphrey, Thomas J.; Clark, Norton D. (1985). Boston's Commuter Rail: The First 150 Years. Boston Street Railway Association.
  7. ^ Humphrey, Thomas J.; Clark, Norton D. (1986). Boston's Commuter Rail: Second Section. Boston Street Railway Association. ISBN 9780938315025.
  8. ^ a b c d Karr, Ronald Dale (2017). The Rail Lines of Southern New England (2 ed.). Branch Line Press. ISBN 9780942147124.
  9. ^ "Stoughton's New Depot". The Boston Globe. March 18, 1888. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Three Hurt As Train Crashes Into Depot". The Springfield Daily Republican. August 5, 1924. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Boys Confess Causing Wreck". The Boston Globe. August 7, 1924. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ a b c Belcher, Jonathan. "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). Boston Street Railway Association.
  13. ^ a b Legere, Christine (July 5, 2012). "Outcry halts MBTA's plans to sell Stoughton railroad station". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on March 7, 2025.
  14. ^ a b c Downing, Vicki-Ann (December 17, 2010). "Stoughton town officials consider leasing train station from MBTA". The Enterprise. Archived from the original on March 13, 2025.
  15. ^ Foley, Kate (May 5, 2009). "Stoughton train station shuts down temporarily". The Enterprise. Archived from the original on March 7, 2025.
  16. ^ "Meeting Minutes". Stoughton Community Preservation Committee. January 27, 2016. p. 4.
  17. ^ Berke, Ben (December 17, 2018). "After years of negotiations, Stoughton set to acquire historic train depot". The Enterprise. GateHouse Media. Archived from the original on December 24, 2018.
  18. ^ "Meeting Minutes". Stoughton Community Preservation Committee. September 4, 2019. pp. 4–5.
  19. ^ "Meeting Minutes". Stoughton Community Preservation Committee. November 6, 2019. p. 6.
  20. ^ Berke, Ben (October 12, 2018). "No stars on set for Stoughton's 'Little Women' cameo". The Enterprise. Archived from the original on March 13, 2025.
  21. ^ a b Laidler, John (June 16, 2017). "Sharp differences over latest plan for South Coast Rail". Boston Globe. Retrieved June 18, 2017.
  22. ^ "Existing Stoughton Station / Proposed Construction" (PDF). Massachusetts Department of Transportation. July 1, 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 4, 2014.
  23. ^ "Figure 3.2-21 Stoughton Station Proposed Reconstruction" (PDF). Volume II: FEIS/FEIR Figures Final Environmental Impact Statement/Final Environmental Impact Report on the South Coast Rail Project proposed by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New England District. August 2013.
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Media related to Stoughton station at Wikimedia Commons

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