VMRJ: Shelburne Falls

VMRJ

Shelburne Falls: New England railroad town

Shelburne Falls is a New England railroad town -- maybe not so much as it once was -- but the heavy Guilford freight trains still rumble through town on a regular basis. Part of what makes this town so interesting is that it has become a tourist center as well, snuggled in the Deerfield River valley, surrounded by the picturesque hills of Western Massachusetts. Much of its Victorian architectural character remains, a reminder of a bygone era when rails and a slower pace of life ruled.

At the depot there was lots going on. The Boston & Maine main line from Boston to Mechanicsville, NY, ran through town. The New Haven's Canal Line division came up from the south and terminated here. Add to that the Shelburne Falls & Colrain interurban trolley line, which interchanged freight cars with the B&M and New Haven, and you have a very interesting railroad interchange, right there at the depot.

The accompanying yard and interchange track plan is drawn diagrammatically, and not to scale. It's taken from a drawing representing conditions around 1910. Click the image for a larger version.
The station, in what appears to be very early shot as it does not show a separate New Haven track coming into the depot. Click the image for a larger version.
This picture was taken in the late 1920s, after the New Haven and the SF&C had ceased operations. Click the image for a larger version.
The New Haven (left) joined the B&M tracks east of Shelburne Falls. Click the image for a larger version.
The SF&C had its own 4-wheel freight cars. A larger combine, number 25, was equipped with MCB couplers and could pull standard freight cars. Judging by the pole direction, the trolley is pushing the freight car. The bridge here still exists as the Bridge of Flowers, a popular tourist attraction. Click the image for a larger version.

You can read more about the SF&C at my web site. See http://www.alfredbarten.com/SFC.html. You can also find an aerial view at the Shelburne Falls Trolley Museum web site, here.