Valley Falls Yard in 2022

Valley Falls Yard is a railroad classification yard located in Valley Falls, Rhode Island. It was originally built by the Providence and Worcester Railroad (P&W) around 1860.[1] In 1874, the P&W completed the East Providence Branch, which joined the P&W mainline near the yard. Around the same time, the Rhode Island Horse Shoe Works completed a factory in the area of the yard, which became a significant location for freight train traffic on the P&W system.[2] From 1878 to 1884, a full suite of repair and maintenance facilities were built at Valley Falls Yard.[3] By 1905, Valley Falls Yard included 13 tracks and was 2,000 feet in length; a new interlocking tower was completed to control the switches between the P&W mainline, the East Providence Branch, and the Wrentham branch (formerly the New York and New England Railroad).[4]

In 1913, the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad (the New Haven) employed approximately 300 people at Valley Falls.[5]

Improvements and upgrades were made to the yard in 1976 as part of a New England Regional Commission program to create jobs and improve railroads.[6]

The Providence and Worcester Railroad took over its railroad in 1973, and has operated Valley Falls Yard since. It is the base for all local freight trains operated by P&W in Rhode Island.[7] By 1995, the P&W was operating trains PR-2 and PR-3 from the yard five days per week to serve customers along the Northeast Corridor.[8]

Notes

  1. ↑ Lewis 1973, pp. 20–21.
  2. ↑ Lewis 1973, pp. 24–25.
  3. ↑ Lewis 1973, p. 25.
  4. ↑ "Deathtraps at Valley Falls". The Providence Journal. June 26, 1905. p. 10.
  5. ↑ "Valley Falls Railroad Shops on Eight Hours". The Evening News. Providence, Rhode Island. December 16, 1913. p. 2.
  6. ↑ United States Department of Commerce (1976). The Annual Report of the Secretary of Commerce. U.S. Government Printing Office. pp. 61–62.
  7. ↑ Hartley 2016, pp. 53–55.
  8. ↑ Federal Highway Administration; Rhode Island Department of Transportation (February 1996). Rhode Island Freight Rail Improvement Project: Environmental Impact Statement. pp. 2B–3.

References

  • Hartley, Scott A. (April 2016). "The key to Providence & Worcester's success: Reinvention". Trains Magazine. pp. 50–57. OCLC 945631712.
  • Lewis, Edward A. (1973). The Blackstone Valley Line: The Story of the Blackstone Canal Company and the Providence & Worcester Railroad. Seekonk, Massachusetts: The Baggage Car. OCLC 2685548.
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