For those of us who are interested in local history, especially railroads, this is
going to be a delight! WMGS member, Philip E. Johnson will be presenting a
fascinating look at the Hampden Railroad. His presentation is based on his
book, The Hampden Railroad – The Greatest Railroad That Never Ran, which
was published in 2014. The work is the result of 30 years of research!
This story likely affected thousands of our ancestors from Westfield to central
Massachusetts who may have worked on this railroad. Investors, local towns,
and even the general public were impacted as well. Yet so little is known about
this story.
Philip gives us a preview:
“Growing up in Springfield, Massachusetts during the 50’s and 60’s, I remember seeing the trains crossing in Winchester Square and by Watershops Pond, and even across Five Mile pond when swimming with my family. Beginning with model trains and
riding on tourist trains as a child, I have always loved trains. When I was in my early 20’s, I had a job where I was a field service engineer in eastern Hampden County. This gave me ample opportunity to view many branch lines in operation and investigate abandoned lines. I became a member of Amherst Railroad Society as a young adult where I have remained a member for 40 years. As an engineer, I enjoy researching the history of random lines and can usually spot where a railroad once ran based on the slope of the terrain. Our family vacations many times had a railroad theme at least one day out of the week. I believe that all children should be given the opportunity to ride
a train. We need to lobby in favor of more passenger trains to replace some cars, especially in cities. I keep hoping that passenger trains will soon return to the town I live in, Erving, Massachusetts.
The Hampden Railroad story is different, not a success story by any means. The railroad was built 1911-1913 to connect 2 parallel lines in central Mass in order to avoid changing trains in Boston. South and North Stations still have no connection. This is a story of how it was conceived, how it was built, and why it never operated.”
To see a preview of this story, you can watch an interview that Phil gave to the Monson-Palmer Public Television station at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAsOMG-oNAw
Note: If you’re interested in purchasing a copy of Philip’s book in advance, it’s available on Amazon. If you’d like an autographed copy, they are available for $35.00 each by emailing Phil at: Hampdenphil@gmail.com.