Another Depot Mystery
I've driven by this edifice many times. It just screams "depot" at me. I think this is the former freight depot at Northboro, Mass. In the first image, you are looking to the Southeast. (Click on a thumbnail image to see the full image.) The large fancy building behind this "depot" is the former Town Hall at Northboro. That building sits on Rte. 20. This spot is right about where the depot ought to be. It's my belief that the passenger station is long gone, but that this is the freighthouse. This is the former Agricultural Branch Railroad from Marlboro to Fitchburg, via Sterling, Mass. The line currently is in service to Leominster, and sees a couple of freight trains per week.
If this is not a depot, why would anyone construct such a large edifice with no windows right next to the tracks like that?
And if this wasn't enough evidence of former railroad activity- how about this other little building right next to it? This one looks a lot like it was once rail related as well.
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As always any info you might have about this would be of great interest to both me- and my pal Gary from the New Hampshire and Massachusetts Railroad Station web site.
You can reach me here, or Gary here.
What do you think? Is this the Northboro, Mass. Freight Depot or what?
---------------------Update- 2004. (With an odd coincidence to boot)
Well, it would seem that I did after all photograph the Northboro, Mass freight depot and post pictures of it on this page. But guess what? It is NOT the building in question. Turns out the freight house was the OTHER one- the one next to it that I was talking about as well.
Today I happened to be driving down Rte. 20 in Northboro. When I went over the railroad tracks I glanced over at these buildings. And today it looked like the "other" building,, the little one next to the one in question,, was having some sort of renovations. I thought to myself, "I wonder if I was very close, but really the one being worked on was actually the depot?" I thought when I had a chance I would check that one it in more detail to see.
And then tonight when I came home, I saw I had an e-mail from a local rail fan. (Thanks Ray!) I had asked on a B&M message board if he knew anything about this building. (He lives in Marlboro, the next town over, so I figured he might.) He writes:
"Steve I thought I pass this to you 'off-line' of the B&M forum - hope you don't mind. I went by the 'windowless' building this AM and found that it's being resided and windows have been installed. I did speak with a Nboro resident (he is ~70). The 'windowless' building was the freight station. It did have a trackside dock. The 'doggie' building was part of a feedstore. He remembers north across the street was a coal spur toward the power house (now the cater). If you look closely, you can make out some of the letters about street ry. ray shoop - Marlboro"
Wow! So nobody was aware of it really , but the Northboro, Mass freight depot is still there!
I would love to get some more confirmation on this. Most of all, I would love to see a photo of this stop in its heyday. (Even Gary does not have one.) Any info that could be added is most welcome.
---------------------And now.....
-------------------------Update- April, 2004
Wow! Now I am not too sure of ANY of this. My pal Ray has e-mailed me a pic he came up with of just what I wanted to see- The Northboro, Mass. Freight depot. So without further adu, and with thanks to the owner of the image, here it is.....
So what the heck does this mean? Is it the one I thought of in the first place? Looks pretty close. Or is that the second one I thought in the background with those funny chimneys or vents?
After looking this over for a while, I think the freight house is gone. I think the funny little building I thought at second look was the depot is the one in the background here- and that while rail related, is not the depot.
What do YOU think? :-)
-Steve Fisk