Nearly 100 years separate these two photos.
They are both taken from the
same perspective. Note the mountains are the same in the background. Building the
Western R.R. The most important railroad towns are junction points, where two or more lines
intersect. This was not the case with Chester, Massachusetts, unless
you were to count the Chester & Becket branch, which left the main line
here; but it was abandoned by 1930. Chester’s importance lies in the fact that it was at the bottom of a
quite imposing grade irrespective of it’s 1.65% gradient and 52%
curvature. This grade elicits respect because it is the oldest main
line mountain railroad in the world. Due to it’s
location at the bottom of said grade a roundhouse with pusher engines
was constructed here. Actually, for about the first twenty years of
railroad operation, pushers were stationed at the top of the hill, in
Washington, until they were inexplicably relocated. These
facilities being in Chester caused it to blossom into quite the railroad
town. At one time 150 families had someone who worked for the
railroad. This earned Chester a reputation as the “cheapest town on the
railroad”, referring to the fact that very few tickets were sold here,
faulting the high volume of citizens who had a pass. The practice was
for the railroad to issue free passes to employees and their families.Speculation
runs that this is one reason why the Chester depot was never replaced
with a more imposing stone building during the late 19th century
upgrades by the Boston & Albany. Stations of this era are well known,
due to the fact renowned architect Henry Hobson Richardson designed
nine of them. Another 26 of “Richardsonian” design, were built by his
successors at the firm of Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge. Another
reason may lie in the fact that there were tracks on both sides of the
building, complicating any attempt to locate another structure in a
similar position while keeping the first one open. As big a
part as the railroad was in Chester life, it was far from the only way
people earned a living in these foothills of the Berkshires. Chester
was the first place in America where emery was discovered and the entire
grinding industry began here. Abrasive materials were produced in
Chester until 1980, a hundred year run. Finnish
immigrants found work among the rich veins of granite peculiar to the
area. Chester Blue is the variety found only here. That was a trade
name respected throughout the industry. Three quarries in Becket, five
miles distant, supplied two competing finishing works in downtown
Chester. The Chester & Becket branch of the Boston & Albany Railroad
carried the heavy stone down the mountain from Becket. Mica was another
mineral extensively mined until, after World War II, the synthetic
material, “for- mica” became available. The
railroad, here as in endless manufacturing centers across the land,
serves as the trunk of the industrial tree without which mining and
manufacturing fruits would wither. In view of the central placement of
the railroad in the social and business lives of residents, plus the
fact that the Chester Foundation is housed in the 1840 timber-framed
railroad station built by the Western Railroad, we tend to present
history through the railroad lens. We also are not averse to exploring
other sites along the line in other towns, as no locality operated
within a vacuum; such was the emerging nature of American life since the
invention of the railroad. A large
part of what makes history in and around Chester so fascinating is the
building of this first ever mountain railroad, which began, in earnest,
the transportation revolution. Obstacles were located all along the
route and a study of Chester in isolation would obscure the full impact
of what the project accomplished. Many early
railroad projects have gained more notoriety. The Hoosac Tunnel comes
to mind, but was it an efficient way of delivering tracks across the
Berkshire Hills? It took 25 years to dig the tunnel, limiting
transportation options for on-line communities during that period. The
Baltimore & Ohio R.R. was the first chartered railroad in America (1827)
but took 28 years to reach it’s declared terminus: the Ohio River
(referenced by the ‘Ohio’ in the name). If we judge a railroad project
by the measure of getting trains running ASAP, are these America’s true
milestones? By contrast, the Western R.R. was completed in 2.5 years, ahead of schedule
and under budget. Oh yes, did we mention it was also the largest and
most difficult railroad project ever attempted, requiring innovative
methodology along almost every mile? It was created under the expert
guidance of Maj. George Washington Whistler, ‘Whistler’s father’. When
complete, it was the highest (1458 ft.) and longest (150 miles) railroad
ever built and included the longest bridge in the world, across the
Connecticut River at West Springfield, MA. This is
certainly not to infer that the Western was constructed in slap-dash
fashion to push the line through and worry about longevity later. In
fact, Whistler encountered opposition from directors and legislators,
who espoused this very philosophy. Whistler insisted on grading the
line for double track along it’s length, in anticipation of massive
traffic growth. While only one track was initially laid, the second was
needed within ten years. In the early 20th century, under New York
Central, many miles had a third track added to relieve congestion. There were
times Whistler was at odds with towns along the line, as well. These
early lines weren’t granted carte blanch, as is now the case behind
eminent domain. A pivotal example concerns the Town of Middlefield,
MA, which denied Whistler access to town center, afraid the belching
locomotives would affect quality of life. This set into motion the
gradient of a steeper route, which lead directly toward the mysterious
Muddy Pond and Hinsdale Flats peat bogs. This alignment required
unprecedented engineering feats (with tracks here sinking out of sight
completely twice in the early history of the line). It also led
to the creation of “two Middlefields”, one, the traditional town center
on the hilltop, agricultural in nature and the section, previously
unsettled, which came to be known as Bancroft and derisively in town, as
“the switch”; decidedly industrial in nature. Both sections had Post
Offices and school districts. Today, the industrial Middlefield
comprises little more than cellar holes and the agricultural center has
faired little better, although there is still limited farming and the
oldest hilltown country fair, The Middlefield Fair, nears it’s 150th
anniversary. This mountain crossing, since it’s opening in May, 1841, has been on the
cutting edge of railroad technology and lore many times. One of the
most storied, concerns the development of the 2-8-4 locomotive, on most
railroads called “Berkshires”, after the mountains they were tested on,
which ushered in the era of super-powered steam. Hudsons,
Mowhawks and Niagras trod here as well. The first diesels were a four
unit set of Alco FA’s decked out in bunting. Within six months, the
fanfare had subsided when Chester saw it’s roundhouse close, a victim of
the new machines’ efficiencies. Most of the other facilities, including
a manned station, shortly followed suit. Chester
maintains some unique railroad atmosphere, though. While considered a
siding, the hill has remained double-tracked. One can almost believe it
is the glory days as trains still pass at speed here. There is also a
one-of-a-kind lineside industry, where multi-ton granite slabs are
offloaded using an excavator with forks on the boom. Sounds more like a
LIONEL accessory, doesn’t it? As a living museum of contemporary railroading, the ‘Boston Line’ is a treasure.
From the newest “70-Aces” locomotives to the Lake Shore Limited, from
articulated stack cars, to the rail grinding train, most of what’s exciting about 21st century
railroading passes through Chester.
Within the walls of the museum and our collection of restored freight
rolling stock, are found many examples of past glories visited upon this
line. A Lima builder’s photo of the Berkshire locomotive,
a kerosene fueled headlamp, untold personal
and company artifacts, from watches to steam oilers, retirement
mementoes, to car-knocker’s lanterns, bring life to the saturating
culture of the railroad. Circa 1840 Something?
On the question of when the station was built, an easy answer eludes us.
Writings concerning the opening of the Western R.R., clearly state that
there was a station in Chester in May of 1841. Were it not for a tiny
drawing which appeared in 1847, we might conclude that the present
station was the one of which they speak. The drawing (reproduced below) appeared in the volume, published
in 1847, called A CHART & DESCRIPTION OF THE WESTERN RAILROAD. It was
only two inches wide in the book and hard to decipher. There appears to
be an overhead span of some sort, which crosses the tracks. There is a
central monolith with two similar, but smaller structures on each side.
There appears to be an arched-portico-ed building behind this, running
parallel to the tracks. No other station in the book is of this design
and we have seen nothing like it elsewhere.
The station now standing is a simple Italianate structure. Italianate architecture
is generally thought to have been introduced in America in 1850. We
also found no documents in the building older than 1850. However, they
could have been moved there from an earlier structure and so cannot be
relied upon for a firm date. Another wrinkle is that the Chester Depot
follows a common design along the railroad. Stations at
Becket, Washington, Hinsdale, State Line, Cheshire, Winchendon, among
others, all display identical architectural details. The chief
difference is in the lengths of the various buildings. Chester was the
longest among all of the above, because it was built as an eating
station; in the days before dining cars. It seems
obvious that the design became something of a standard rural depot
during the railroad’s early period and could help determine the age of
Chester, if we were fortunate enough to know the built dates of any of
the others, which we are not. All the
other stations were replaced by the New York Central during the 1880 to
1900 period. The wooden Hinsdale station was moved, rather than razed,
and can still be seen, although not alongside the tracks. Nine
replacement stations gained fame as the work of famed architect, Henry
Hobson Richardson. Twenty two others are products of the firm of
Shepley, Rutan & Coolidge, in the ‘Richardson style’, following the
formers’ untimely demise. The NYC
wanted a more regal public persona under its management of the Boston &
Albany line, and thus built the more substantial stone stations most
remember. Why was the Chester station never replaced? Two
possibilities come to mind. First, it was located in a rather unique
way, with tracks on both sides of the building, making replacement more
disruptive to rail traffic. More
plausible, is the purely political suggestion based on Chester’s
reputation among employees as the “cheapest station on the line.” This
referred to the fact that Chester had such a high percentage of B&A
employees among the population, that nearly everyone traveled on a
pass. This resulted in disproportionately low ticket receipts. Chances
are management didn’t see the need to impress citizens in such a
low-revenue town. Under consideration of this, we feel reasonably certain the station was here
by 1850, and possibly earlier. The overhead structure in the drawing,
like many of the early wooden stations, would have been extremely
vulnerable to fire from the steam locomotives and may not have lasted
long. Even though
the drawing was published in 1847, lead times for publication were much
longer and the drawing may well not have been contemporary upon
publication. Chances are good the station was built during the 1840’s
and thus represents one of the earliest examples of Italianate
architecture in America. We would be
most appreciative of any information our readers might be able to impart
concerning the age of any of the other wooden rural Western Railroad
stations. The Chester Railway Station Museum is open most Saturdays thru Tuesdays
July through September from 11 AM to 3 PM or by appointment. Being an all volunteer
organization, there may be gaps, so we recommend calling
ahead to insure access. Call (413) 354-7878.
