Boston and Albany Railroad

There was also a Boston and Albany Railroad of Georgia.

The Boston and Albany Railroad (AAR reporting mark BA) was a railroad connecting Boston, Massachusetts to Albany, New York. It was merged into the New York Central Railroad but kept its name to the public. The tracks are now used by Amtrak and the MBTA for passenger service, as well as by CSX and maybe other companies for freight.

History

The B&A was formed on September 4, 1867 as a merger of the following railroads, forming a line from Boston to Albany:

• Boston and Worcester Railroad (Boston, Massachusetts to Worcester, Massachusetts, chartered June 23 1831)
• Western Railroad of Massachusetts (Worcester, Massachusetts to New York state line, chartered February 15 1833)
• Albany and West Stockbridge Railroad (Massachusetts state line to Albany, New York, chartered May 5 1836 as the successor to the Castleton and West Stockbridge Railroad, chartered 1834)
• Hudson and Boston Railroad (a branch southwest from Chatham, New York to Hudson, New York, forming a cutoff to the New York Central Railroad towards New York City, chartered February 23 1855 as a reorganization of the Hudson and Berkshire Railroad, chartered 1828)

The last three worked together long before the merger.

The New York Central and Hudson River Railroad leased the railroad on November 15, 1899, effective July 1, 1900. This lease passed to the New York Central Railroad and eventually the lines became part of Conrail.

References

• Railroad History Database