Chapter 2
The Railroads & Recreation

Railroad Excursions

Quick to seize an opportunity, railroad companies began to market excursions to regional destinations.  If a destination did not already exist, they created it themselves.  From the 1880s through the end of World War II, railroad excursions were very popular.

In the summer, train excursions could take travelers to the seashore, lakes and ponds.  Later, in the early 20^th century in the winter months “snow trains” took happy skiers to the mountains of Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.

BallardVale and the Railroad 

In the 1840s the Boston and Maine Railroad found it necessary to turn the river to go under the railroad stone arch bridge that holds the tracks between the Lowell Junction and the BallardVale Stations.  The new curve in the river created “The Flats” where Allen’s Brook comes into the river.  The Flats became a popular fishing, ice fishing and ice harvesting spot.

In the late 1880s the Boston & Maine Railroad built a platform on each side of the tracks in BallardVale accommodate the crowds of people. Running excursions from Boston, they would drop car loads of merrymakers in the morning and pick them up at night.  There were two swimming holes, a cook house, a dance pavilion and all the families along the river were happy to rent boats and canoes for the weekends.

To be continued, next edition, July 26, 2008