Even though the T&G was shorter and easier than the Western Railroad which ran from Springfield to Albany it was still windy and contained some less than easy grades.

       Originally in Greenfield the railroad turned over the Green river near where the old main Greenfield Tap and Die factory was (in between downtown Greenfield and the Cheapside bridges.) The railroad took a hard turn here and crossed over a high bridge. It proceeded dead center through the intersection of present day Petty Plain Rd & Meridian St, and went off SW from there to where the Greenfield landfill is. It crossed present day I-91 and merged with the present mainline. You can see the old Rail grade in this area all the way from the intersection to the landfill. After that its gone. The bridge is completely gone, not even the footings remain. This bridge was actually designed and built by Hermann Haupt, but it collapsed before it could be opened! A new bridge was promptly built and managed to stand! Towards 1880 the railroad was relocated. The Line was made to go up to downtown at what is now the Greenfield energy park. It turns west here and goes over the high trestle near 2A and Dunkin' Donuts. From here the line continued on for the most part on its present path.

Map showing the Old route of the T&G in Greenfield. Blue indicates present course. Red indicates old path. Dashed red indicates my "best guess" on the old path. Greenfield station was up near the bend on the blue line closest to the top of the image. [Click to enlarge]

     This page could easily grow to be its own massive webpage (and perhaps it will someday) but right now I am limiting it to what I have readily at my fingertips. All of the postcards seen here are from between the Hoosac Tunnel and Greenfield.

Images

These images are ordered from furthest from Hoosac Tunnel to closest. All of them are from between Greenfield and the Hoosac Tunnel, except for the last which is in North Adams.

Click to view larger images.

The infamous High Bridge. This was located just south of what is now the field that used to be the Greenfield Tap & Die factory near Cheapside. There is virtually no evidence of this old bridge. Behind where this picture is taken was a very sharp turn. This is the "second generation" bridge. The first one collapsed before it was officially open. The Railroad was eventually rerouted so it flanked further north as to go through downtown Greenfield.

The old Greenfield Railroad station. This building is no longer in existence, and in its place is the Greenfield energy park. This station was one of the reasons the bridge in the previous photo was abandoned.

South River Station. This was in Deerfield across from what is now South River State Park in Conway. There are no roads leading here. Nothing remains of this old station, but the old trolley grade (on the left) is still mostly intact. The trolley used to go down a hill toward the river, where there used to be a bridge that led to the Conway side (abutments and supports are still present and in bafflingly good condition.) The trolley line was the lifeline for Conway, for if it didn't exist Conway would have been left out in the cold transportation wise.

Here is Conway Station. Okay, I cheated, this was actually on the Northampton branch of the NY NH & H Railroad which ran from Northampton to Bardwell's Ferry in Conway. This was the first trolley station for Conway. South River station was actually put in later as an extension. Interestingly enough just 1/4 mile east of the remains of the old station (unlike South River Station, this station has several foundations remaining) lie the footings of what used to be the highest bridge in New England. It is quite the sight to see, and best of all the brush surrounding it was recently cleared. The whole section of the NY NH & H from Bardwell's ferry to Hoosac Road in Deerfield is a fantastic hike. The grade was built up in some areas about 100 feet or more, and there are stone arch drainage conduits under most of the massive grade mounds. Almost all perfectly preserved.

A picture of the Shelburne Falls Station area.

Passenger platforms at Shelburne Falls

You can just barely see the rail here. If I didn't know better I would say that track was from the trolley, but if it were when where the heck is the bridge?!? This seems to be an earlier picture.

Picture of the falls at Shelburne Falls. Notice the giant cut mound of dirt. That is the railroad!

Two trains approaching each other on the old double track. and behind them the impressive cut mound of earth. I am pretty sure this mound is long gone.

Steam engine chugging its way up through Charlemont center. This picture is from right in front of the entrance to Berkshire East Ski Area.

Looking NW at Zoar Station and Village.

Post card of Zoar Station

Big bend just after Zoar along the Deerfield.

North Adams near where Western Gateway Heritage State Park is now. Notice the mini tunnel in the distance. This is often referred to as Hoosac's Baby Brother.