Martha's Vineyard Railroad

Martha's Vineyard Railroad
Locale	Massachusetts
Dates of operation	1874–1896
Successor	Abandoned
Track gauge	3 ft  (914 mm)
Length	9 mi (14 km)
Headquarters	Edgartown

Steam locomotive Active leaving the Oak Bluffs wharf for Edgartown.

The Martha's Vineyard Railroad was a 3 ft  (914 mm) gauge narrow gauge railroad on the island of Martha's Vineyard. It was built in 1874 to connect the Oak Bluffs wharf with the section of Edgartown known as Katama. The line closed in 1896.

Development

After the decline of the whale oil industry in the 1860s, the east coast island of Martha's Vineyard sought to develop a tourist trade. As part of this effort a narrow gauge railway was chartered in 1874 to take tourists across the island. The railway started at Oak Bluffs where steamships of the Old Colony Railroad docked and ran southeast along the shore through Edgartown to Katama.

The line was quickly constructed across the flat, sandy soil and was ready for opening on August 7, 1874. However the initial rolling stock required modifications before the first passengers were carried on August 24 of that year.

In 1876 a short half mile extension from Katama to South Beach was opened, bringing the total length of the line to 9 miles (14 km).

It is possible to drive most all of the original right-of-way between Oak Bluffs, Edgartown, and Katama (with a few short detours).^[1]

Operations

The railroad ran into financial problems almost immediately. By 1877 the operation of the line was temporarily turned over to the principal debt holders until it returned to solvency. However the financial problems continued and in 1890 the railroad was placed into receivership.

Sale and closure

In early 1892 the railroad was sold to the Old Colony Steamboat Company, the subsidiary of the Old Colony Railroad that operated the steamships to Oak Bluffs. They in turn sold the line to Joseph M. Wardell who became its general manager. The railroad continued to operate at a loss and finally closed in 1896.

Locomotives

Name	Builder	Type	Date	Works number	Notes
Active	H.K. Porter	0-6-0 tender	1874		Later renamed Edgartown then South Beach

References

• Eldredge, Andrew T (2003). Railroads of Cape Cod and the Islands. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 0-7385-1157-9. 
• Hilton, George W. (1990). American Narrow Gauge Railroads. Stanford University Press. ISBN 0-8047-2369-9. 
• Page, Herman (2009). Rails Across Martha's Vineyard: Steam Narrow Gauge and Trolley Lines. Newton, KS: South Platte Press / Brueggenjohann / Reese, Inc.. ISBN 978-0-942035-83-4. 

1. ^ Page, Herman (2009). Rails Across Martha's Vineyard: Steam Narrow Gauge and Trolley Lines. Newton, KS: South Platte Press / Brueggenjohann / Reese, Inc.. ISBN 978-0-942035-83-4. 

External links

• Community history project on the railroad