Abandoned Along the Tracks

By Marilyn Armstrong on 06/15/2013 • ( 2 )

Along the tracks of the Grafton-Upton line, you can see one of the huge abandoned factories that was part of the Blackstone Valley industrial corridor. No road goes to it, only train tracks pass it on their short, slow jog from Grafton, to Upton, then Hopedale and back again … a trip of perhaps 25 miles in total. The tracks are old and in poor condition, so the trip goes slowly. Maximum travel speed? 10 miles per hour and most of it is taken at even slower speeds. Much of America’s train tracks are as bad or worse. Try planning a long Amtrak trip cross-country. You’ll find you have to detrain in many places and take buses, connecting further down the line where the tracks are usable. It’s the disappearing railroad blues and not just for the City of New Orleans.

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