Valley Falls Yard

Valley Falls Yard is a railroad classification yard located in Valley Falls, Rhode Island. It was originally built by the Providence and Worcester Railroad (P&W) around 1860.[1] In 1874, the P&W completed the East Providence Branch, which joined the P&W mainline near the yard. Around the same time, the Rhode Island Horse Shoe Works completed a factory in the area of the yard, which became a significant location for freight train traffic on the P&W system.[2] From 1878 to 1884, a full suite of repair and maintenance facilities were built at Valley Falls Yard.[3] By 1905, Valley Falls Yard included 13 tracks and was 2,000 feet in length; a new interlocking tower was completed to control the switches between the P&W mainline, the East Providence Branch, and the Wrentham branch (formerly the New York and New England Railroad).[4]

Valley Falls Yard in 2022

In 1913, the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad (the New Haven) employed approximately 300 people at Valley Falls.[5]

Improvements and upgrades were made to the yard in 1976 as part of a New England Regional Commission program to create jobs and improve railroads.[6]

The Providence and Worcester Railroad took over its railroad in 1973, and has operated Valley Falls Yard since. It is the base for all local freight trains operated by P&W in Rhode Island.[7] By 1995, the P&W was operating trains PR-2 and PR-3 from the yard five days per week to serve customers along the Northeast Corridor.[8]

Notes
  1. Lewis 1973, pp. 20–21.
  2. Lewis 1973, pp. 24–25.
  3. Lewis 1973, p. 25.
  4. "Deathtraps at Valley Falls". The Providence Journal. June 26, 1905. p. 10.
  5. "Valley Falls Railroad Shops on Eight Hours". The Evening News. Providence, Rhode Island. December 16, 1913. p. 2.
  6. United States Department of Commerce (1976). The Annual Report of the Secretary of Commerce. U.S. Government Printing Office. pp. 61–62.
  7. Hartley 2016, pp. 53–55.
  8. Federal Highway Administration; Rhode Island Department of Transportation (February 1996). Rhode Island Freight Rail Improvement Project: Environmental Impact Statement. pp. 2B–3.

References
  • Hartley, Scott A. (April 2016). "The key to Providence & Worcester's success: Reinvention". Trains Magazine. pp. 50–57. OCLC 945631712.
  • Lewis, Edward A. (1973). The Blackstone Valley Line: The Story of the Blackstone Canal Company and the Providence & Worcester Railroad. Seekonk, Massachusetts: The Baggage Car. OCLC 2685548.
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