Shelter from the Wind

 

Only got out once this past week as the weather on most days featured a cold blustery breeze...quite a change from our unseasonably warm days the previous week.  On Friday afternoon I found a haven from the breeze on the Nashua River where the river is nestled in a valley between two north-south running ridge lines (photo above).  The boat launch is at the Oxbow NWR located at the end of Still River Depot Road in Harvard, MA.

The Nashua was still at a fairly low level but nonetheless had a strong flow from recent rain events.

The bridge carrying the tracks of the CSXT rail line between Worcester and Ayer stood at the ready for the next freight train...

After paddling an up and back route I exited the river, packed up, and proceeded to leave the boat launch.  Approaching the railroad crossing, within sight of the boat launch, I saw the crossing lights flashing and shortly thereafter a westbound freight (M427) rumbled into view...

Three CSX locomotives (866, 551, and 1226) pulled the train past the spot where Still River Depot once stood and headed for the bridge spanning the Nashua River.  Seeing the train had me wondering what the Still River Depot had looked like back in the day.  Yesterday, while listening to 40-mph gusts outside, I looked through my old Boston and Maine Railroad Historical Society bulletins in hopes of finding a photo of the depot.  Just when I was ready to give up I came across the Summer 1979 edition which included an article entitled Worcester, Nashua, and Portland Station List and this photo showing "The station at Still River as it looked in the 1930's...a work extra is passing, and its crew is catching the breeze on the rear platform of the buggy."...

According to the Town of Harvard website History of Harvard, A summary of Harvard 1950 - 2000 written by Dr. Jeffrey Harris: "In the early 20's, Still River Depot shipped more milk to market than any other Massachusetts town.  In 1942, there were reported fifty-five commercial orchards shipping more apples than any other town in the state, but only three commercial orchards were active fifteen years later."  The depot was probably seeing little use, other than freight, by the time a passenger train named the East Wind began operating during the summer months between Washington, D.C. and Bangor Maine.  According to another Boston and Maine Bulletin article, Summer 1978 written by H. Arnold Wilder the fast-running East Wind  most likely rattled the windows on the depot as it roared by during the early 1940's.  Wilder's article includes a schedule showing the train covering the 44 miles between Worcester and Lowell in 58 minutes.

Note: An earlier photo (pre-1907) of the Still River Depot can be found on the nashuacitystation.org website.

Trash recovered from just a 1.6 mile stretch of the river included 70 nip bottles...