Boston and Albany Railroad Co.

Formed in 1867 by merger of the Boston and Worcester Railroad (chartered 1831) and the Western Railroad (chartered 1833). Leased to the New York Central in 1899.

From the description of Records, 1831-1898 (inclusive). (Harvard Business School). WorldCat record id: 269580906

The Boston and Albany Railroad Company resulted from the development and eventual merger of several railroad lines built to connect eastern Massachusetts with eastern New York state. The first of these railroad lines was the Boston and Worcester Railroad Corporation, which was chartered in June 1831. Construction began in August 1832, and the full line between Boston and Worcester opened in July 1835. The Western Rail-Road Corporation was chartered in February 1833 to connect the Boston and Worcester Railroad to the New York state line. Construction of the eastern division of the railroad-from Worcester to the Connecticut River at Springfield-was completed between 1837 and 1839. The western division-from West Springfield to the state line at West Stockbridge-was completed in 1841.

The Albany and West Stockbridge Railroad Company was built to connect the Western Rail-Road line with Albany, New York. The New York state legislature first incorporated the Castleton and West Stockbridge Railroad Company in 1834. In 1836, another act of the New York legislature authorized a railroad line from the Hudson River at Greenbush to West Stockbridge, Massachusetts, and the company was renamed the Albany and West Stockbridge Railroad. Construction of the Albany and West Stockbridge Railroad was completed in 1842, and the line was leased to the Western Railroad.

The Boston and Worcester Railroad Corporation and Western Rail-Road Corporation merged in 1867 to become the Boston and Albany Railroad Company. In December 1870, the Albany and West Stockbridge Railroad Company, along with the Hudson and Boston Railroad Corporation, merged with the new company, creating a united line from Boston to Albany. The Boston and Albany Railroad Company remained an independent line until 1900, when it was leased to the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad Company (later the New York Central Railroad.)

Several other branch railroads were part of the holdings of the Boston and Albany Railroad Company or its major predecessors. These included the Pittsfield and North Adams Railroad Corporation, the Hudson and Berkshire Railroad (later renamed the Hudson and Boston Railroad Corporation), the Ware River Railroad Company, and the Hudson and West Stockbridge Railroad.

From the guide to the Boston and Albany Railroad Co. records, 1829-1916 (inclusive), 1831-1875 (bulk), (Baker Library, Harvard Business School)