Stoughton, MA, 1966. Former B&O Telegraph Openwire Lines at RR Crossing

By Joe Maurath, Jr.; posted December 19, 2022

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This beautiful granite station still stands today. The six-wire telegraph wires were on the upper crossarm as seen with the RR crossing. (RR signaling/communications circuits were beneath.) The telegraph originally was installed by the B&O Telegraph Company and continued as a Western Union route thereafter. The telegraph openwire were taken down along this stretch in early 1967. There were lots of glass insulator varieties found by me along this route, many were luckily unbroken in wooded sections. This diversity was chiefly due to the fact B&O used more different insulator styles than Western Union, at least around here. The poles were rather short which made for fairly easy climbing! The tracks terminated at the above station and the abandoned poles extended (began) from there southward through Easton, MA (about 4 miles of line altogether). I was fascinated by my finds (nothing was rare) and were among my very first acquisitions gathered in the wild that were on poles (no wires and the tracks were removed, too). These very memorable thrills took place from about March 1967 through mid-1968.

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