View source for Providence and Worcester Railroad

{{Short description|Regional railroad in the Northeastern United States}}
{{Featured article}}
{{Use American English|date=April 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2023}}
{{Infobox rail
| name           = Providence and Worcester Railroad
| logo           = Providence and Worcester Railroad logo.svg
| marks          = PW, PWRZ
| locale         = [[Connecticut]], [[Massachusetts]], and [[Rhode Island]]; [[New York City]] and [[Long Island]] via [[trackage rights]]
| start_year     = 1847
| website        = {{Official website|https://www.gwrr.com/pw/}}
| gauge          = {{Track gauge|56.5in|allk=on}}
| image          = P&W 4006 Baltic CT.jpg
| image_caption  = Providence and Worcester [[GE Dash 8-40BW|GE B40-8W]] leads a passenger excursion for railfans at [[Plainfield, Connecticut]] in 2012
| length         = {{convert|612|mi|km}} (including trackage rights)
| parent_company = [[Genesee & Wyoming]]
| routemap       = {{maplink-road|from=Providence and Worcester Railroad.map}}
| headquarters   = 381 Southbridge Street, [[Worcester, Massachusetts]]
| image_alt      = A diesel locomotive pulling a passenger train down a railroad track, heading towards the observer. The locomotive has P&W's logo on its nose, and is numbered 4006. A pile of concrete railroad ties lies next to the track.
| logo_alt       = The logo of the Providence and Worcester Railroad. In addition to showing the railroad's name, a map of Massachusetts and Rhode Island is at the center of the logo, with stars indicating the locations of Providence and Worcester, and the year "1844", when the company was formed.
|map_alt         = A map showing lines owned or operated on by the Providence and Worcester Railroad.
}}
The '''Providence and Worcester Railroad''' ('''P&W'''; {{reporting mark|PW|parens=no}}) is a [[Class&nbsp;II railroad]] operating {{Convert|612|mi|km}} of tracks in [[Rhode Island]], [[Massachusetts]], and [[Connecticut]], as well as [[New York (state)|New York]] via [[trackage right]]s. The company was founded in 1844 to build a railroad between [[Providence, Rhode Island]], and [[Worcester, Massachusetts]], and ran its first trains in 1847. A successful railroad, the P&W subsequently expanded with [[East Providence Branch|a branch]] to [[East Providence, Rhode Island]], and for a time leased two small Massachusetts railroads. Originally a [[Single-track railway|single track]], its busy mainline was [[Double-track railway|double-track]]ed after [[1853 Providence and Worcester head-on collision|a fatal 1853 collision]] in [[Valley Falls, Rhode Island]].

The P&W operated independently until 1888, when the [[New York, Providence and Boston Railroad]] (NYP&B) leased it; four years later, the [[New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad]] obtained the lease when it purchased the NYP&B. The P&W continued to exist as a company, as special rules protecting minority shareholders made it prohibitively expensive for the New Haven to purchase the company outright. The New Haven continued to lease the Providence and Worcester for 76 years, until the former was merged into [[Penn Central Transportation Company|Penn Central]] (PC) at the end of 1968. Penn Central demanded the shareholder rules keeping P&W alive be rewritten, and also threatened to abandon the company's tracks. In response, a group of P&W shareholders launched a fight with PC, asking the [[Interstate Commerce Commission]] (ICC) to cancel the lease and let the P&W leave the New Haven's merger and go free. Against expectations, the ICC agreed, and after court battles, P&W prevailed and began operating independently again after 85 years. Upon regaining its independence, the railroad purchased railroad lines from the [[Boston and Maine Railroad]] and PC successor [[Conrail]] in the 1970s and 1980s. The company turned a profit operating lines bigger companies lost money on, and invested heavily in its infrastructure. P&W also absorbed a number of [[shortline railroad]]s in Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Entering the 1990s, P&W had expanded to several hundred miles of track. After several of the company's largest customers shut down or ended rail service during this decade, the railroad responded by expanding [[Interchange (freight rail)|interchange]] with other railroads. P&W also signed an agreement to run [[unit train]]s of crushed stone from Connecticut quarries to [[Queens|Queens, New York]], over the [[Northeast Corridor]]. In 2016, the Providence and Worcester was purchased by railroad holding company [[Genesee & Wyoming]], without significant changes to operations.

P&W is headquartered in Worcester, and maintains significant facilities there, in Valley Falls, in [[Plainfield, Connecticut]], and in [[New Haven, Connecticut]]. It operates a variety of [[GE Transportation|GE]] and [[Electro-Motive Diesel|EMD]] diesel locomotives. P&W serves major ports in New Haven, Providence, and [[Davisville, Rhode Island]] (the latter via a connection to switching-and-terminal railroad [[Seaview Transportation Company]]). In addition to the lines it directly owns and operates, P&W freight trains share tracks with [[Amtrak]], [[Metro-North Railroad]], and [[MBTA Commuter Rail]] passenger trains on the Northeast Corridor and two Metro-North branches in Connecticut. Key commodities carried by P&W include lumber, paper, chemicals, steel, construction materials and debris, crushed stone, automobiles, and plastics. While the company is primarily a freight railroad, it has since the 1980s occasionally operated passenger excursions, using refurbished passenger cars purchased from Amtrak.

==Original Providence and Worcester Railroad==
===Background and founding===
[[File:Providence and Worcester RR 1909.jpg|thumb|alt=A stock note of the Providence and Worcester Railroad. It states it was issued August 12, 1909, and has been stamped with the word CANCELLED.|Share of the Providence and Worcester Railroad Company, issued on August 12, 1909]]

The Providence and Worcester Railroad (P&W) was preceded by the [[Blackstone Canal]], which opened between [[Providence, Rhode Island]], and [[Worcester, Massachusetts]], in 1828.{{Sfn|Karr|2017|p=167}} While initially somewhat successful, the canal's business was severely harmed by the completion of the [[Boston and Worcester Railroad]] between its namesake cities in 1835, with shippers fleeing the slow and unreliable canal for rail transport. Providence therefore lost much of the business the canal had provided, and residents began to plan a response to the opening of the Boston and Providence.{{Sfn|Lewis|1973|p=13}} The canal company went bankrupt after its canal was severely damaged by flooding in 1841, and was forced to petition the state of Rhode Island for additional funds.<ref>{{Cite news |date=June 3, 1841 |title=To The Honorable General Assembly |page=3 |work=Manufacturers and Farmers Journal |location=Providence, Rhode Island |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Fo9kAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA3 |access-date=October 22, 2021}}</ref> The canal also competed for water with the many mills along the [[Blackstone Valley]], which used [[water power]] to operate their machinery.{{Sfn|Heppner|2012|p=68}} As plans for other railroads across New England began, in January 1844 a group of citizens, primarily from Providence, petitioned the [[Rhode Island General Assembly]] for a charter to build a railroad from Providence to the Massachusetts state line.<ref>{{Cite news |date=February 22, 1844 |title=To the Honorable General Assembly |page=2 |work=Manufacturers and Farmers Journal |location=Providence, Rhode Island |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XNViAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA2 |access-date=October 22, 2021}}</ref>{{Sfn|Lewis|1973|p=13}} This group also petitioned the [[Massachusetts General Court]] for a charter to build in that state from the state line to Worcester.<ref name="G&W PW history" />

The railroad was incorporated in Massachusetts as the Providence and Worcester Railway on March 12, 1844, and in Rhode Island as the Providence and Worcester Railroad in May 1844.<ref name="G&W PW history" /> Two aspects of the charter were unusual. One provision capped the company's maximum [[dividend]] at twelve percent; additional profit beyond that amount was to be invested in improving the railroad rather than rewarding shareholders.{{Sfn|Heppner|2012|p=70}} A second part of the charter heavily curtailed the voting power of larger shareholders{{snd}}each shareholder got one vote per share for their first fifty shares, but additional shares granted just one vote per twenty shares. In effect, this made it impossible for any one shareholder to control the company, no matter how many shares they owned. Both provisions were designed to ensure the P&W provided effective rail service and remained in the hands of local shareholders.{{Sfn|Lewis|1973|pp=16–17}}

As their first order of business, the company's founders commissioned engineer [[Thomas Willis Pratt]] to complete a survey of the proposed route, which was completed in the fall of that year.{{Sfn|Lewis|1973|p=13}} The two companies were merged November 25, 1845, as the Providence and Worcester Railroad.<ref name="G&W PW history" /> The company bought the Blackstone Canal and began construction, partly on its banks, in 1845.<ref name="G&W PW history">{{Cite web |title=PW history |url=https://www.gwrr.com/railroads/north_america/providence-and-worcester-railroad/pw-history |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190711181028/https://gwrr.com/railroads/north_america/providence-and-worcester-railroad/pw-history |archive-date=July 11, 2019 |access-date=December 19, 2016 |website=Providence and Worcester Railroad}}</ref> The canal was shut down in 1848, shortly after the railroad was completed.<ref>{{Cite web |last=National Park Service |date=July 17, 2021 |title=Blackstone Canal – Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service) |url=https://www.nps.gov/blrv/learn/historyculture/blackstonecanal.htm |access-date=December 15, 2022 |website=www.nps.gov}}</ref>

===Delays in construction===
Local enthusiasm was high for the new railroad, with one Providence resident quoted as saying "[it is] not so much what will the projected route add to the prosperity of Providence, as can we do without it?"<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |date=July 28, 1845 |title=Saturday Morning, July 26, 1845 |pages=1 |work=Manufacturers and Farmers Journal |location=Providence, Rhode Island |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5dViAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA1 |access-date=October 22, 2021}}</ref> The city's residents feared that without a railroad to connect their city to others, Providence would be reduced in importance compared to other cities in the region.<ref name=":1" /> Despite high local support, in July 1845, the railroad was still short $200,000 (${{Format price|{{Inflation|US|200000|1845}}}} in 2021) out of a needed sum of $1,000,000 (${{Format price|{{Inflation|US|1000000|1845}}}} in 2021) per the company's charter, and had not begun construction.<ref name=":1" /> Residents began to doubt the railroad would ever be built, with one citizen writing in a [[letter to the editor]] to a local newspaper that "...{{nbs}}any hope of its completion, founded upon the present condition of the corporation, is desperate indeed."<ref>{{Cite news |date=August 4, 1845 |title=Providence and Worcester Railroad |page=1 |work=Manufacturers and Farmers Journal |location=Providence, Rhode Island |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=59ViAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA1 |access-date=October 22, 2021}}</ref>

{{Quotebox
| quote = It is scarcely credible that men so alive to their own interests as the people of Providence, should have allowed this route so long to be unoccupied, and still less credible that they should now allow the project to be impeded by the want of $200,000.
| author =<ref name=":0" />
| align = right
| width = 300px
}}

By September 1845, residents worried over rumors that investors from [[Boston]] were planning to build [[Norfolk County Railroad|a new railroad]] between [[Woonsocket, Rhode Island]], and [[Dedham, Massachusetts]], which would not serve Providence.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |date=September 11, 1845 |title=Worcester Railroad |pages=1 |work=Manufacturers and Farmers Journal |location=Providence, Rhode Island |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=79ViAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA1 |access-date=October 22, 2021}}</ref> Despite fears the company would fail, it announced on October 8, 1845, that thanks to additional funding, including a $100,000 (${{Format price|{{Inflation|US|100000|1845}}}} in 2021) investment by [[Jacob Little]], the requisite $1,000,000 had been reached, plus a further $100,000 for the Massachusetts section of the line, and that construction would begin immediately.<ref>{{Cite news |date=October 9, 1845 |title=Providence and Worcester Railroad |pages=1 |work=Manufacturers and Farmers Journal |location=Providence, Rhode Island |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9dViAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA1 |access-date=October 22, 2022}}</ref> The funding was obtained entirely from private sources.<ref>{{Cite news |date=October 13, 1845 |title=Saturday Morning, October 11, 1845 |page=1 |work=Manufacturers and Farmers Journal |location=Providence, Rhode Island |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9dViAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA2 |access-date=October 22, 2022}}</ref>
[[File:1847 Route of the Providence and Worcester rail road, by J. H Bufford's Lith, from the Digital Commonwealth - commonwealth cj82kn54r.jpg|thumb|center|upright=2.5|alt=A paper map of a railroad line, showing its route and elevation changes|A map of the Providence and Worcester Railroad main line in 1847]]

===Construction and operations===
{{maplink-road|frame-align=right|plain=no|from=Providence and Worcester Railroad (historic).map|text=Map of the Providence and Worcester Railroad as it existed during its first period of independence}}

Many immigrants helped build the Providence and Worcester Railroad, particularly from Ireland.<ref name=":5">{{Cite book |last1=Federal Highway Administration |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0ac1AQAAMAAJ&dq=providence+and+worcester+railroad+construction&pg=PA90-IA575 |title=Rhode Island Freight Rail Improvement Project: Environmental Impact Statement |last2=Rhode Island Department of Transportation |date=February 1996 |pages=3F11–3F12, 3G21}}</ref> The line opened in two sections: the part south of [[Millville (MA)|Millville]] on September 27, 1847, and the rest on October 20. The line from Providence to [[Central Falls, Rhode Island|Central Falls]] was shared with the [[Boston and Providence Railroad]], which at the same time built a connection from [[East Junction Branch|its old line]] (which ended at [[India Point Park|India Point]] via [[East Providence, Rhode Island|East Providence]]) over to the P&W.{{Sfn|Karr|2017|p=167}} The companies shared the P&W-built [[Providence Union Station]], which opened in 1848; the station was also served by [[New York, Providence and Boston Railroad]] (commonly known as the Stonington Line) trains.{{Sfn|Karr|2017|p=167}} This station was originally planned to be placed over the [[Great Salt Cove]], a large cove in the city; public opposition led by [[Zachariah Allen]] convinced the city to preserve the cove and change the station's location.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Greenwood |first=Richard |date=1998 |title=A Mechanic in the Garden: Landscape Design in Industrial Rhode Island |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/40968418 |journal=IA. The Journal of the Society for Industrial Archeology |volume=24 |issue=1 |pages=15–16 |jstor=40968418 |issn=0160-1040 }}</ref>

Construction was more expensive than anticipated, due to difficulties encountered in building earthworks and to the relatively high prices for iron and labor from 1845 to 1847. The company also spent much money on a large depot in Providence. Still, healthy traffic made the company profitable quickly and to the end of its  independent operation.<ref>{{Cite news |date=August 10, 1848 |title=Wednesday Morning, August 9, 1848 |pages=1 |work=Manufacturers and Farmers Journal |location=Providence, Rhode Island |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lNFiAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA1 |access-date=October 22, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Bayles |first=Richard Mather |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U-xHAQAAMAAJ&q=providence+and+worcester+railroad |title=History of Providence County, Rhode Island |date=1891 |publisher=W.W. Preston |volume=1 |location=New York |pages=280–281}}</ref> The opening of the P&W and other railroads spurred the region's commercial growth; Providence in particular developed textile, jewelry, and metals industries.<ref name=":5" /> The P&W, along with the Boston and Providence, were also credited with bringing the city of [[Pawtucket, Rhode Island|Pawtucket]] out of an economic downturn.<ref name=":5" /> Mills in the Blackstone Valley found that the railroads offered more reliable and cheaper transportation than canals. Affordable passenger trains also increased the mobility of residents along the railroad,{{Sfn|Lewis|1973|p=20}} whose line linked the communities along its route to the busy railroad junction in Worcester.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EItMAQAAMAAJ&dq=providence+and+worcester+railroad&pg=PA1442 |title=History of Worcester, Massachusetts |date=1889 |publisher=J.W. Lewis |location=Philadelphia |pages=1441–1442, 1604}}</ref> To better reach the docks in Providence, tracks were constructed south towards the water [[Street running train|along city streets]] between 1852 and 1853, eventually reaching [[Fox Point, Providence, Rhode Island|Fox Point]] where steamships docked.{{Sfn|Lewis|1973|p=20}}

In May 1853, the owners of the Norfolk County Railroad (NCR) attempted a [[Takeover#Hostile|hostile takeover]] of the Providence and Worcester. They wanted to use the P&W to route more traffic along their NCR, which was bankrupt as a result of insufficient business, and so increase the value of NCR stock.<ref name=":2" /> They purchased a majority of the P&W stock, paying well above market value for shares,<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |date=May 23, 1853 |title=Another Chapter in Railroad Speculation |pages=1 |work=Manufacturers and Farmers Journal |location=Providence, Rhode Island |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hctiAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA1 |access-date=October 22, 2021}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite news |date=July 30, 1853 |title=Railroad Intrigues |pages=2 |work=Hartford Weekly Times |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4d8yAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA2 |access-date=October 22, 2021}}</ref> and moved to add ten members to the company's board of directors.<ref name=":3" /> But the P&W's president and clerk refused to recognize a vote to approve the new directors, defeating the attempt and leaving the stockholders from the "ricketty and bankrupt" NCR with nothing but $100,000 (${{Format price|{{Inflation|US|100000|1853}}}} in 2021) in debt to show for their efforts.<ref name=":3" />
[[File:L. Wright - Train wreck on the Providence Worcester Railroad near Pawtucket, Rhode Island - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|alt=A daguerreotype of a train collision. Two trains and their locomotives can be seen in a mangled mess. A crowd of spectators can be seen observing the aftermath of the accident.|A photo of the 1853 collision in [[Valley Falls, Rhode Island]]]]

That same year, the [[1853 Providence and Worcester head-on collision|worst accident in the company's history]] occurred in [[Valley Falls, Rhode Island]]. Two trains collided head-on, killing 14 people.{{Sfn|Karr|2017|p=169}} The incident helped convince the P&W to double-track its mainline. The work began shortly after the accident{{Sfn|Heppner|2012|p=78}} but proceeded slowly; the final section of single track was upgraded in 1885, 32 years later.{{Sfn|Karr|2017|p=168}}

The P&W benefited from a general increase in economic activity and shipping during the [[American Civil War]], though little of its freight was directly related to the war effort. The company paid off its debts and invested $20,000 (${{Inflation|US|20000|1864|r=-3|fmt=c}} in 2021) on track improvements in 1864 alone.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Murphey |first=Hermon King |date=December 1918 |title=The Northern Railroads and the Civil War |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/1888813.pdf |journal=The Mississippi Valley Historical Review |volume=5 |issue=3 |pages=336–337 |doi=10.2307/1888813 |jstor=1888813 }}</ref>

===Expansion and improvements===
The Providence and Worcester leased two other railroads: the [[Milford and Woonsocket Railroad]] in 1868, and the [[Hopkinton Railroad]], a northward extension of the Milford and Woonsocket, in 1872.{{Sfn|Karr|2017|pp=370–372}} Neither company directly connected to any P&W line; the leases were motivated by a desire to prevent either company from competing with the P&W for traffic.{{Sfn|Karr|2017|pp=370–372}}{{Sfn|Lewis|1973|p=33}} Both leases expired in 1883, with the two railroads resuming independent operation that year; the Milford and Woonsocket took over the Hopkinton the following year.{{Sfn|Karr|2017|pp=370–372}}

Following an 1872 agreement with the [[New Jersey Central Railroad]] and a coal company to build a coal dock near Providence, the company began construction in 1874 on the {{Convert|7|mi|km|adj=on|spell=in}} long [[East Providence Branch]] between Valley Falls and East Providence.{{Sfn|Karr|2017|p=169}} The branch opened the same year, and provided an alternate routing for coal imports that avoided the use of horses through downtown Providence.{{Sfn|Karr|2017|p=169}}<ref>{{Cite news |date=September 15, 1873 |title=The East Providence Branch of the Providence and Worcester Railroad |pages=3 |work=Providence Evening Press |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=InJcAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA4 |access-date=October 23, 2021}}</ref> The East Providence Branch briefly saw passenger service between 1893 and 1896; it was otherwise exclusively used for freight trains.{{Sfn|Karr|2017|p=169}} The completion of the branch increased the importance of Valley Falls to the P&W, and in 1878 the company completed a new engine house there. This was followed in the next few years by a variety of repair and maintenance shops, which were all relocated from sites in Providence.{{Sfn|Lewis|1973|p=25}} An early form of [[railroad signaling]] was completed on the joint P&W-B&P line through Providence and Pawtucket in 1882, and upon proving successful it was expanded to the entire P&W main line by 1884, making the P&W the very first American railroad to fully signalize its main line with electric signals.{{Sfn|Lewis|1973|pp=25–26}}

==End of independence==
[[File:Providence_and_Worcester_Railroad_Roundhouse_Providence.jpg|thumb|The P&W roundhouse in Providence, circa 1870]]
From the 1870s onward, several railroad companies in New England began a wave of consolidation, leasing or merging other lines to form large networks. The P&W ignored this trend, although it had opportunities to combine with several of its connections at Worcester.{{Sfn|Lewis|1973|pp=34–36}} The first of the larger companies to approach the P&W was the Stonington Line (formally the New York, Providence and Boston Railroad), the Providence and Worcester's southern connection in Providence.{{Sfn|Lewis|1973|pp=34–36}} In February 1888, the Stonington Line announced plans to lease the Providence and Worcester Railroad, effective May 1, 1888, subject to approval by shareholders of both companies. The Stonington Line agreed to pay $310,000 (${{Format price|{{Inflation|US|310000|1888}}}} in 2021) per year, plus up to $50,000 a year in stock-related payments, in exchange for the lease.<ref name=":18">{{Cite news |date=May 21, 1888 |title=The Lease Ratified: Unanimous Approval of the Worcester Road Transfer |pages=2 |work=Manufacturers and Farmers Journal |location=Providence, Rhode Island |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aEhhAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA2 |access-date=October 24, 2021}}</ref> As part of the lease, the Stonington also agreed to maintain all P&W trackage and equipment to high standards.{{Sfn|Lewis|1973|pp=34–36}} A member of the special committee appointed by the P&W board of directors, at the vote to ratify the lease, noted that "there were 372 women stockholders, representing 8,975 shares, equivalent at par to $897,500{{snd}}a peculiar holding which was not found in any other corporation in the country."<ref name=":18" /> Both railroads' stockholders and boards of directors approved the lease, with P&W shareholders unanimously in favor, and in May 1888, the Providence and Worcester ceased to be an independent railroad.<ref name=":18" /> As part of the Stonington Line, operations were changed little, apart from integration with the P&W's new lessee as the "Worcester Division".{{Sfn|Lewis|1973|pp=33–35}}

Control by the Stonington Line lasted only a few years, as wealthy financer [[J. P. Morgan]] had aspirations to build a railroad empire, and both the Stonington Line and the [[Old Colony Railroad]] were in his sights. Acting through [[J.P. Morgan & Co.]], he bought controlling stock of each company and had them leased by the [[New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad]] (commonly known as the New Haven), which he held an interest in. As part of these transactions, the P&W lease was transferred from the Stonington Line to the New Haven under the same terms as originally written.{{Sfn|Lewis|1973|pp=35–38}} The New Haven operated the P&W for the next 77 years.{{Sfn|Karr|2017|p=168}}

===Under the New Haven===
[[File:Uxbridge Passenger Depot, Uxbridge MA.jpg|thumb|[[Uxbridge station (Massachusetts)|Uxbridge station]] is a preserved P&W train station.]]

Despite the company's lease, the New Haven owned only a very small number of shares{{snd}}91 out of 35,000{{snd}}by 1905, finding that P&W shareholders were very reluctant to part with their shares.<ref name=":13">{{Cite news |date=April 3, 1905 |title=Opposition Wins Point |page=3 |work=Manufacturers and Farmers Journal |location=Providence, Rhode Island |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wiFjAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA3 |access-date=October 24, 2021}}</ref> That year, the New Haven attempted to get a bill passed in the Rhode Island General Assembly that would allow it to condemn the shares of minority shareholders who owned stock in the companies it leased, as long as the New Haven held a simple majority of all shares. Due to significant opposition, most fiercely by the Providence and Worcester Railroad, this attempt was defeated; the bill was amended to require the owning railroad to hold at least 75 percent of a company's shares before condemnation of minority shareholders' shares was possible. This meant that the New Haven could not purchase the P&W unless it was willing to buy 75 percent of the company's shares, securing the P&W's continued existence as a company.<ref name=":13" /> These same rules protecting minority shareholders would pave the way for the Providence and Worcester to regain its independence in the future.{{Sfn|Hartley|2016|pp=52–53}}

The New Haven's monopolistic tendencies attracted attention from regulators, and many of its acquisitions were obtained well above market value. These factors combined to cause economic problems for the company, and as a result the P&W facilities in Valley Falls were largely closed from 1907 to the 1920s.{{Sfn|Lewis|1973|pp=38–40}} Continued money problems and the [[Great Depression]] brought the New Haven into bankruptcy in 1935, but the P&W's lessee continued to make its lease payments on time. When the New Haven emerged from its long bankruptcy in 1947, the P&W remained a leased property, along with the [[Norwich and Worcester Railroad]] and [[Holyoke and Westfield Railroad]]; it did not join the fate of most New Haven lessors which were consolidated.{{Sfn|Lewis|1973|pp=38–40}}
[[File:FL9 2030 with the Puritan at Providence, July 1968.jpg|thumb|A New Haven Railroad passenger train in Providence in 1968, shortly before the Penn Central takeover]]

Both freight and passenger train traffic were initially strong under New Haven control. Fifteen passenger trains traveled the line each day in 1919, but by 1935 just one passenger train ran each way.{{Sfn|Karr|2017|pp=167–168}} The ''[[State of Maine Express]]'', which connected New York City and [[Portland, Maine]], began using the P&W route in 1946, adding a second train on the line each way daily. The New Haven began removing the double track on the P&W mainline in the 1950s, and it was reduced to a single track with passing sidings by 1963. Passenger train service on the line was cut back during the 1950s as well; after experimenting with four local trains each way in 1953, the New Haven cut the schedule back to one local round trip per day in 1954; this round trip was also discontinued by 1957. The ''State of Maine Express'' ended operations in 1960, leaving no passenger trains on the line.{{Sfn|Karr|2017|p=168}}

Freight traffic also declined from the 1950s onward, as the Blackstone Valley's mills largely closed down and relocated to the [[Southern United States]] and trucking eroded railroad market share. In response to the declines in both passenger and freight traffic, the P&W's electric signal system was dismantled and the second track largely removed to lower maintenance costs.{{Sfn|Lewis|1973|pp=40–41}} On July 7, 1961, the New Haven declared bankruptcy for a second and final time.{{Sfn|Lewis|1973|p=43}}

===Plans for regained independence===
{{Quotebox
| quote = Eder suggested P&W might resume independent operation. Remember that this was at a time when large rail mergers were occurring with regularity. Spinoffs were uncommon, and the idea of a resurrected P&W seemed quite ridiculous.
| author = {{Sfn|Hartley|1994|p=58}}
| align = right
| width = 300px
}}
While the New Haven was bankrupt again, it continued its lease payments just as it had done during the previous bankruptcy. This time, however, the New Haven's condition was much worse and the possibility of survival was remote; its operations and physical plant had both become seriously neglected.{{Sfn|Lewis|1973|p=43}} Starting in 1964, a group of Providence and Worcester shareholders began plotting to acquire the company.{{Sfn|Lewis|1973|p=43}} They recruited Robert H. Eder, a businessman from Providence, to lead their efforts. The group launched three [[proxy fight]]s to take control; the last one ended in 1966 with Eder as the Providence and Worcester's new president.{{Sfn|Hartley|2016|pp=52–53}} Under his presidency, the P&W released its first ever audited annual report, had all P&W property appraised, and also commissioned a third party firm to write a report evaluating whether the P&W could successfully resume operations as an independent railroad, if necessary.{{Sfn|Lewis|1973|p=43}} While attempting to restore the P&W as an independent company was an option, the P&W's leadership was primarily seeking inclusion of the company within another railroad by a new lease or merger. The possibility of an independent P&W was meant as leverage to help secure this goal.{{Sfn|Lewis|1973|pp=43–44}}

As part of negotiations to include the New Haven into the planned [[Penn Central Transportation Company]] merger, to be created by the [[New York Central Railroad|New York Central]] and [[Pennsylvania Railroad]]s, the New Haven's bankruptcy trustees were told to disaffirm the P&W lease in January 1967, and this was completed on May 1 of that year. The P&W objected to the [[Interstate Commerce Commission]] (ICC), which intervened in the company's favor and ordered the New Haven to continue operating the P&W as before, despite the disaffirmation.{{Sfn|Lewis|1973|p=44}} The Penn Central did not want the P&W, and in October 1968 specifically asked the ICC for it to be excluded from the merger, calling the lease situation "unfair and unreasonable".<ref>{{Cite news |last= |date=October 10, 1968 |title=NHRR Urges Inclusion in Merger Now |pages=2 |work=[[Meriden Journal]] |agency=Associated Press |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=68VIAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA2 |access-date=October 24, 2021}}</ref> Despite its objections, and threatening to the ICC that it would abandon the Providence and Worcester's tracks if it were forced to include it in the merger, Penn Central was ordered to assume operation of the P&W when the New Haven was finally merged into PC at the end of 1968.{{Sfn|Hartley|2016|p=53}}<ref>{{Cite news |last= |date=September 12, 1968 |title=Renegotiation of P&W Lease is Under Study |page=24 |work=[[The Norwalk Hour]] |agency=Associated Press |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bCdJAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA24 |access-date=October 24, 2021}}</ref>

==The new Providence and Worcester Railroad==
===Separation from Penn Central===
[[File:Providence and Worcester Railroad line within Salt Rock State Park, Sprague, Connecticut.jpg|thumb|alt=A straight railroad track extends into the distance. It is slightly elevated compared to the surrounding terrain, which is covered in trees. The trees are without leaves, indicating it is Winter.|Providence and Worcester Railroad line within [[Salt Rock State Campground]] in [[Sprague, Connecticut]]]]

The New Haven had purchased a number of the P&W's shares in the three-quarters of a century it had held the lease, holding 28 percent of the company's total shares by the time Penn Central took over.{{Sfn|Hartley|2016|p=53}} While the New Haven had long tolerated the peculiar rules that kept the P&W alive as a company, the railroad's new lessor was not willing to tolerate them any longer and demanded the voting rules and clauses that heavily restricted its control be rewritten. The same rules that left the New Haven unable to take over the P&W also frustrated the Penn Central, which found itself with only three percent voting power, despite both leasing the company and inheriting the New Haven's portion of the company's shares.{{Sfn|Hartley|2016|p=53}}

As part of its order requiring Penn Central to take over the P&W under the terms of the lease, the ICC also required the P&W to change its voting clauses by June 30, 1969, or else Penn Central would be allowed to take direct control and be able to proceed with abandonment. Eder and the rest of the P&W leadership had considered seeking merger into another railroad, such as the [[Boston and Maine Railroad]] (B&M) or the [[Norfolk and Western Railway]] (though the latter company did not connect to the Providence and Worcester, at that time it was considering a purchase of the [[Delaware and Hudson Railway]]).{{Sfn|Hartley|2016|p=53}}{{Sfn|Lewis|1973|p=44}} Now, however, time was short and the previously half-hearted idea of returning the P&W to independence was the best path to saving the company.{{Sfn|Lewis|1973|p=44}}
[[File:Caboose at P&W Railfan Club Museum, July 2021.jpg|thumb|alt=A railroad caboose parked on a siding behind a white picket fence. It reads "PROVIDENCE & WORCESTER" on its side.|A retired P&W caboose preserved at the P&W Railfan Club Museum]]

Ignoring Penn Central's objections, in 1969 the P&W [[Incorporated in Delaware|incorporated a new version of the company in Delaware]] and merged the existing company into the new one, while maintaining the voting rules from the company's original 1844 charter; this was done for "the simplification of the corporate structure" of the company.{{Sfn|Lewis|1973|p=44}} Then, on April 6, 1970, the P&W formally asked the ICC to allow their company to exit the New Haven merger and become independent; the previously commissioned report was updated and found profitable operations feasible.{{Sfn|Lewis|1973|pp=44–45}} While it did not want the P&W, Penn Central was unwilling to allow this to happen either, as it wanted both to continue serving large customers in East Providence and Worcester and access to the P&W's real estate holdings in Providence, leading to a series of court battles.{{Sfn|Lewis|1973|p=44}}{{Sfn|Hartley|1994|p=58}}<ref name=":4" /> Penn Central itself [[Bankruptcy of Penn Central|went bankrupt]] in June 1970 and ended its lease payments.{{Sfn|Lewis|1973|p=45}}

In response to P&W's appeal, the ICC took up the matter in January 1971. P&W could point to the support of potential P&W customers along with politicians and railroad regulatory agencies in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and the hearings concluded on June 11, 1971, with the presiding ICC examiner approving P&W's request for independence.{{Sfn|Lewis|1973|p=46}} P&W also worked out an agreement with the relevant railroad worker unions, guaranteeing a high salary, a profit-sharing agreement, and representation on the P&W's board. In exchange, P&W would implement a maximum crew size of three people and abolish the distinctions between [[Train driver|engineer]], [[Conductor (rail)|conductor]], and other train crew roles, allowing any employee to fill any position as needed.{{Sfn|Lewis|1973|pp=46–47}} While the ICC and unions had given the P&W's independence their blessing, Penn Central was unmoved and exhausted its appeals until December 20, 1972, when a federal judge assigned to Penn Central's own bankruptcy court ordered the company to allow the Providence and Worcester to end its lease and assume control of its lines.{{Sfn|Lewis|1973|p=47}}<ref name=":4">{{Cite news |last= |date=December 20, 1972 |title=Providence, Worcester Co. Will Take Over its Railroad |page=14 |work=[[The Telegraph (Nashua, New Hampshire)|The Telegraph]] |agency=Associated Press |location=Nashua, New Hampshire |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jJwrAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA9 |access-date=October 23, 2021}}</ref> On February 3, 1973, the Providence and Worcester Railroad became an independent railroad again after 85 years.{{Sfn|Hartley|2016|p=53}}

===Expansion===
The newly independent P&W began with {{Convert|45|mi|km}} of track between its two namesake cities in addition to the East Providence Branch and two isolated Penn Central lines ({{Convert|3|mi|km}} from [[Slatersville, Rhode Island|Slatersville]] to Woonsocket and a {{Convert|1|mi|km|adj=on}} branch at Valley Falls) which were transferred as well. For motive power, P&W initially operated a small fleet of five [[ALCO RS-3]] locomotives, plus five [[caboose]]s, all leased from fellow Northeastern United States railroad Delaware and Hudson Railway.{{Sfn|Hartley|1994|p=58}} The Providence and Worcester found its first opportunity for expansion in a recently abandoned line cast off by the [[Boston and Maine Railroad]] (B&M). In 1974, P&W purchased this {{Convert|23|mi|km|adj=on}} long branch between Worcester and [[Gardner, Massachusetts]], from B&M, connecting it with the latter company's main line.{{Sfn|Hartley|2016|p=53}} Penn Central had not forgotten how the P&W had escaped from its control, and created delays in car [[Interchange (freight rail)|interchange]] between itself and the P&W, until the latter company once again appealed to the ICC for assistance. The new connection with the B&M in Gardner allowed P&W access to a more friendly interchange partner.{{Sfn|Hartley|1994|p=58}} Almost immediately, the independent P&W was recognized for providing exemplary service to its customers, in direct contrast with Penn Central; in 1974 the [[Rhode Island Department of Transportation]] recommended giving sole responsibility for all freight rail in Providence to P&W.<ref>{{Cite book |last=United States Interstate Commerce Commission |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pBlHAQAAIAAJ&dq=providence+and+worcester+railroad&pg=PA52 |title=The Public Response to the Secretary of Transportation's Rail Services Report |date=August 1974 |page=52}}</ref>
[[File:M420Thunderrail.JPG|thumb|alt=A diesel locomotive parked on a railroad track in front of an industrial building. It is number 2004, and says "THUNDER RAIL" on its side. The paint scheme is unmistakably that of the Providence and Worcester Railroad, with P&W's red on the bottom portion and brown on the top, separated by a white line, which dips down and then back up on the front of the locomotive.|This M-420R operated on P&W until 1994, when it was sold. It still wore P&W colors in this 2010 photograph.]]

Needing a more permanent solution than its leased ALCOs, P&W first reached out to dominant American locomotive manufacturers [[GE Transportation]] and [[General Motors]]' [[Electro Motive Division]], but both refused to give the newly independent company quotes for new locomotives.{{Sfn|Hartley|2016|p=57}} Shunned by American manufacturers, P&W turned to [[Montreal Locomotive Works]] (MLW), the Canadian affiliate of ALCO which survived ALCO's dissolution in 1969. MLW saw an opportunity to sell its first locomotives in America, and accepted P&W's order for five new [[MLW M-420]]R locomotives, tagging on to an order for 80 M-420s by [[Canadian National Railway]]. These new locomotives became the backbone of the Providence and Worcester fleet, and the older RS{{nbh}}3s were given back to the Delaware and Hudson.{{Sfn|Hartley|1994|p=58}}

The federal government created the [[United States Railway Association]] (USRA) in 1974 to manage the formation of [[Conrail]], which was to take over a number of bankrupt railroads in the Northeast, including Penn Central. Penn Central owned a {{Convert|71|mi|km|adj=on}} line that connected Worcester to [[Groton, Connecticut]], via [[Plainfield, Connecticut]]. The USRA decided to include only the portion between Groton and Plainfield in Conrail, with the remaining portion reverting to its original owner: the [[Norwich and Worcester Railroad]] (N&W). The N&W had been leased by a variety of railroads since 1869, but was now independent again, and proposed to resume operating its portion of the line.{{Sfn|Karr|2017|p=127}} Seeing an opportunity for expansion, the Providence and Worcester made a bid for the line from Plainfield to Worcester as well, winning the support of Connecticut business groups, unions, and [[Chris Dodd]], at the time a [[U.S. Representative]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=January 24, 1976 |title=Rail takeover given support |page=3 |work=[[The Day (New London)|The Day]] |location=New London, Connecticut |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vO0gAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA2 |access-date=October 23, 2021}}</ref> The latter stated in January 1974 that it was "extremely questionable whether the Norwich and Worcester has demonstrated the ability to provide even minimal service to eastern Connecticut".<ref>{{Cite news |last= |date=January 27, 1974 |title=Dodd supports rail unit |pages=35 |work=[[The Day (New London)|The Day]] |agency=Associated Press |location=New London, Connecticut |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vu0gAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA30 |access-date=October 23, 2021}}</ref> The USRA found the arguments of the Providence and Worcester and its supporters that it was in a better position to take over the line on account of its years of profitable operations persuasive, and transferred it to the railroad later that year.{{Sfn|Karr|2017|pp=127–128}}

The remaining {{Convert|27|mi|km}} of the N&W went to Conrail, but the Providence and Worcester was not satisfied with its share of the line and sought to acquire the rest of the line from the newly formed railroad. Conrail initially was unprofitable, and in 1976 the Providence and Worcester approached the company with an offer to buy its 27-mile line between Plainfield and Groton. Conrail was unwilling to give up the line, which was one of its most profitable in the state, leading the [[Connecticut Department of Transportation]] to request that the federal government order the line transferred that year.<ref>{{Cite news |date=March 18, 1980 |title=Railroad transfer idea opposed |page=11 |work=[[The Day (New London)|The Day]] |location=New London, Connecticut |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6bYtAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA31 |access-date=October 23, 2021}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite news |date=May 21, 1980 |title=P&W wins rail line request |page=27 |work=[[The Day (New London)|The Day]] |location=New London, Connecticut |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MAAhAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA33 |access-date=October 23, 2021}}</ref><ref name=":7">{{Cite news |date=May 29, 1980 |title=Conrail ordered to sell track |page=21 |work=[[The Day (New London)|The Day]] |location=New London, Connecticut |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NQAhAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA11 |access-date=October 23, 2021}}</ref> The following year, Conrail was forced to sell the line, due to the law that established the company requiring it to sell lines to any private companies offering a fair price.<ref name=":7" /> Despite this, Conrail continued to operate the line while debate continued between the two railroads over what constituted a "fair price"{{snd}}Conrail wanted over $3{{nbs}}million, while the Providence and Worcester offered under $1{{nbs}}million.<ref name=":7" /> Finally, on May 20, 1980, a federal court announced it was ordering Conrail to sell the line to the P&W for $1.75{{nbs}}million, which the three justices on the court decided was a fair price.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":7" />

===1980s===
[[File:ProvWorc10.1.05.jpg|thumb|alt=A Providence and Worcester Railroad locomotive parked on a track. It is numbered 2009, and is connected to a passenger car wearing the same paint scheme.|Providence and Worcester GP38-2 2009 hauling a passenger excursion train]]

As P&W expanded its network, the company spent heavily to improve the condition of lines it purchased, many of which had been poorly [[Maintenance of way|maintained]] by previous owners. The repairs were partially funded by the federal government and by the states served by P&W.{{Sfn|Hartley|1994|p=59}}

In 1982, the Providence and Worcester acquired all of Conrail's lines in Rhode Island, along with some in Connecticut.<ref name=":8">{{Cite news |last=Cleaves |first=Herb |date=January 22, 1982 |title=Boston & Maine to get some Conrail trackage |page=23 |work=[[Bangor Daily News]] |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xAxbAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA111 |access-date=October 23, 2021}}</ref> While P&W wanted all {{Convert|530|mi|km}} of Conrail's lines in Southern New England, it had to compete with the Boston & Maine, at the time in the sights of newly formed [[Guilford Transportation Industries]], which bought portions of Conrail's network in Connecticut.<ref name=":8" /> The Providence and Worcester objected to allowing Guilford to form a major railroad network in New England, to no avail.<ref name=":8" /> The P&W also purchased two [[shortline railroad]]s in Rhode Island between 1981 and 1982: the [[Moshassuck Valley Railroad]] and the [[Warwick Railway]].{{Sfn|Hartley|1994|p=59}}

In December 1987, P&W owner [[Capital Properties Inc.]] of Providence, announced it was divesting the railroad, with Capital's shareholders each getting 2 shares of the railroad's stock per share of Capital stock.<ref name=":11">{{Cite news |last=Andrews |first=Bea |date=December 12, 1987 |title=Providence firm to divest P&W Railroad interests |page=C4 |work=[[The Day (New London)|The Day]] |location=New London, Connecticut |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4_I0AAAAIBAJ&pg=PA111 |access-date=October 23, 2021}}</ref>

===1990s===
[[File:Providence and Worcester freight train in Pawtucket, June 2008.jpg|thumb|alt=A freight train is seen on a track parallel to a road with cars on it. The train is in two sections. While on section with one locomotive is sitting on the main line, the other section is in a siding lead by the other locomotive, switching a local industrial customer served by the railroad.|A Providence and Worcester freight train on the East Providence branch in 2008]]

The Providence and Worcester further expanded into Connecticut in 1993, when it purchased Conrail's line between [[Cedar Hill Yard]] in [[North Haven, Connecticut|North Haven]] and [[Middletown, Connecticut|Middletown]].<ref name=":9">{{Cite news |last=Campagna |first=Darryl |date=August 9, 1994 |title=Neighbor sees peril at rail crossing |page=10 |work=[[Record-Journal]] |location=Meriden, Connecticut |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RN1HAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA6 |access-date=October 23, 2021}}</ref> Between November 1993 and June 1994, the railroad improved the line in cooperation with the Connecticut Department of Transportation, replacing more than 5,000 ties and {{Convert|7000|ft|m}} of rail in a $650,000 project.<ref name=":10">{{Cite news |last=Cohen |first=Joyce |date=August 7, 1994 |title=Rail freight gets a boost in Wallingford |pages=B1, B3 |work=[[Record-Journal]] |location=Meriden, Connecticut |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Qt1HAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA6 |access-date=October 23, 2021}}</ref> After the project was complete, its speed limit increased from 10 to 25 miles per hour.<ref name=":9" /><ref name=":10" /> The increased speed and frequency of trains concerned some residents along the line, who advocated for the installation of gates and lights at railroad crossings for safety.<ref name=":9" /> P&W bought the Middletown-based shortline [[Connecticut Central Railroad (1987)|Connecticut Central Railroad]] in 1998, adding a cluster of branch lines in that city to its network.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Waters |first=Martin J. |date=April 8, 2001 |title=Here's a switch: Derelict rail line is back on track |pages=A1, A4 |work=[[Record-Journal]] |location=Meriden, Connecticut |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UfZIAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA1 |access-date=October 25, 2021}}</ref>

In the mid-1990s, P&W traffic decreased when a number of its major customers closed or moved. In response, the company expanded interchange traffic with other railroads.{{Sfn|Hartley|2016|p=51}} The company reached an agreement in 1996 for trackage rights over the [[Northeast Corridor]] between [[New Haven, Connecticut|New Haven]] and the [[New York and Atlantic Railway]]'s [[Fresh Pond Junction]] yard in [[Queens|Queens, New York]]. The Providence and Worcester uses the tracks to haul stone between its connection with the [[Branford Steam Railroad]] and New York City.{{Sfn|Hartley|2016|p=53}}

===21st century===
[[File:P&W light engines at Pawtucket station.jpg|thumb|Two of P&W's [[EMD GP38-2]]s at [[Pawtucket/Central Falls station]] in 2023]]

The [[Boston Surface Railroad]] was formed in 2014 to restore passenger service on the P&W main line between Providence and Worcester, which was discontinued by the New Haven in 1960.{{Sfn|Karr|2017|pp=167–169}}{{Sfn|Hartley|2016|p=57}} Boston Surface intended to contract its train operations—commuter service with a stop in Woonsocket—to the Providence and Worcester.{{Sfn|Hartley|2016|p=57}} In 2019, the Rhode Island Department of Transportation reported that no substantial progress on launching train operations had been made.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Pelletier |first=Jared |date=October 28, 2019 |title=Company seeks to provide train service from Worcester to Providence |work=WJAR |url=https://turnto10.com/news/local/company-seeks-to-provide-train-service-from-worcester-to-providence |access-date=October 22, 2022}}</ref> The railroad filed for bankruptcy later that year, though company officials said in 2021 that they intended to begin operations eventually.<ref name=":02">{{Cite web |last1=Clem |first1=Lauren |last2=Writer |first2=Valley Breeze Staff |title=Train company to leave Woonsocket Depot in January |url=https://www.valleybreeze.com/2020-12-09/woonsocket-north-smithfield/train-company-leave-woonsocket-depot-january |access-date=2021-08-21 |website=The Valley Breeze |date=December 9, 2020 |language=en}}</ref> 

P&W formed an agreement with the [[New England Central Railroad]] in 2012 to move Canadian National Railway trains between Canada and southern New England. A similar agreement was signed in 2014 to move [[Canadian Pacific Railway]] freight, with [[Vermont Rail System]] joining along with NECR.{{Sfn|Hartley|2016|p=54}} This was made possible by the reopening of a mothballed P&W line between [[Willimantic, Connecticut|Willimantic]] and [[Versailles, Connecticut]] in 2007, which had been out of service for several decades. P&W trains connect with New England Central at Willimantic via this line.{{Sfn|Hartley|2016|p=54}}

Shortline holding company [[Genesee & Wyoming]] announced in August 2016 that it intended to buy the Providence and Worcester Railroad for $25.00 per share, or approximately $126{{nbs}}million.<ref>{{Cite news |last=FreightWaves Staff |date=August 15, 2016 |title=G&W to purchase Providence and Worcester |work=FreightWaves |url=https://www.freightwaves.com/news/gw-to-purchase-providence-and-worcester |access-date=October 22, 2022}}</ref> The acquisition was completed on November 1, 2016, with P&W's shares placed in a trust pending [[Surface Transportation Board]] approval.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 1, 2016 |title=STB approves G&W's acquisition of Providence & Worcester |url=https://media.gwrr.com/press-releases/news-details/2016/Genesee--Wyoming-Completes-Acquisition-of-Providence-and-Worcester-Railroad/default.aspx |access-date=November 26, 2022 |website=Genesee & Wyoming}}</ref> The STB approved the acquisition on December 16, 2016, subject to a condition that G&W not interfere with the ability of [[Pan Am Railways]] (via its operating subsidiary Springfield Terminal) to connect with CSX in Worcester.<ref name=":17">{{Cite web |date=December 15, 2016 |title=Genesee & Wyoming Inc.{{snd}}Acquisition of Control Exemption{{snd}}Providence and Worcester Railroad Company |url=https://dcms-external.s3.amazonaws.com/MPD/62491/7A76D5745288B9DC8525808A00807109/45555.pdf |access-date=October 22, 2022 |website=Surface Transportation Board}}</ref> G&W stated that it "does not contemplate any material changes to P&W's operations, maintenance, or service" following the purchase.<ref name=":17" /> P&W sold its former headquarters at 75 Hammond Street in Worcester in October 2022, relocating to 381 Southbridge Street, also in Worcester.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Doyle |first=Timothy |date=October 17, 2022 |title=Former Providence & Worcester HQ sold for $1.9m |work=Worcester Business Journal |url=https://www.wbjournal.com/article/former-providence-worcester-hq-sold-for-19m |access-date=October 22, 2022}}</ref>

In 2019, the Providence and Worcester reopened {{Convert|8|mi|km}} of track between [[Hartford, Connecticut|Hartford]] and [[Rocky Hill, Connecticut|Rocky Hill]], known as the Wethersfield Secondary, which had been out of service since 2008.<ref name=":12">{{Cite web |last=Hartley |first=Scott A. |date=March 11, 2019 |title=Providence & Worcester plans to reopen Connecticut branch |url=https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/11-providence-worcester-plans-to-reopen-connecticut-branch/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210903161755/https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/11-providence-worcester-plans-to-reopen-connecticut-branch/ |archive-date=September 3, 2021 |access-date=October 23, 2021 |website=Trains}}</ref> The reopened line provided a more direct route for freight to reach Middletown.<ref name=":12" />

==Operations==
[[File:Providence and Worcester engine house at Valley Falls, September 2018.JPG|thumb|alt=A small train yard is seen, with two of its tracks entering a large garage door. The building has a sign indicating it is owned by the Providence and Worcester Railroad. Another of the tracks continues past the building.|The Providence and Worcester Railroad engine house in [[Valley Falls, Rhode Island]]]]

The Providence and Worcester Railroad is headquartered in Worcester, an important interchange point with [[CSX Transportation]]. Other interchange points include:{{Sfn|Hartley|2016|pp=53–55}}<ref name=":15">{{Cite web |title=Providence and Worcester Railroad{{snd}}A Genesee & Wyoming Company |url=https://www.gwrr.com/pw/ |access-date=October 25, 2021 |website=Providence and Worcester Railroad |publisher=Genesee & Wyoming}}</ref>
* [[Pan Am Southern]] in [[Gardner, Massachusetts]]
* [[New England Central Railroad]] in [[Willimantic, Connecticut]]
* [[New York and Atlantic Railway]] in Queens
* [[CSX]] in New Haven
* [[Housatonic Railroad]] in [[Danbury, Connecticut]]
* [[Connecticut Southern Railroad]] in [[Hartford, Connecticut]]

Through [[Arrangements between railroads#Haulage agreement|haulage agreements]], the railroad also connects with Canadian National Railway, Canadian Pacific Railway, and [[Norfolk Southern Railway]].<ref name=":15" /> As of 2016, P&W served 140 distinct customers on its lines, and had a workforce of 138 employees.{{Sfn|Hartley|2016|p=55}}

===Facilities===
P&W's primary maintenance facility for locomotives and railcars is located in Worcester near the company's headquarters building. A secondary facility in Plainfield, Connecticut, is responsible for maintenance of trucks and also houses the company's paint shop for repainting locomotives.{{Sfn|Hartley|2016|pp=53–54}}

===Train operations===
[[File:Middletown, CT - rail tracks east of Main St 01.jpg|thumb|alt=A P&W train is seen from a bridge which crosses over the track it is on. It is moving away from the viewer, and lead by two diesel locomotives, followed by several assorted freight cars. A railroad swing bridge can be seen in the distance.|A Providence and Worcester train in [[Middletown, Connecticut]] near the [[Middletown–Portland railroad bridge]]]]

As of 2016, Providence and Worcester freight trains are based out of the following locations:{{Sfn|Hartley|2016|pp=53–55}}
* Worcester: Trains based out of Worcester operate between Gardner, Massachusetts, where P&W connects to Pan Am Southern, and both Plainfield and [[Davisville, Rhode Island|Davisville]], with freight exchanged with the [[Seaview Transportation Company]] at the latter location. Local trains based out of Worcester serve facilities in the city, including a significant [[Intermodal freight transport|intermodal]] yard.
* Plainfield: From Plainfield, P&W operates trains southward to Willimantic, site of a connection with the New England Central Railroad. Another regularly operated train operates between Plainfield and Cedar Hill Yard in North Haven, Connecticut, via Groton, Connecticut.
* Valley Falls: A pair of local freight trains are based in Valley Falls. These serve customers in Rhode Island, particularly the Port of Providence.
* North Haven: P&W leases track space at Cedar Hill Yard from its owners, CSX and Amtrak. Local freight trains based at Cedar Hill operate to Middletown, Connecticut, and the Port of New Haven. Other local freights based here provide freight service for rail-based shippers on Metro-North Railroad's [[Danbury Branch]], and the [[Waterbury Branch]] from [[Derby, Connecticut|Derby]] southward. Cedar Hill is also the base of operations for [[unit train]]s of [[construction aggregate]]. These trains originate at quarries in Plainfield and [[Wallingford, Connecticut]], as well as an interchange with the Branford Steam Railroad in [[Branford, Connecticut]]. Some trains are destined for [[Tilcon Connecticut]] facilities in Danbury, [[Old Saybrook, Connecticut|Old Saybrook]], and Groton, Connecticut, while the remainder travel to Fresh Pond Junction where trains are handed off to the New York and Atlantic Railway for destinations on Long Island.

===System===
[[File:P&W Train in Plainfield, January 14, 2018.jpg|thumb|alt=A pair of P&W diesel locomotives on a track. Exhaust can be seen from the lead locomotive, indicating it is on. The locomotives are numbered 4004 and 3907.|A P&W train in Plainfield, Connecticut]]
[[File:Valley Falls Yard.jpg|thumb|alt=A fairly small railroad yard is seen from a bridge that crosses above it. It contains about 7 to 8 tracks, and parked groups of freight cars occupy several of the tracks.|[[Valley Falls Yard]] is the primary P&W yard in Rhode Island.]]

The Providence and Worcester directly owns and operates:{{Sfn|Hartley|2016|pp=53–55}}{{Sfn|Hartley|1994|pp=60–61}}
* Its main line, connecting Providence and Worcester via Woonsocket.
** The Slatersville branch, between Woonsocket and Slatersville.
* The East Providence Branch and [[East Junction Branch]], two connected branch lines. The East Providence Branch originates at [[Valley Falls Yard]] where it meets the P&W main line and ends in East Providence, where it meets the East Junction Branch. The latter branch runs between East Providence and the end of P&W's operating rights in [[Seekonk, Massachusetts]].
* The Moshassuck Industrial Track and the Warwick Industrial Track, which are remnants of the Moshassuck Valley Railroad in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, and the Warwick Railway in Cranston, Rhode Island, respectively.
* The Norwich and Worcester main line, between Worcester and Norwich.
** A branch of this line between Plainfield and Versailles, Connecticut.
* A three-mile-long branch line in Groton, Connecticut, which connects to the Northeast Corridor.
* The Belle Dock line which serves the [[Port of New Haven]].

P&W operates on but does not own the following:{{Sfn|Hartley|2016|pp=53–55}}<ref name=":112">{{Cite web |last=AECOM Technical Services, Inc. |date=November 2022 |title=Connecticut State Rail Plan (2022-2026) |url=https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/DOT/documents/dplansprojectsstudies/plans/State_Rail_Plan/StateRailPlanFinal11812pdf.pdf?la=en |access-date=April 17, 2023 |website=CT.gov |page=D-2}}</ref>
* The Harbor Junction Industrial Track, a branch serving the [[Port of Providence]], owned by the City of Providence.
* A branch between Versailles and Willimantic, Connecticut, owned by [[CTDOT]].
* The former [[Connecticut Valley Railroad]] route between Middletown and [[Wethersfield, Connecticut]], owned by the Connecticut Department of Transportation.
* The Middletown Secondary (former [[Boston and New York Air-Line Railroad]]) between North Haven and [[Durham, Connecticut]], owned by Tilcon Connecticut.
* The Middletown Cluster, which includes several short branches in Middletown and the northern portion of the Middletown Secondary between Durham and Middletown, all owned by the State of Connecticut. 
* P&W has rights on the line between [[Fall River, Massachusetts]], and the former [[Sakonnet River rail bridge]] in [[Tiverton, Rhode Island]], but does not use them, as the line, owned by the Rhode Island Department of Transportation, is out of service.

P&W has freight rights on several passenger lines, owned by Amtrak and Metro-North Railroad, meaning it can both serve freight customers and run through trains on them:{{Sfn|Hartley|1994|p=60}}{{Sfn|Hartley|2016|pp=53–55}}
* Amtrak's Northeast Corridor between Providence and New Haven.
* Metro-North Railroad's Danbury Branch.
* Metro-North Railroad's Waterbury Branch, from Derby southward.

Finally, P&W has overhead trackage rights on several lines, meaning the company may operate trains over them but cannot serve customers on them:{{Sfn|Hartley|2016|pp=53–55}}
* The Housatonic Railroad between Derby and Danbury.
* CSX between New Haven and North Haven, to access P&W's trackage to Middletown
* The Northeast Corridor between New Haven and [[New Rochelle]], then over the [[Hell Gate Line]] and the [[New York Connecting Railroad]] to Fresh Pond Junction.
* The Northeast Corridor from Providence to [[Attleboro, Massachusetts]], then the [[New Bedford Secondary]] and [[Fall River Secondary]] to Fall River. These rights allow access to P&W's operating rights south of Fall River, but are unused, as the tracks south of Fall River are out of service.

====Former system====
[[File:Harbor Junction Industrial Track Ethanol Cars.jpg|thumb|A P&W locomotive idles near parked ethanol tank cars at the Port of Providence]]

Several lines acquired from Penn Central or Conrail have been abandoned, including:{{Sfn|Hartley|1994|pp=60–61}}
* The [[Washington Secondary Rail Trail|Washington Secondary]] between [[Washington, Rhode Island|Washington]] and Providence.
* The former [[Southbridge and Blackstone Railroad]] between [[Southbridge, Massachusetts|Southbridge]] and [[Webster, Massachusetts|Webster]].
* The former [[Pawtuxet Valley Railroad]] between [[Pontiac, Rhode Island|Pontiac]] and Cranston.
* A short spur in Valley Falls.
* The northern portion of the former Moshassuck Valley Railroad in [[Lincoln, Rhode Island|Lincoln]].
* The former [[Providence, Warren and Bristol Railroad]] from East Providence southward.
* Freight rights on [[Aquidneck Island]], following the closure of the Sakonnet River rail bridge in 1980.
The Providence and Worcester Railroad has been noted for maintaining its tracks to a high standard. Generally, all main lines are maintained to allow a maximum speed of {{Convert|40|mph|kph}}.{{Sfn|Hartley|1994|p=59}} The concern that G&W might reduce these high maintenance standards was raised by a shipper during G&W's acquisition of P&W.<ref name=":17" />

===Commodities carried===
[[File:P&W Psgr Train Baltic CT.jpg|thumb|A Providence and Worcester Railroad passenger excursion in 2012|alt=A passenger train is seen, primarily its stainless steel coaches, which have the name "PROVIDENCE & WORCESTER" on their sides, and are named after the states P&W serves, including Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts.]]

P&W reported carrying 34,402 [[Carload freight|carload]]s in 2013.<ref name=":14">{{Cite web |last=Gonsalves |first=Susan |date=June 15, 2014 |title=P. Scott Conti, president of Providence & Worcester Railroad Co., Worcester |url=https://www.telegram.com/article/20140615/NEWS/306159973 |access-date=October 25, 2021 |website=[[Telegram & Gazette]]}}</ref> Some significant types of cargo transported by the P&W including construction debris, aggregates, construction materials, lumber, steel, plastics, and chemicals.{{Sfn|Hartley|2016|pp=55–56}}<ref name=":14" />

P&W formerly transported unit trains of coal to several power plants in New England. The trains originated at ports in Providence and New Haven and were handed off to Pan Am Railways for final delivery. Between 2000 and 2016, the railroad reported hauling more than 21,000 carloads of coal.{{Sfn|Hartley|2016|p=55}}

Intermodal traffic is carried by P&W between the connection with CSX in Worcester and an intermodal facility just south of Worcester.{{Sfn|Hartley|2016|pp=55–56}}

The P&W makes a point to serve small customers. An example is Arnold Lumber in [[West Kingston, Rhode Island]]. Serving this company, which receives one or two cars of freight at a time, requires P&W trains to travel {{Convert|5|mi|km}} farther southward on the Northeast Corridor than for any other customer, finding space between Amtrak trains that travel up to {{Convert|150|mph|kph}}.{{Sfn|Heppner|2012|p=83}}{{Sfn|Hartley|2016|p=56}}

===Passenger trains===
The Providence and Worcester does not operate regularly scheduled passenger train service, but has maintained a small fleet of ex-[[Amtrak]] passenger cars since the 1980s, which have been used both as a business train for the company and for a variety of chartered passenger trains in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts.{{Sfn|Hartley|1994|p=64}}<ref name=":11" /> The company also operates a Christmas train in November and December of each year. The train, themed on the movie ''[[The Polar Express (film)|The Polar Express]]'', departs from [[Woonsocket station]] and travels along the company's main line, and has operated since 1999.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Forsberg |first=Tim |date=December 13, 2018 |title=All aboard for a Christmas ride to the North Pole |url=https://johnstonsunrise.net/stories/all-aboard-for-a-christmas-ride-to-the-north-pole,138934 |access-date=September 24, 2022 |website=Johnston Sun Rise}}</ref>

==Rolling stock==
[[File:Jillson Mills (Willimantic, Connecticut) (28324034619).jpg|thumb|alt=A freight train pulled by a locomotive is seen in the distance, across a moderately sized river. It is winter, and there is snow on the ground.|B40-8 4002 in [[Willimantic, Connecticut]], bearing P&W's Genesee & Wyoming colors]]

As of 2016, the Providence and Worcester Railroad operated the following locomotives:{{Sfn|Hartley|2016|p=56}}
{| class="wikitable"
|+
! scope="col" | Locomotive Numbers
! scope="col" | Quantity
! scope="col" | Model
! scope="col" | Remarks
|-
|2006-2011
|6
|[[EMD GP38-2]]
|2010, 2011 are rebuilt and designated GP38-3
|-
|2201
|1
|[[GE B23-7]]
|
|-
|2215-2216
|2
|[[GE B23-7]]R
|
|-
|3901-3909
|9
|[[GE B39-8]]
|
|-
|4001-4004
|4
|[[GE B40-8]]
|
|-
|4005-4007
|3
|[[GE Dash 8-40BW|GE B40-8W]]
|
|-
|4301-4302
|2
|[[EMD SD70M|EMD SD70M-2]]
|
|-
|9000
|1
|[[EMD SD60]]
|Leased from [[GATX]], shared with [[Vermont Railway]]
|}
Following the Genesee & Wyoming acquisition, the railroad's motive power has primarily been a variety of EMD locomotives from G&W's fleet.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Iverson |first=Lucas |date=February 20, 2023 |title=Providence and Worcester Railroad profile |url=https://www.trains.com/trn/railroads/profiles/regionals/providence-and-worcester-railroad-profile/ |access-date=2024-08-05 |website=Trains |language=en-US}}</ref> The P&W fleet also operates on connecting G&W shortlines Connecticut Southern Railroad and New England Central Railroad.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hartley |first=Scott A. |date=September 4, 2019 |title=Ask Trains: What were Providence & Worcester Railroad's colors in 2000? |url=https://www.trains.com/trn/train-basics/ask-trains/ask-trains-what-were-providence-worcester-railroads-colors-in-2000/ |access-date=2024-08-06 |website=Trains}}</ref>

==Real estate==
[[File:Woonsocket Depot from the southeast, February 2016.JPG|thumb|alt=A photograph of a brick train station, which clearly shows it was designed and built a long time ago. It is well preserved.|Woonsocket Station in February 2016]]

For many years, the Providence and Worcester Railroad held real estate in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. P&W retained ownership of parts of the Northeast Corridor upon gaining independence; following Amtrak's assumption of passenger service on the corridor in 1976, it signed an agreement with P&W in 1978 to take ownership of P&W-owned parts of the corridor in exchange for making P&W's freight rights on Amtrak lines permanent.{{Sfn|Hartley|2016|p=53}} 

In 1976, the railroad began building the South Quay Marine Terminal in East Providence, next to the terminus of the East Providence Branch. P&W filled in a portion of the Providence River and planned to turn it into a major shipping facility, but failed to find a partner to develop the project.{{Sfn|Hartley|1994|pp=63–64}}<ref>{{Cite web |last=Carini |first=Frank |date=July 20, 2020 |title=Plans for New Wind Port at Controversial South Quay Advance |url=https://ecori.org/2020-7-20-port-plans-advance-for-controversial-south-quay/ |access-date=October 15, 2022 |website=ecoRI News}}</ref> The land went unused for decades, and P&W finally sold it in 2019 to RI Waterfront Enterprises, which in September 2022 began developing the site to support construction of wind turbines.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rivera |first=Adriana Rozas |date=September 13, 2022 |title=Officials to break ground on South Quay offshore wind terminal |url=https://www.wpri.com/news/local-news/providence/officials-break-ground-on-south-quay-offshore-wind-terminal/ |access-date=October 15, 2022 |website=WPRI.com}}</ref>

Several P&W-built stations are preserved. In addition to the Woonsocket station, which still sees seasonal passenger service from P&W's Polar Express trains, freight or passenger stations also exist in [[Manville, Rhode Island]]; [[Uxbridge, Massachusetts]] ([[Uxbridge station (Massachusetts)|Uxbridge station]]); and [[Whitinsville, Massachusetts]].{{Sfn|Karr|2017|p=169}}

==Station listing==
The following stations all had passenger train service, unless noted. Passenger train service on the main line ended in 1957, apart from the non-stopping ''State of Maine Express''; the East Providence Branch had passenger service only from 1893 to 1896.{{Sfn|Karr|2017|pp=167–168}}
{| class="wikitable"
|+Main Line
!Station{{Sfn|Karr|2017|pp=166–167}}<ref name=1924tt>{{cite book |title=Time Tables East of New London and Willimantic |title-link=:commons:File:1924 New Haven Railroad eastern timetable.pdf |date=September 28, 1924 |publisher=New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad |chapter=Table 8 Providence to Worcester |page=10}}</ref>
!Miles (km)<ref name=1924tt />
!Comments
|-
|[[Providence Union Station|Providence]]
|{{convert|0.0|miles|1|adj=ri1|abbr=values}}
|Junction with the [[New York, Providence and Boston Railroad]] and the [[Providence, Warren and Bristol Railroad]]
|-
|Woodlawn
|{{convert|3.5|miles|1|adj=ri1|abbr=values}}
|
|-
|{{stl|NYNH&H|Pawtucket-Central Falls}}
|{{convert|4.5|miles|1|adj=ri1|abbr=values}}
|Replaced separate Pawtucket and Central Falls stations in 1916
|-
|Boston Switch
|{{convert|4.9|miles|1|adj=ri1|abbr=values}}
|Not a station – junction with the Boston and Providence Railroad
|-
|Valley Falls
|{{convert|5.9|miles|1|adj=ri1|abbr=values}}
|Junction with the East Providence Branch and the [[Rhode Island and Massachusetts Railroad]]
|-
|Lonsdale
|{{convert|6.8|miles|1|adj=ri1|abbr=values}}
|
|-
|Berkeley
|{{convert|8.6|miles|1|adj=ri1|abbr=values}}
|
|-
|Ashton
|{{convert|9.2|miles|1|adj=ri1|abbr=values}}
|
|-
|Albion
|{{convert|10.7|miles|1|adj=ri1|abbr=values}}
|
|-
|Manville
|{{convert|12.2|miles|1|adj=ri1|abbr=values}}
|
|-
|Hamlet
|{{convert|15.2|miles|1|adj=ri1|abbr=values}}
|
|-
|[[Woonsocket station|Woonsocket]]
|{{convert|15.8|miles|1|adj=ri1|abbr=values}}
|Junction with the [[Charles River Railroad]] and the [[Woonsocket and Pascoag Railroad]] {{convert|0.3|miles|1}} to the west
|-
<!-- Karr lists a station at Waterford, but that appears to one and the same as Blackstone |Waterford
|{{convert|0.0|miles|1|adj=ri1|abbr=values}}
|
|--->
|Blackstone
|{{convert|17.5|miles|1|adj=ri1|abbr=values}}
|Junction with the [[Southbridge and Blackstone Railroad]] and [[Norfolk County Railroad]]
|-
|Millville
|{{convert|19.7|miles|1|adj=ri1|abbr=values}}
|
|-
|Uxbridge
|{{convert|24.3|miles|1|adj=ri1|abbr=values}}
|
|-
|Whitins
|{{convert|26.3|miles|1|adj=ri1|abbr=values}}
|
|-
|Riverdale
|{{convert|29.4|miles|1|adj=ri1|abbr=values}}
|
|-
|Northbridge
|{{convert|30.6|miles|1|adj=ri1|abbr=values}}
|
|-
|Farnumsville
|{{convert|32.6|miles|1|adj=ri1|abbr=values}}
|
|-
|Saundersville
|{{convert|34.0|miles|1|adj=ri1|abbr=values}}
|
|-
|Wilkinsonville
|{{convert|34.7|miles|1|adj=ri1|abbr=values}}
|
|-
|Millbury
|{{convert|37.3|miles|1|adj=ri1|abbr=values}}
|<!--B&A Millbury Branch terminated across the town and did not connect-->
|-
|South Worcester
|{{convert|42.4|miles|1|adj=ri1|abbr=values}}
|Junction with the [[Norwich and Worcester Railroad]] and the [[Western Railroad (Massachusetts)|Western Railroad]]
|-
|[[Worcester Union Station|Worcester]]
|{{convert|43.3|miles|1|adj=ri1|abbr=values}}
|Junction with the [[Worcester and Nashua Railroad]] and the Boston and Worcester Railroad
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+East Providence Branch
!Station{{Sfn|Karr|2017|pp=166–167}}<ref>{{cite book |title=Time Table No. 16 for Employees Only |date=April 28, 1963 |publisher=New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad |page=52}}</ref>
!Milepost (km)<ref>{{cite book |title=Time Table No. 16 for Employees Only |date=April 28, 1963 |publisher=New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad |page=52}}</ref>
!Comments
|-
|Valley Falls
|{{convert|0.00|miles|1|adj=ri1|abbr=values}}
|Junction with main line and the [[Rhode Island and Massachusetts Railroad]]
|-
|Darlington
|{{Convert|1.65|miles|1|adj=ri1|abbr=values}}
|
|-
|Phillipsdale
|{{Convert|4.71|miles|1|adj=ri1|abbr=values}}
|
|-
|East Providence
|{{Convert|6.45|miles|1|adj=ri1|abbr=values}}
|Junction with the [[East Junction Branch]] (Boston and Providence Railroad)
|}

==See also==
{{Portal|Railways}}
* [[List of New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad precursors]]
* [[Railroads in New England]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
* {{Cite magazine |last=Hartley |first=Scott A. |date=June 1994 |title=Yankee Independence: How Providence & Worcester grew from being an obscure branch of the New Haven into today's 400-mile regional |url=https://www.trains.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/june1994_5664.pdf |magazine=[[Trains (magazine)|Trains]] |pages=57–64 |oclc=30498667 |access-date=December 15, 2021}}
* {{Cite magazine |last=Hartley |first=Scott A. |date=April 2016 |title=The key to Providence & Worcester's success: Reinvention |magazine=[[Trains Magazine]] |pages=50–57 |oclc=945631712}}
* {{Cite book |last=Heppner |first=Frank H. |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/841413913 |title=Railroads of Rhode Island : shaping the Ocean State's railways |date=2012 |publisher=History Press |isbn=978-1614233633 |location=Charleston, South Carolina |pages=67–83 |oclc=841413913}}
* {{Cite book |last=Karr |first=Ronald Dale |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1038017689 |title=The Rail Lines of Southern New England |publisher=Branch Line Press |year=2017 |isbn=978-0942147124 |edition=2nd |location=Pepperell, Massachusetts |pages=123–128, 166–169, 370–372 |oclc=1038017689 |access-date=October 22, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211024110057/https://www.worldcat.org/title/rail-lines-of-southern-new-england-a-handbook-of-railroad-history/oclc/1038017689?referer=br&ht=edition |archive-date=October 24, 2021 |url-status=live}}
* {{Cite book |last=Lewis |first=Edward A. |title=The Blackstone Valley Line: The Story of the Blackstone Canal Company and the Providence & Worcester Railroad |publisher=The Baggage Car |year=1973 |location=Seekonk, Massachusetts |oclc=2685548}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{Official website|https://www.gwrr.com/pw/}}
* {{HAER |survey=RI-3 |id=ri0345 |title=Providence & Worcester Railroad, Freight House, Canal Street, Providence, Providence County, RI |photos=22 |dwgs=5 |data=3 |cap=1}}

{{Regional railroads}}
{{Northeast Corridor navbox}}
{{Rhode Island railroads}}
{{Connecticut railroads}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Providence Worcester Railroad}}
[[Category:2016 mergers and acquisitions]]
[[Category:Companies affiliated with the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad]]
[[Category:Connecticut railroads]]
[[Category:Massachusetts railroads]]
[[Category:New York (state) railroads]]
[[Category:Regional railroads in the United States]]
[[Category:Rhode Island railroads]]
[[Category:Railway companies established in 1844]]
[[Category:Genesee & Wyoming]]
[[Category:Providence and Worcester Railroad]]