[bike] Touring the Central Mass (Railroad)

[dmaze]

I wasn't really motivated for a long ride this weekend, but I did want to get out of the house, so I rode out to Waltham to look at what remains of the Central Massachusetts Railroad (formerly the Massachusetts Central; subsequently briefly a branch of the Boston and Lowell, then the Boston and Maine). There is, in fact, an interlocking signal and a switch where the CMRR should branch off from the Fitchburg main line, but I don't think the track goes terribly far. There's quite a bit of evidence of it across Waltham if you know where to look; the most notable thing is the Waltham Highlands station at Hammond St. and Elson Rd.

From there I rode out just barely into Weston, around Cambridge Reservoir, and back through Lexington. Only one particularly notable hill (on Trapelo Road just west of 128). 28 miles. Not really gearing up for nuclearpolymer's century if I decide to do that, but hey, I got out on a nice reasonably cool August day. Route map

Comments

[nuclearpolymer.livejournal.com]

I believe that the registration for the granite state century is closed, so that is probably moot. I'm signed up, but now thinking that I'll probably have to punt to do one of the shorter routes.

I bought the section 1 map from Adventure Cycling. It is section 1 of the Atlantic coast route, Bar Harbor through Connecticut. The whole route goes all the down through Florida, but I figured section 1 would keep us busy for a long time. I'll bring it along to the house this weekend, and maybe we can make plans for at least one more bike ride this season.