Originally Posted by
indyfabz
Is that an abandoned railroad right of way? If so, I find the name interesting because I work for a freight railroad and we have a track we call the "Reformatory Industrial Track."
yes it is. but must be some common denominator to the railroad's use of the word reformatory, huh? (maybe the State Prison is the clue?)
excerpt: "Bedford is host to three rail-trails: the 11- mile Minuteman Bikeway to West Cambridge, the 3-mile Narrow-Gauge RailTrail to the Billerica town line, and the 4-mile Reformatory Branch Trail to Concord Center. This guide covers the latter. The Boston & Maine Railroad s Reformatory Branch was built in 1873 to Lowell Road in Concord and in 1879 it was continued 2.5 miles further west to Reformatory Station (across from the State Prison). There were four passenger stations on the line: Shady Hill, West Bedford, Concord and Reformatory. The branch was abandoned in 1962, and the right-of-way was purchased by Bedford and Concord"
http://www.bedforddepot.org/railtrails/RBRT_guide.pdf
Reformatory Branch Trail | Massachusetts Trails | TrailLink.com
Rail-Trails at Bedford Depot Park