Needham Heights station
Heights Common, across Avery Square from the station
Needham Heights station
Not much of a structure here; while that looks like a bus bay, the 59 bus doesn't enter the station and stops instead on Highland Ave. (out of frame to the left).
Needham Heights station
A section of double- and triple-track, used for layovers, starts immediately south of the station. The right-of-way here is wide enough for two tracks in the station, but not for two platforms.
Needham Heights station
Some of the older industrial buildings look to have once had freight service along the line, but none do now. The right-of-way necks down to a single track about a quarter mile norith of Needham Center.
Needham Heights station
The platform literally goes right up to the curb on West St. — which is what this station was originally called.
Needham Heights station
Looking back up the platform towards the mini-high right before the overpass in the distance. Note the signal equipment house and beyond it, switch heaters.
Needham Heights station
A little bit closer view of the weird kink in the platform
Needham Heights station
Make that the weirdly kinked and poorly maintained platform.
Needham Heights station
The mini-highs on this line are generally in better shape than the low-level platforms, despite excessive salt use.
Needham Heights station
The railroad is out-of-service or just plain abandoned immediately north of here, although the right-of-way is intact and appears to be wide enough for two tracks all the way to Route 128 (where the recent widening project removed a bridge). My proposal for a Needham LRT involves re-extending the line to Gould St., where there is underutilized land that could house a station and light maintenance facility.
Needham Heights station
It's easier to see from this angle that the platform actually slopes down from the West St. grade crossing to the Hunnewell St. underpass.
Needham Center station
Looking north along the platform toward the mini-high
Needham Center station
A somewhat closer view of the mini-high and the May St. grade crossing just beyond
Needham Center station
The wooden bumpers on the mini-highs have seen better days but the concrete platforms are doing just fine. No sign of the steel fold-down platform edges as seen on the Worcester and Fitchburg Lines.
Needham Center station
Yup, "no weekend service" is why I'm here this month.
Needham Center station
Parking lots, I think town-owned, on both sides of the tracks, with grade crossings for platform access
Needham Center station
Some retail development and amenities on the west side of the station as we get down to Great Plain Ave. in the actual commercial center of Needham
Needham Center station
Other retail services on the platform side of the tracks north of the Great Plain Ave. grade crossing
Needham Center station
Looking north along the platform from Great Plain Ave.
Needham Junction station
Not much of a junction any more, but it does have an icre-cream stand (closed for the season)
Needham Junction station
Looking west along the platform towards the former wye junction
Needham Junction station
There is still a wye here, for the moment, with tracks to the north, east, and southwest. The track to the southwest was the Millis Line, which never saw service in the MBTA era, and which has been rail-trailed just south of the switch for that leg of the wye. All trains follow the active tracks off to the right toward Needham Center.
Needham Junction station
From the mini-high, looking back east along the platform toward the overpass at Warren St.
Needham Junction station
The platform edge treatment they used at this station seems to have largely failed.
Needham Junction station
Looking east along the line from the end of the platform. Note that the overpass was built for two tracks, but the switch for the double-track section has been moved to the other wide of the overpass and there are now signal houses in the path of the former southern track.
Needham Junction station
The second track only extended about 50 feet into the station, so it probably made sense to lift it here.
Hersey station
Looking at the 2018 CTPS passenger counts, I was wondering why Hersey, of all stations, was the busiest on the whole line. It's on the middle of nowhere, right? Surrounded by a golf course! Then I got to this enormous parking lot (one of two) and all became clear.
Hersey station
While the railroad was on a berm through Needham Junction, it runs in an open cut at Hersey, one of the more difficult sections to build when the original "Needham Cut-off" was built in the early 1900s. The station itself was added about a decade later.
Hersey station
Pretty steep stairway down from the main parking lot
Hersey station
Looking up the platform towards the Great Plain Ave. overpass.
Hersey station
The parking lot of the south side of the tracks ramps down to track level; it's smaller than the main lot but allows all of the accessible parking spots to be closer to the west end of the platform where the mini-high is. At this end, there's just another stairway and a grade crossing to get to the platform.
Hersey station
The GPA overpass is clearly wide enough for two tracks, but the right-of-way narrows almost immediately on the other side. The next overpass is Greendale Ave. off in the distance.
Hersey station
Now looking west along the platform towards Needham Junction
Hersey station
Grade crossing between the HP/V parking area and the mini-high platform
Hersey station
Looking west up the line from the mini-high platform at the Needham Golf Club's private grade crossing
Hersey station
Looking back east again showing the whole length of the platform and both stairways
Millennium Park
I realize that this doesn't look much like a park — it's actually the Boston Public Works yard in West Roxbury, next to a Home Depot — but of the photos I took in the park, it's the only one that clearly shows the Needham Line tracks. The "Charles River Loop" variant of the 36 bus terminates on Gardner St. just east of the DPW barn.
West Roxbury station
Unusual choice to put the HP/V spaces immediately next to the grade crossing that actually allows the users of the spaces to access the platform (although they still have to wheel hundreds of feet up the platform to the mini-high to actually board).
West Roxbury station
Even within city limits, there's still a lot of parking at this station.
West Roxbury station
Looking all the way up the platform to where, in the distance, the mini-high allows for level boarding. As with other barely-accessible MBTA lines, passengers are directed to board from the mini-highs at all times except peak periods.
West Roxbury station
It's a full-length platform, at least. With a more frequent service, a platform this long would be entirely unnecessary.
West Roxbury station
As in Needham, the actual platfrms are not in great condition, either. This station lacks tactile edging, but is well provided with tripping hazards.
West Roxbury station
After you've hiked all this way, perhaps you'd like to sit down on a bench before climbing the mini-high to get on your train?
West Roxbury station
The telephoto lens is seriously compressing distance here... it's a "full length" 800-foot platform.
West Roxbury station
Sheltered bike racks next to the passenger shelter