Providence Line
Hyde Park station
Looking south along the Southwest Corridor at the three-track main line with 25-kilovolt overhead electrification; mini-highs in the distance on both platforms and a small parking lot parallel to the inbound platform
Hyde Park station
Looking north from the mini-highs toward the ramps leading up to the River St. overpass, which are also the only way to cross over to the outbound platform
Readville station
Providence Line platforms in the foreground, with a complex ramp system to cross the tracks and access the Franklin Line and Fairmount platforms; in the distance, the blue overpass carries the Midland Route over the Shore Line — used by a small number of Franklin trains when slots are unavailale on the Southwest Corridor into South Station
Readville station
Looking north up the Providence Line along the inbound platform
Readville station
HP/V reserved parking up on top of the hill where track 4 (the Fairmount platform) is
Readville station
I am convinced that the original structure here was at least a two-track bridge; the second Dorchester Branch track ends at a bumper block just out of frame to the left, and the double-track resumes at SPRAGUE interlocking a short distance down the line. (If you're finding yourself confused, that's not unreasonable: all of the railroad lines in Massachusetts have been renamed by practically every railroad to use them. This track was the Midland Route to the New Haven, the Dorchester Branch to Conrail, and the Franklin Line to the MBTA; the line below was the Shore Line to the New Haven, the Northeast Corridor to Amtrak, the Southwest Corridor to the city of Boston, and the Providence/Stoughton Line to the T.)
Readville station
Track 5 serves the lion's share of Franklin Line trains, which follow the Southwest Corridor so that they can call at Ruggles (for Longwood Medical Area workers) and Back Bay, which the historic Midland Route does not serve. In a Regional Rail service model, all Franklin trains would use the Dorchester Branch and have a regular timed transfer with the Providence Line, and this platform would go unused.
Readville station
From the north end of the accessible Franklin Line platform, we see that the inaccessible low platform contibues much farther up the line; also a good view of the difference in grades between the Franklin and Providence lines here
Canton Junction station
The actual junction is just north of the station; the center platform serves both the inbound Providence Line track and the outbound Stoughton Branch, and is squeezed in between them just south of the interlocking.
Canton Junction station
Like Readville, another complicated ramp system to ensure access among al the platforms, with mini-highs on all four tracks
Canton Junction station
At center, the north end of the center platform; next to the canopy at center right, the signal controlling entrance to the interlocking from the Stoughton Branch
Sharon station
Mansfield station
This $7 million construction project (which was not yet finished when I took these pictures) angered a lot of activists, and resulted in the federal government finally putting its foot down, because the MBTA approved a design for completely new low-level platforms with mini-highs, claiming that STRACNET clearances prevented construction of full-length high platforms. The main aim of the project was to build an accessible path of travel between the inbound and outbound platforms — the station had had mini-highs before but there was no way to get from here to the parking lot on the other side of the tracks. (I'm standing on the end of one of the wooden temporary mini-highs used during platform construction.)
Mansfield station
Looking over at the temporary outbound mini-high beyond the end of the new, as-yet incomplete low-level platform.
Mansfield station
A closer look at the end of the new mini-high with folding steel platform edge, because STRACNET, or something.
Attleboro station
This is the inbound station building, the one of the two buildings that is still in use and serviceable condition.
Attleboro station
Pretty typical mini-highs, but pretty atypical grade wooden grade crossing to board trains on the center track, which should essentially never happen since it's inaccessible. (I guess if the switch south of her got stuck and all northbound trains were routed onto the center track?)
Attleboro station
The old southboun station building, which is fenced off from the arctive platform, needs roof repairs, and I suspect is actually leased out to a private tenant
South Attleboro station
The rusty metal stairs that provided some semblance of access to the station from its primary parking lot, and part of the reason for the station's eventual closure in 2021.
South Attleboro station
The stairs down to platform level were closed for safety reasons well before my visit.
South Attleboro station
Looking down a very long ramp which pops out directly on the surface of the mini-high at the south end of the northbound platform
South Attleboro station
Looking across at the outbound mini-high from the low-level inbound platform, with the ramp above providing the only access in or out
South Attleboro station
These stairs were closed because they were more rust than metal. But the same structure holds up the ramps!