1973 HOOSAC RAILROAD TUNNEL North Adams Massachusetts POSTAL Cover CANCEL MASS

Pricing & History

Sold for
Start Free Trial or Sign In to see what it's worth.
Sold Date
Source eBay

HOOSAC TUNNEL COVERFREE SHIPPING with delivery confirmation on all domestic purchases!Nice cover from western Massachusetts, "Hoosac Tunnel Centennial, 1873-1973"Postmarked 1973 in North Adams, Massachusetts.We ship worldwide! Please see all pictures and visit our eBay store and other eBay auctions!The Hoosac Tunnel (also called Hoosic or Hoosick Tunnel ) is a 4.75-mile (7.64 km) active railroad tunnel in western Massachusetts that passes through the Hoosac Range , an extension of Vermont 's Green Mountains . Work began in 1851 [1] with an estimated cost of $2 million and ended in 1875 with a total cost of $21 million. At its completion, the tunnel was the world's second-longest, after the 8.5-mile (13.7 km) Mont Cenis Tunnel through the French Alps . It was the longest tunnel in North America until the 1916 completion of the Connaught Tunnel under Rogers Pass in British Columbia , [3] and remains the longest active transportation tunnel east of the Rocky Mountains .The tunnel runs in a straight line from its east portal, along the Deerfield River in the town of Florida , to its west portal in the town of North Adams . It remains an active freight rail line, owned by Pan Am Railways and operating without a schedule. "No Trespassing" signs are posted throughout the area and it is illegal to enter the tunnel or walk on the railroad tracks without permission. The tunnel is frequently monitored by Boston & Maine Police . Trespassing in the tunnel or on railroad property may result in arrest, injury, or death."Hoosac" is an Algonquian word meaning "place of stones".Construction [ edit ] Proposal and beginning [ edit ] The Hoosac Tunnel GuideThe tunnel project was originally proposed in 1819 as a canal to connect Boston to Upstate New York via the Deerfield River on the east of the Hoosac Range and the Hoosic River on the west. That project was shelved, and later reborn as part of the new Troy and Greenfield Railroad . The project was nicknamed "The Great Bore" by its critics, including future Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. , who said he'd like to "wall up a dozen lawyers at one end of the tunnel and put a good fee at the other."The most important proponent of the northern route and the Hoosac Tunnel was Alvah Crocker , a self-made paper mill owner from Fitchburg, Massachusetts . The Science Channel documentary Driven to Invent: Killer Tunnel called Crocker "The Father of Modern Tunneling" for his influence in advancing the use of geologists, explosives, pneumatic tools and boring technology, and said, "He laid down the rules for tunnel construction even to the present day." In 1841, Crocker formed the Fitchburg Railroad (chartered 1842, opened 1845) between Boston and Fitchburg. In 1844 Crocker incorporated the existing Vermont and Massachusetts Railroad , which ran from Fitchburg west to Greenfield , as well as northward (from Millers Falls ) to Brattleboro, Vermont . In 1848 Crocker secured from the legislature a charter for the Troy & Greenfield Railroad (T & G), with provisions for a tunnel through Hoosac Mountain.The first chief engineer of the tunnel project was A.F. Edwards. In 1854, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts provided $2,000,000 in credit to Edward Wellman Serrell and Company, which began work in 1855. In 1856, Herman Haupt took over as chief engineer.The Western Railroad led by Chester Chapin , which ran a southern route through Springfield and Pittsfield , opposed the Hoosac Tunnel and its northern route through the state. They successfully lobbied to block state funding of the tunnel in 1861, which bankrupted Haupt and temporarily stopped the project. Haupt had excavated 4,250 feet (1,300 m), or about a fifth of the distance, at that point. He left and became a Union Army railroad engineer and general in the American Civil War .Completion [ edit ]In 1862, the Troy and Greenfield Railroad defaulted on its loan from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts , which foreclosed on the mortgage and took control ... read more

Items in the Price Guide are obtained exclusively from licensors and partners solely for our members’ research needs.

Flag item for content or copyright

If this item contains incorrect or inappropriate information please contact us here to flag it for review.

If you are the originator/copyright holder of this photo/item and would prefer it be excluded from our community, contact us here for removal.