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28-842: The original passenger station in West Barnstable was opened in 1854 by the Cape Cod Railroad . This station was torn down and a new station was built, at the same location, by the New Haven Railroad in 1911 at a cost of $ 18,000. The original architecture style of the station was identical to the stations that the New Haven Railroad built in Buzzards Bay and Sagamore around the same time. The station served trains to Boston and seasonal trains to New York City and remained in service until 1964 when

56-734: A small business district, a working harbor, and several small beaches. The village is home to many small attractions, including Sturgis Library, the Olde Colonial Courthouse (now Tales of Cape Cod ), the Barnstable Comedy Club, and the Trayser Museum. The Sturgis Library was constructed in 1644 for the Reverend John Lothrop , founder of Barnstable. The building is one of the oldest houses remaining on Cape Cod. The house which forms

84-781: A stagecoach stop, an inn, and an important meeting place into the mid-19th century. Cornelius Crocker, one of the wealthiest men on the Cape, was the first keeper of the tavern. Under the stewardship of Crocker, the inn became the central meeting place for American patriots including James Otis prior to, and during, the Revolutionary War . In his collection of short stories, Welcome to the Monkey House , author Kurt Vonnegut references Barnstable Village on more than one occasion. Vonnegut and his family lived in Barnstable, in

112-443: A state courthouse until 1838. This courthouse in now a museum and hosts the "Tales of Cape Cod", a local tourist attraction. The village is arguably the most historic village in Barnstable; it holds the homes of M. Hinkley, D.G. Bacon, F.D. Cobb, and several other homes dating from the mid-19th century. The area also holds the renowned Cummaquid Golf Club, the Barnstable Comedy Club and the Trayser Museum. The Barnstable Comedy Club

140-706: A twenty-year lease on the building in 2012. They have been restoring it as a historical railway station and museum since 2001 when they became the custodian of the building. The station building, which is open to the public on Saturdays between May and October, also hosts numerous special events, including National Train Day in May, the West Barnstable village festival in August and the Cranberry Express in October. During

168-517: Is advocating for a rails with trails instead. Barnstable (village), Massachusetts Barnstable is the name of one of the seven villages within the Town of Barnstable, Massachusetts , United States. The Village of Barnstable is located on the north side of the town, centered along "Old King's Highway" ( Massachusetts Route 6A ), and houses the County Complex of Barnstable County ,

196-652: Is the oldest and longest-running community theater in Massachusetts. The Trayser Museum is the former county custom house , which now houses a Coast Guard Heritage Museum. Also on the grounds of the museum is a jail, complete with inmates' graffiti. The jail dates back to 1690. Barnstable Village is also home to the Crocker Tavern, which was built around 1754 and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places . The Crocker Tavern served as

224-680: The Cape Codder during summer weekends from New York City to Hyannis, until it was terminated in 1996. The cancellation of the Cape Codder marked the end of non-heritage passenger rail between the Cape and the mainland for almost twenty more years. From 1989 to 1999, Bay Colony Railroad operated seasonal heritage railroad excursions from Hyannis to Sagamore under the Cape Cod Railroad brand, until these services were taken over by Cape Cod Central Railroad in 1999. Bay Colony

252-627: The Cape Cod Central Railroad (1861–1868) , which had opened a line from Yarmouth to Orleans in 1865. In 1871, the Cape Cod Railroad bought the Plymouth and Vineyard Sound Railroad – which had been incorporated in 1861 as the Vineyard Sound Railroad Company intending to build a line from Buzzards Bay to Woods Hole . However, the road to Woods Hole was not completed until July 17, 1872, after

280-820: The Cape Main Line ) is a railroad in southeastern Massachusetts , running from Pilgrim Junction in Middleborough across the Cape Cod Canal Railroad Bridge , where it splits towards Hyannis in one direction and Falmouth in the other. It was incorporated in 1846 as the Cape Cod Branch Railroad to provide a rail link from the Fall River Railroad line in Middleborough to Cape Cod . Among

308-634: The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad , passenger trains served Sandwich. Trains of the 1940s-1960s included the Day Cape Codder and the Neptune. The property once included a detached freight house but it was torn down a few decades ago. The station was used as a shooting location for the films The Golden Boys (2008) and The Lightkeepers (2009). The Cape Cod Chapter of the NRHS signed

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336-657: The Night Cape Codder , the Neptune , the Islander , and the Flying Dude . Following New York, New Haven and Hartford permanently terminating Cape operations in 1964, the Cape lacked any regular passenger rail service for almost twenty years. In 1984, the Cape Cod and Hyannis Railroad began providing seasonal service between Braintree and Hyannis, until their closure in 1988. In 1986, Amtrak began operating

364-477: The Cape Cod Branch Railroad was renamed the Cape Cod Railroad Company . In the spring of 1854, construction continued, with the railroad reaching Barnstable village May 8, Yarmouth Port May 19, and finally Hyannis on July 8, 1854. Connecting steamboat service to Nantucket commenced from Hyannis in late September and would continue until 1872. In 1868, the Cape Cod Railroad acquired

392-426: The Cape Cod Railroad. The NYNH&H ended daily passenger service to southeastern Massachusetts and the Cape in 1959. The railroad did, however, restore the popular seasonal rail service from New York City to Hyannis, with connections from Boston, during the 1960 through 1964 summer seasons. The New Haven's passenger service to Cape Cod was operated under a number of different names, including and Day Cape Codder ,

420-534: The New Haven Railroad ran its last passenger trains to Cape Cod including the Day Cape Codder . Between 1986 and 1996 it was an unmanned station stop for Amtrak 's Cape Codder service. It is one station that has been eliminated from the schedule of the seasonal Cape Flyer train service between Boston and Hyannis. From the 19th Century, under the Old Colony Railroad and until 1964 under

448-497: The first 14.7-mile (23.7 km) segment of the railroad was opened between Middleborough and Wareham . By May 1848 an additional 12.9 miles (20.8 km) was opened to Sandwich , enabling unimpeded transit between Boston and Sandwich, thus serving the needs of the Boston & Sandwich Glass Company . In 1853, the extension of the line to Hyannis was started, reaching West Barnstable on December 22, 1853. On February 22, 1854,

476-590: The merger with the Cape Cod Railroad. Upon completion of that road, the steamboat service to Nantucket moved to Woods Hole. By this time, the Cape Cod Railroad had merged with the Old Colony and Newport Railway to form a new company, renamed the Old Colony Railroad. The Cape Cod routes became known as the "Cape Cod Division" of the Old Colony Railroad, with its headquarters in Hyannis. The merger

504-541: The ongoing South Coast Rail project. Massachusetts Coastal Railroad is owned by the same parent company as Cape Cod Central Railroad. Mass Coastal has been in conflict with proponents of a new rail trail that wish to replace the line between Bourne and Camp Edwards with a new branch of the Shining Sea Bikeway . This would eliminate rail service to the transfer station within Camp Edwards. The railroad

532-684: The only passenger service along the Falmouth spur of track. Ever since the Old Colony Lines were restored for public service in the late 1990s, there have been several efforts made to extend commuter rail service from Middleborough/Lakeville station to Buzzards Bay . As of 2020, the MBTA is conducting a study to evaluate the feasibility of implementing such service in conjunction with the currently-underway South Coast Rail project. While regular commuter service has not yet been implemented,

560-638: The original part of the library is the oldest building housing a public library in the United States . Since Reverend Lothrop used the front room of the house for public worship, another distinction of the Sturgis Library is that it is the oldest structure still standing in America where religious services were regularly held. This room is now called "The Lothrop Room" and contains a beamed ceiling and pumpkin-colored wide-board floors that exemplify

588-499: The proponents of the Cape Cod Branch Railroad were Col. Richard Borden of Fall River , who saw the new line as an opportunity to bring more traffic and business through his hometown. He was at one time president of the Bay State Steamboat Company, which together with the Old Colony Railroad formed the noted " Fall River Line ". He was later elected president of the Cape Cod Railroad. On January 26, 1848,

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616-574: The quintessential early character of authentic Cape Cod houses. The Olde Colonial Courthouse is one of the oldest courthouses in the United States . Built of wood, court proceedings of the King's Court were interrupted in 1774 by James Otis , Samuel Adams and 1,500 other protestors opposed to the King's bill of attainder that denied the right of colonists to a jury trial. As a result, the King's judge decided to cease holding cases. It served as

644-583: The seasonal passenger train CapeFLYER began operating from Boston to Hyannis in 2013, as a collaborative effort between Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority and Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority . In addition to serving select stops along the regular commuter rail lines, the CapeFLYER also makes stops in Wareham , Buzzards Bay , Bourne , and Hyannis In 2007, the contract for Cape freight rail

672-626: The summer, West Barnstable serves as a stop for select excursion trains running from Hyannis to the Cape Cod Canal, often including an additional stop at the historic Pairpoint Glass facility in Sagamore. Although trains depart from Hyannis every day of the week during the summer, West Barnstable is only served on Saturdays. [REDACTED] Media related to West Barnstable station at Wikimedia Commons Cape Cod Railroad The Cape Cod Railroad (also currently referred to as

700-545: The track splits in two directions, with one direction heading towards Falmouth and the other heading towards Hyannis. The Falmouth line is currently used for freight and heritage passenger service, while the Hyannis line is used for regular freight and passenger services. The Cape Cod Central Railroad continues to operate seasonal tourist excursions, departing from Hyannis and Buzzards Bay and occasionally including stops at West Barnstable and Sandwich . A limited number of trains also depart from North Falmouth, which marks

728-428: Was also the sole operator of freight rail on the Cape from 1987 to 2007, until their contract expired and service was taken over by Massachusetts Coastal Railroad. Throughout the 20th century, most of the railroad tracks on the outer Cape were removed, with many being replaced with rail trails. Today, the only railroad tracks on the Cape exist on the upper Cape. Shortly after crossing the Cape Cod Canal Railroad Bridge ,

756-1007: Was awarded to Massachusetts Coastal Railroad , which currently continues to manage all freight rail on the line today. The most common operation is the "energy train", which hauls refuse from the Upper Cape Regional Transfer Station in Falmouth and the Yarmouth-Barnstable Regional Transfer Station in Yarmouth , to the Southeastern Massachusetts Resource Recovery Facility , a waste-to-energy plant in Rochester . Other regular operations include interchanging with CSX in Middleborough and transporting material for

784-475: Was completed on September 30, 1872.The Woods Hole Branch opened on July 17, 1872. With much fanfare, the Old Colony Railroad completed the line to Provincetown in July 1873. Old Colony Railroad maintained all rail operations on the Cape until their closure in 1893. After Old Colony Railroad closed in 1893, the entire network was leased by New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad , which took over operations on

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