Category:South Ashburnham switchback

English: The Vermont and Massachusetts Railroad, an extension of the Fitchburg Railroad, was originally chartered to run via Gardner. The railroad attempted to instead build through lower-elevation Winchendon, but was unable to change its charter. The partially-complete alignment from South Ashburnham to Winchendon was sold to the Cheshire Railroad, while the V&M built a switchback at South Ashburnham with a small wye. The switchback was replaced with a curve in 1877; much of the abandoned alignment has been reused as trails.