Granite Railway

E76357

The Granite Railway was one of the first commercial railroads in the United States, built in Quincy, Massachusetts, to transport granite from local quarries to nearby waterways.

Aliases (1)

Statements (44)
Predicate Object
instanceOf early American railroad
industrial railway
cargo granite
category historic industrial infrastructure in the United States
rail transport in Massachusetts
connectedTo Neponset River NERFINISHED
constructionMaterial granite for support structures
constructionStartDate 1826
country United States
designer Gridley Bryant NERFINISHED
engineer Gridley Bryant NERFINISHED
era early 19th century
founder Thomas Handasyd Perkins
gauge standard gauge (approximate)
hasInclineSection plane to lower granite to the wharf
hasSiteRemainsAt Quincy, Massachusetts NERFINISHED
heritageDesignationDate 1960s (National Historic Landmark era)
heritageStatus National Historic Landmark
historicalSignificance demonstrated feasibility of rail transport for heavy materials in the U.S.
industry stone quarrying
influencedBy British early railways
inspired later American railroad engineering practices
length about 3 miles
locatedIn Massachusetts
New England
Quincy, Massachusetts NERFINISHED
materialTransportedTo Boston, Massachusetts
notableFor being among the first commercial railroads in the United States
early use of inclined planes for rail transport
openingDate October 7, 1826
owner Granite Railway Company
partOf early U.S. transportation infrastructure
propulsion horse-drawn
purpose transport granite from quarries to waterways
regionServed Norfolk County, Massachusetts NERFINISHED
safetyIncident 1832 accident involving a broken rail strap
servedQuarry Quincy granite quarries
terminus Neponset River wharf at Milton, Massachusetts
quarries at Quincy, Massachusetts
tourism historic site for visitors interested in railroad history
trackType stone-block track construction
wooden rails with iron straps
usedFor hauling granite blocks
usedInConstructionOf Bunker Hill Monument granite supply

Referenced by (2)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
Quincy
hasLandmark
Granite Railway ("Granite Railway Company")
owner

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