This is a list of all freight railroad (not streetcar or rapid transit) lines that have been built in Rhode Island, and does not deal with ownership changes from one company to another. The lines are named by the first company to build or consolidate them. Unless noted, every railroad eventually became part of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad system.
| Name | From | To | Branches | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston and Providence Railroad | Massachusetts state line in Pawtucket | downtown Providence | East Providence Branch, Massachusetts state line in Pawtucket to Fox Point in Providence | was jointly owned with the Providence and Worcester Railroad south of Boston Switch in Central Falls |
| Providence and Worcester Railroad | Massachusetts state line in North Smithfield | downtown Providence | East Providence Branch, Valley Falls (in Cumberland) to East Providence (with a section in Massachusetts) | was jointly owned with the Boston and Providence Railroad south of Boston Switch in Central Falls |
| Rhode Island and Massachusetts Railroad | Valley Falls (in Cumberland) | Massachusetts state line in Cumberland (with a section in Massachusetts) | ||
| East Side Railroad Tunnel | East Providence | downtown Providence | built by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad | |
| Moshassuck Valley Railroad | Woodlawn (in Pawtucket) | Saylesville (in Lincoln) | remained independent | |
| Seekonk Branch Railroad | Short line in East Providence | |||
| Providence, Warren and Bristol Railroad | East Providence | Bristol | ||
| Fall River, Warren and Providence Railroad | Warren | Massachusetts state line in Warren | ||
| Newport and Fall River Railroad | Massachusetts state line in Tiverton | Newport | ||
| Charles River Railroad | Massachusetts state line in Woonsocket | Woonsocket | ||
| Woonsocket and Pascoag Railroad | Woonsocket | Harrisville (in Burrillville) | ||
| Providence and Springfield Railroad | downtown Providence | Massachusetts state line at Burrillville | ||
| Hartford, Providence and Fishkill Railroad | downtown Providence | Connecticut state line in Coventry | Dorrance Street Branch in Providence | |
| New York, Providence and Boston Railroad | downtown Providence | Connecticut state line in Westerly | South Providence Branch, Cranston Junction (in Cranston) to South Providence (in Providence) | |
| Pontiac Branch Railroad | Auburn (in Cranston) | Pontiac (in Warwick) | ||
| Pawtuxet Valley Railroad | Pontiac (in Warwick) | Hope (in Scituate) | ||
| Warwick Railroad | Auburn (in Cranston) | Buttonwoods (in Warwick) | remained independent, later became a street railway | |
| Naval Air Station Quonset Point | Davisville (in North Kingstown) | Quonset Point (in North Kingstown) | remained independent (U.S. Government owned) | |
| Newport and Wickford Railroad | Wickford Junction (in North Kingstown) | Wickford (in North Kingstown) | ||
| Narragansett Pier Railroad | Kingston (in South Kingstown) | Narragansett Pier (in Narragansett) | remained independent | |
| Wood River Branch Railroad | Wood River Junction (in Richmond) | Hope Valley (in Hopkinton) | remained independent | |
| Westerly Granite Quarry Proprietor's Railroad | Westerly | granite quarries | ||
| Southern New England Railway | Massachusetts state line in Woonsocket | Providence | South Providence Branch, around the west side of Providence | never finished, built by the Grand Trunk Railway |
Famous quotes containing the words list of, list, railroad, lines and/or island:
“The advice of their elders to young men is very apt to be as unreal as a list of the hundred best books.”
—Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. (1841–1935)
“Do your children view themselves as successes or failures? Are they being encouraged to be inquisitive or passive? Are they afraid to challenge authority and to question assumptions? Do they feel comfortable adapting to change? Are they easily discouraged if they cannot arrive at a solution to a problem? The answers to those questions will give you a better appraisal of their education than any list of courses, grades, or test scores.”
—Lawrence Kutner (20th century)
“I was the conductor of the Underground Railroad for eight years, and I can say what most conductors can’t say—I never ran my train off the track and I never lost a passenger.”
—Harriet Tubman (1821–1913)
“There is something to be said for government by a great aristocracy which has furnished leaders to the nation in peace and war for generations; even a Democrat like myself must admit this. But there is absolutely nothing to be said for government by a plutocracy, for government by men very powerful in certain lines and gifted with the “money touch,” but with ideals which in their essence are merely those of so many glorified pawnbrokers.”
—Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919)
“We approached the Indian Island through the narrow strait called “Cook.” He said, “I ‘xpect we take in some water there, river so high,—never see it so high at this season. Very rough water there, but short; swamp steamboat once. Don’t paddle till I tell you, then you paddle right along.” It was a very short rapid. When we were in the midst of it he shouted “paddle,” and we shot through without taking in a drop.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)