By Carla Charter

A roundhouse once used by the Rabbit Run Railroad is currently being renovated off of South Athol Road. The route of the Rabbit Run Railroad ran through Athol, Petersham and New Salem, as well as the lost Quabbin towns of Dana, Enfield, Greenwich and Prescott.

“I purchased the former Engine House in 2022,” said Tom Pettee in Barre, a historical house restorer who usually restore houses built before 1840 and owner of Quabbin Housewrights.

“Housewrights were people who make everything from scratch, which is what I do,” he added.

“The Rabbit Run Railroad ran from 1871 to 1935 to Athol. From 1880 it was part of the Boston & Albany Railroad. It offered both freight and passenger service,” according to J.R.Greene, chairman of the Athol Historical Commission and author of two volumes on the railroad.

Pettee said he first viewed the building in January after a snowstorm.

“If someone doesn’t save it it would be ripped down. I wanted to preserve it,” Pettee said. “It’s my hobby, collecting historic buildings.”

Following the purchase, Pettee said the building was in rough shape. This included an 18-foot hole in the roof. Among the relics he uncovered from the building’s railroad days were pieces of the original windows which allowed him to duplicate the glass. The roundhouse building is pie-shaped and also contains an Armstrong turntable with a manual turntable lever, he said.

Pettee is hoping to have the building restored in three to four years

“It is a unique property. I want to renovate it back to the way it was. I want it to go down in history as a renovation rather than torn down,” he said.

A working model of the Rabbit Run Railroad—created by Ken Levine with Massachusetts Cultural Council funding—can be seen at the Swift River Valley Historical Society, according to museum Administrator Dot Frye. The model depicts portions of the Lost Quabbin towns as they were during the time the Rabbit Run Railroad was in service.

Other railroad artifacts that can be seen at the museum include the blue metal enamel Enfield Station sign, conductor signal lamps, the delicate kerosene coach lamp and a conductor’s hat which are all incorporated into the display. The archives at the museum also include photos and log books, Frye said.

A Rabbit Run Rail Trail has been discussed for several decades with the concept originating in the Conservation Commission, according to Greene. It would be available for use by non-motorized recreation including hiking, bicycling and cross-country skiing.

More information on the Swift River Valley Historical Society can be found at www.swiftrivermuseum.org.

More information on the proposed Rabbit Run Rail Trail can be found at

www.athol-ma.gov/parks-trails/pages/proposed-rabbit-run-trail.

Carla Charter is a freelance writer from Phillipston. Her writing focuses on the history of the North Quabbin area. Contact her at cjfreelancewriter@earthlink.net.

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