Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Bedford Depot Freight House Opens After Renovation


On Monday June 15th, a ribbon cutting ceremony was held to celebrate the renovation of the Bedford Depot Freight House. The total project, including Depot Park has taken over 15 years to complete. The project included improvements to the Intersection of South Road and Loomis Street and safety improvements to the area. The Freight House was originally used to store/service the Engines for the narrow gauge Billerica and Bedford Railroad. Two engines could be stored at one time. The Friends of Depot Park have been the driving force in getting this project off the ground.

The interior has been totally redone and will continue to be staffed by Friend of Depot Park who will sell Refreshments and Souvenirs. The revenue generated will help keep Depot Park self sustaining.

As part of the renovation, 2 sorely needed public bathrooms were added as well as handicap access to the Freight House.

The Interior of the Train has been restored to it's original look it had in 1955 and includes wooden floors and decorative lighting.

The train can be rented out for private gatherings.

As part of the renovation, a Solar Powered Trash Compactor was installed.

All this improvements along with the recent addition of the Bedford Farmers Market, has really updated this area and serves as a destination point for the Bedford end of the Minuteman Bikeway. In addition, the old Bedford Depot is undergoing a roof renovation. While the Freight House will likely be well utilized by Bedford Residents and users of the Bike Path, I think the addition of a adjacent restaurant (preferably with Outdoor Dining) would be very well received. It's possible the Bedford Depot could be renovated to meet this need.

Here is how the Freight House looked before the renovation.

3 comments:

Stephen Chu 朱朱 said...

Cool. My son loves trains. This will be a great place to spend a few afternoons with him.

As for using the train as private gathering, do they do birthday party?

Adam Schwartz said...

Stephen,

The town is still deciding what type of gatherings to permit. The big question is will they allow food. This should be decided in the next few weeks. Contact Bedford Town Hall for more details.

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