Rhode Island's history was shaped first by the shipping in Narragansett Bay, second by the waterways and the mills that tamed them, and third by the railways that came to service the mills and the growing population of Rhode Island. Not much remains of these rail lines -- the main Amtrak line that snakes along the coast before shooting north toward Boston, a few minor spurs that still get intermittent traffic to factories, and the "Brown and Orange" Providence and Worchester railroad, that follows the Blackstone river.

A hundred years ago, the rail lines were everywhere, running to tiny villages like Hope, taking people from Providence down to Oakland Beach for sunny summer fun, carting goods from factories in Pascoag, and providing access to the rest of the world through lines that no longer exist.

All abandoned when the automobile became more convenient and within the means of the common man, when trucks became simpler and cheaper than box cars, and when the factories and ferries and steamships vanished, leaving the trains nowhere to go to.

Hiking trails along the old rail bed. (Staff Photo)

You can still see signs of the trains. Many of the track beds have been turned into excellent veloways for bicycles and walkers -- consider taking a springtime stroll along Bristol's East Bay Bikeway or the veloway that goes through West Warwick to River Point Park. Others are less developed, but are easy hikes, like Trestle Trail in Coventry.

Or, if you want to be an Indianna Jones from the comfort of your car, you can explore and look for signs of the old tracks as you drive.

In Wickford, you can spot an unusual dike-like structure that runs out to Steamboat Avenue, cutting corners off the cove. This dike is the rail bed for servicing the steamboats that came here. The old station was in the tiny triangular park across Route 1A from the red brick town hall. If you look carefully and use your imagination, you can see where the rail line ran west, along the south side of the cove. You can spot more signs of it where it crosses Post Road -- the tracks are gone, but a lumber yard still has its distinct shape from being built alongside a rail line. It cuts though what is now a public service facility (another common feature on railroad land turned over to public use). A sharp eye can spot the railroad grade behind some of the houses in the nearby neighborhoods before you can spot it easily at its junction with the main line near Route 2. Here we have the clearest indication of the rail line -- old tracks and ties still remaining where the train used to travel. And there's another clue, here -- the nearby shopping center is named "Wickford Junction", in memory of the long-departed train station.

Abandoned rails near Wickford Junction (Staff Photo)

Several tools are useful for hunting these old tracks. The simplest is a roadmap, where recently abandoned lines are frequently shown. If you're really into hunting the rail lines, you might find some detailed topographic maps from the US Geologial Survey, which are better detailed than any road map when it comes to railroad grades. A few books can be of use to get you going, such as Ronald Dale Karr's Lost Railroads of New England. A quick visit to the local library or historical museum will usually get you tremendously detailed descriptions of where the trains ran. And, just for fun, check out the free satellite photos you can get online at Mapquest or Terraserver, and look for the thin trail the railroad makes through the forests.

Ready to go on your own train-hunting adventure? Start at Esmond in Smithfield and work your way northwest toward Pascoag and all the way to Wallum lake. Along the way you'll find developed hiking trails, factories with train loading docks and no train tracks, long straight level paths through the woods, the remains of bridges, exposed abandoned rails and ties, and one very very very decrepit train station.

About the author, Paul Pence: Not a life-long Rhode Islander, Paul got to Rhode Island as fast as he could. He has 25 years of writing experience and numerous publication credits including the Providence Journal, the East Greenwich Magazine, Weissmann Travel Reports, Travel Lady Magazine, Jackhammer, Your Skin and Sun, TravelNotes, TexWoman, and many others.

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