The
Old Colony Railroad (OC) was a major
railroad system, mainly covering southeastern
Massachusetts and parts of
Rhode Island. It operated from 1845 to 1893. Old Colony trains ran from
Boston to points such as
Plymouth,
Fall River,
New Bedford,
Newport,
Providence,
Fitchburg,
Lowell and
Cape Cod. For many years the Old Colony Railroad Company also operated steamboat and ferry lines, including those of the
Fall River Line with express train service from
Boston to its wharf in
Fall River where passengers boarded luxury liners to
New York City. The company also briefly operated a railroad line on
Martha's Vineyard, as well as the freight-only
Union Freight Railroad in
Boston. The OC was named after the "Old Colony", the nickname for the
Plymouth Colony.