In 1871, the Athol & Enfield Railroad (also known as the Rabbit Line, Bunny Road, and the Soapstone Limited) began operations through the Swift River Valley, eventually connecting Athol to Springfield. A station was located in the northeast section of New Salem, known as Hagerville, bringing new economic opportunities and acting as a lifeline in the pre-automobile age, taking people shopping and to school, and picking up and delivering the mail along the way.
Starting from Gate 35, the remnants of the rail-bed and the connector road form a 2-mile shoreline walkway that is open to the public for daytime hiking or bicycling. The Rabbit Run name lives on in New Salem as the official title of the annual race that is run in town the every May.
Quabbin Gate 35
Near Blackington Rd
New Salem, MA 01355