At the time it was built, the Western Railroad was the longest railroad constructed by a single corporation in the United States. It also was the most expensive, costing over five million dollars to construct the route from Worcester to the state line. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts had to finance much of this amount.

The Mountain Division of 13.89 miles cost $980,000 with a single mile costing $219,929.87. The summit section at Washington with its deep cut cost $214,311.39 for 1.8 miles of construction. These figures were much higher than had been estimated. George Bliss, the Agent and later President of the Western Railroad, explained the reasons. “Such was the nature of the work in the gorge of the mountains, that it was utterly impossible to make a reliable estimate beforehand. For instance, no doubt was entertained that the ledges on the line would furnish materials for the masonry. But the stone was condemned as unfit; and material was procured from a distance, over roads almost impassible.” George Bliss, Historical Memoirs of the Western Railroad, Springfield, 1863

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