In 1847 the Providence and Worcester Railroad opened for business, replacing the Blackstone Canal as the main transportation of raw materials and finished goods between Providence and Worcester. The company was incorporated under the Laws of Massachusettes and Rhode Island in 1844. In 1892 the the company was leased to the New York, New Haven and Hartford RR for 99 years. Today the Providence and Worcester Railroad Company (P&W) is a regional freight railroad operating in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, and Rhode Island. Its 31 diesel electric locomotives run over 516 miles of track (163 miles of which it owns). An interstate freight carrier, it serves about 160 customers, hauling such goods as construction materials, foodstuffs, plastics, chemicals, and metals. It interchanges freight traffic with CSX RR In Worcester, MA And In New Haven, CT, Pan Am RR In Worcester, MA, Pan Am Southern RR In Gardner, MA, NECR RR In New London, CT And In Willimantic, CT, , New York Atlantic RR At Fresh Pond Junction, NY, And Connecticut Southern RR In Hartford, CT. P&W operates locomotive and railcar maintenance facilities in Worcester, Massachusetts, and Plainfield, Connecticut. A Leased Alco RS-3 Number 161 Slide From Group Member Steve Vallee Taken February 2, 1973 In Worcester, MA. you can call Mike Delage For Your Railfan Reports at (Home) 405-0186 and His Cell Phone at 426-1878. (RI) Photo By Michael Delage. UPDATED 03/01/13.