The Athol and Enfield Railroad and the Springfield and North-Eastern Railroad were chartered in 1869, and succeeded by the Springfield, Athol and Northeastern Railroad in 1872, opening in 1873 as a branch from Athol Junction in Springfield to the Vermont and Massachusetts Railroad in Athol.
Two railroads, the Athol and Enfield Railroad and the Springfield and North-Eastern Railroad, were established in 1869. They later merged to form the Springfield, Athol and Northeastern Railroad in 1872, which opened its first line in 1873 from Athol Junction in Springfield to the Vermont and Massachusetts Railroad in Athol.