Haunted Clinton tunnel appears endless

CLINTON— There is light at the end of this tunnel, but it seems
impossible to reach it.
The old train tunnel buried in woods off Route 70 once came out to a
now-removed bridge over the Wachusett Dam.
It has been said to be haunted (but probably that is just weird echo
vibrations), to be abnormally cold, and to create an optical illusion
that makes it appear to go on forever when one is walking through.

That last part is true. Although the tunnel was once said to be the
second-longest one in the state, it's probably not more than a
quarter-mile, or at the most, a half-mile long. But when you're walking
it, it seems to go on for miles.

Listed in "Haunted Places in Worcester County," the tunnel earned its
spot in the book from the eerie sounds produced by echoes, its Gothic
appearance, and the chilly temperature.
Clinton Police Officer John J. Gaughan, who lives near the tunnel, said
the best time to go there is in the winter, when water running down the
sides turns it into a shimmering ice palace.
"I take my kids. We bring flashlights, and it's quite a show. Sometimes
people put sand down, or else you'd slip on all that ice," he said.
Officer Gaughan said temperatures in the tunnel run about 20 degrees
cooler than outside.

Trains, including passenger trains, stopped running through the tunnel
in the mid-1950s, and the trestle over the dam was removed in the 1970s,
he said.
An effort is under way to connect the tunnel to the Central Mass. Rail
Trail.

— KAREN NUGENT