The Old Colony Railroad built many branch lines on the South
Shore before and after the Civil War. (See
link).
The Hanover branch has mostly disappeared with the exception of a
few stretches along undevelopable wetlands.
There is a good 1500 ft remnant of the railroad along the
Cushing Brook, south of Rt 139 in Hanover. The railbed features an
intact bridge at the confluence of the Drinkwater River with
Cushing Brook. The line is still shown on current
topo maps.
The old railbed is becoming a new paved bike trail. The trailhead and parking is along rt 139, near the intersection with Circuit st.