The company was unable to raise funds for construction until 1869; service between Worcester and Gardner began in 1871.

The line was abandoned between Winchendon and Gardner in 1959 by the Fitchburg's successor, the Boston and Maine Railroad.

[1][2] It was originally intended to connect Worcester with Barre and Palmer, and its charter authorized it along a westward route towards those two cities.

[1][2] In September of that year, the city of Worcester voted by an overwhelming margin to give the company $200,000 in aid, allowing construction to begin.

[1] By 1872, the railroad was described as "a decided success" on account of brisk traffic, and began plans to build further north from Gardner to Winchendon, a distance of 10 miles (16 km).

[10] The following month, the Massachusetts General Court authorized the Fitchburg to consolidate the Boston, Barre, and Gardner, formally ending the latter's existence as a railroad company.

[1] Falling on hard times in the 1970s, the Boston and Maine abandoned nearly all of the line in 1972, leaving only the stub track in Gardner.

[1][13][14] Portions of the right-of-way in Winchendon and northern Gardner have been converted to a rail trail, the North Central Pathway.