Concord – Wells River Railway
| Concord NH – Wells River VT, as of 1999 |
|
|---|---|
| Society: | NEGS , PAR , WSR |
| Route length: | 151.18 km |
| Gauge : | 1435 mm ( standard gauge ) |
| Tracks: | 1 |
The Concord – Wells River railway is a rail link in New Hampshire and Vermont ( United States ). It is around 151 kilometers long and connects the cities of Concord , Tilton , Laconia , Meredith , Woodsville and Wells River . The section from Concord to Plymouth belongs to the state of New Hampshire and is operated by the New England Southern Railroad from Concord to East Tilton in freight traffic. The Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroad operates tourist trips between Tilton and Plymouth. The section from Woodsville to Wells River (approx. 500 meters) has not yet been officially closed and belongs to Pan Am Railways . However, the traffic is still.
history
After the Nashua – Concord line was completed in 1842 , efforts were made to extend it to Canada. In 1844, the Boston, Concord and Montreal Railroad was founded for this purpose , but it was not until the late 1840s that it was able to raise money for the railway construction. In May 1848 the first section to Sanbornton Bridge (later Tilton) went into operation. In October 1848 the section followed to Lake Village (later Lakeport), in March 1849 Meredith Village was reached, in early 1850 Plymouth and in February 1851 Warren . The rest of the section to Wells River did not go into operation until May 1853.
The Boston and Lowell Railroad began operating in 1884 , followed by the Boston and Maine Railroad three years later. Two years later, however, the Boston, Concord & Montreal merged with other companies to form the Concord and Montreal Railroad , which now took over the management. However, this was bought in 1895 by Boston & Maine and the line was again under the management of this railway. Only a few long-distance trains ran over the railway line, including the Alouette (Boston – Montreal) from the early 1930s .
On October 31, 1954, however, all traffic between Plymouth and Blackmount was set and the section closed, and the Alouette ran again, as in the 1920s, over White River Junction. At the same time, passenger traffic ended between Blackmount and Woodsville. In 1959, passenger traffic was also suspended between Laconia and Plymouth. On December 2, 1961, passenger trains ran between Wells River and Woodsville (and on over the White Mountains to Berlin ) for the last time . In 1965 the end for passengers came on the remaining section.
Freight traffic between Meredith and Plymouth ended in the summer of 1973 after a flood, but the line was not closed. The state acquired the section approximately 2.5 kilometers north of Concord to Plymouth on October 30, 1975 and was looking for a tenant. Boston & Maine continued to use the section to Meredith for regular freight traffic. Initially, the Wolfeboro Railroad leased the route in 1976 to operate freight and tourist traffic. This contract was terminated just a year later. The Goodwin Railroad now leased the railway and operated it until 1981. In September 1982, the New England Southern Railroad finally took over the freight traffic between Concord and East Tilton.
The excursion traffic between Lakeport and Meredith led from 1984 to 1990 the Winnipesaukee Railroad , from 1991 to 1994 the Winnipesaukee and Pemigewasset Valley Railroad and since 1995 the Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroad , which is owned by the Hobo Railroad . Since then, several level crossings and bridges have been renewed along the entire route and the sleepers have been replaced on longer sections. There are now several excursion trains running between the Railway Museum in Tilton and Plymouth for almost the entire remaining route.
The Blackmount – Woodsville section was closed in 1981. The 500 meter stretch between Wells River and Woodsville has belonged to Guilford Transportation since 1983 and has been operating under the name Pan Am Railways since 2006 . However, traffic on the section has been idle since the 1990s.
Route description
The line begins in Concord and is the northern continuation of the Nashua – Concord railway line . It first crosses the Merrimack River and leads north out of the city on its east bank. The railway runs right next to Interstate 93 , during the construction of which the route had to be partially swiveled in the area of motorway exits. A few kilometers further, the train leaves the Merrimack valley and leads over a ridge to Tilton . Shortly before Tilton station, the Tilton – Franklin Junction line joins from the west . Today there is a small railway museum with exhibited cars and also the departure point of the occasional excursion trains of the Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroad to Plymouth and on to Lincoln .
After the former Tilton station, the railway line crosses the Winnipesaukee River three times and continues northeast. On the following section, the route crosses a lake plateau. First past Silver Lake , the train runs for a few kilometers on the east bank of Lake Winnisquam . Through the urban area of Laconia it reaches Opechee Bay , Paugus Bay and Meredith Bay , three large bays of Lake Winnipesaukee , on the coast of which it continues northwards. After Meredith Station , the route turns west and runs along the south shore of Lake Waukewan and along Winona Lake to Ashland , where it reaches the valley of the Pemigewasset River . She crosses this river and follows it north to Plymouth. The route splits here. Today only the Plymouth – Lincoln railway line that branches off here remains , the line to Wells River has been dismantled from here.
After the junction, the route crosses the Baker River and turns west to run along this river to Rumney. From here on, State Road 25 now uses most of the former railway line. At Haverhill , the rail line turns north and now runs parallel to the Connecticut River . In Woodsville there was a track triangle over which the Woodsville – Groveton railway branched off into the White Mountains . Shortly after the station, the train crosses Connecticut and immediately reaches the Wells River junction station . The tracks are still available in this area, but have not been used regularly since the 1990s. In Wells River the route merges into the disused Montpelier – Wells River railway line .
Sources and further information
- Individual evidence
- ↑ Mike Walker: Comprehensive Railroad Atlas of North America. New England & Maritime Canada. SPV-Verlag, Dunkirk (GB), 1999.
- ↑ Distance kilometers from http://www.trainweb.org/nhrra/Mileage-Charts/BM-RR/White-Mtns-Main.htm
- literature
- Robert M. Lindsell: The Rail Lines of Northern New England. Branch Line Press, Pepperell, MA 2000, ISBN 0-942147-06-5 .
- Web links