Lakeport – Alton Bay railway line

Lakeport NH – Alton Bay NH, status 1999
Society:	last BM
Route length:	27.49 km
Gauge :	1435 mm ( standard gauge )
Tracks:	1
Legend X demand breakpoint by Concord 0.00 Lakeport NH to Wells River Laconia Tram (Union Avenue) 3.72 X Lily Pond NH 5.50 X Meadowbrook NH 6.18 X Gilford NH (formerly Sa (u) nders) 7.47 Glendale NH 8.80 X Belknap Point NH 10.09 X Greystone NH 11.54 Lake Shore Park NH (formerly Ellacoya) 12.42 X Terrace Hill NH 13.45 X Ames NH 14.61 X Spring Haven NH 15.72 X Smith's Point NH 16.67 West Alton NH 19.14 X Woodlands NH 21.66 X Mt. Major NH 23.17 X Brookhurst NH 23.88 X Buckley NH 24.67 X Loon Cove NH 25.57 X Keewaydin NH 27.49 Alton Bay NH to Dover

The Lakeport – Alton Bay railway is a former rail link in New Hampshire ( United States ). It is around 27.5 kilometers long and connects the cities of Lakeport and Alton . The route is closed.

history

Already at the end of the 1840s there were plans to build a railway line from Dover to the Concord – Wells River railway. However, the railway was only built as far as Alton Bay, where the Dover – Alton Bay railway was connected to ships that could bring passengers across Lake Winnipesaukee to Lakeport. In the 1880s, the Lake Shore Railroad wanted to fill the gap. It was founded in July 1884 and received support from the Boston, Concord and Montreal Railroad , which operated the main line through Lakeport. Due to various mergers, however, construction was delayed, so that it could not begin until 1888. The official opening took place on October 25, 1889, but the first freight train did not run until January and passenger traffic began after another opening ceremony on June 17, 1890. The Concord and Montreal Railroad , which was the main line the year before, was in charge of operations had taken over by Lakeport. From the beginning, the route was primarily geared towards passenger traffic in the summer months. There were only a few stations for goods handling , namely in Lily Pond, West Alton and Alton Bay. Only one freight train per working day drove on the route. At Lake Shore Park , a train hotel was built in 1891, which should bring more passengers.

In 1895 the Boston and Maine Railroad took over the railway and introduced a continuous Lakeport – Dover train from October of that year. At the beginning of the 20th century, three more stations were built. From 1930 to 1932, a sleeper train Portland - Montréal , the Maine Coast Special , ran once a day on the route in the summer months , but without a scheduled stop. At the beginning of the 1930s, however, the transport volume fell so sharply that on July 9, 1935 all traffic ceased and the Lily Pond – Alton Bay section was closed. Freight trains ran between Lakeport and Lily Pond until 1942. About one and a half kilometers of the route remained as an industrial connection until around 1980.

Route description

The line branches off the Concord – Wells River railway at Lakeport station and initially leads northwards along the east coast of Paugus Bay , a larger bay on Lake Winnipesaukee . At Lily Pond the route turns to the northeast and from here is built over by State Road 11. Passing the Laconia Municipal Airport , the route at Gilford reaches the actual Lake Winnipesaukee. On its south coast, the route now runs southeast to the end point Alton Bay. State road 11 now takes up a large part of the route in this area. In Alton Bay, the line goes over to the Dover – Alton Bay line .

Sources and further information

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Mike Walker: Comprehensive Railroad Atlas of North America. New England & Maritime Canada. SPV-Verlag, Dunkirk (GB), 1999.
2. ↑ Distance kilometers from http://www.trainweb.org/nhrra/Mileage-Charts/BM-RR/Lakeport.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

• Boston & Maine Historical Society (English)