Portsmouth, Great Falls and Conway Railroad
The Portsmouth, Great Falls and Conway Railroad (PGFCR) is a former railway company in New Hampshire ( United States ). It was founded on June 19, 1844 as the Great Falls and Conway Railroad and built the northern extension of the Great Falls and South Berwick Railroad , which was founded in 1841 but only opened in 1854 . A consolidation agreement was signed with this railway on December 30, 1848.
On February 28, 1849, the first section from Great Falls (now Somersworth) to Rochester was opened. The standard gauge route was 9 kilometers long. In 1850 the track reached South Milton . In 1855 the extension to Union took place . A short stretch of this route crossed the territory of the state of Maine . Further construction initially stalled due to financial problems.
On June 30, 1865, the railway company was finally reorganized in Portsmouth, Great Falls and Conway Railroad . At the same time, the construction of the line continued. By 1875 the entire Jewett – Intervale Junction railway was completed. In Intervale Junction, the line connected to the Portland and Ogdensburg Railway (P&O), which was opened around the same time .
From 1870 and again from October 1, 1878, the Eastern Railroad leased the railway company for 60 years. On May 9, 1890, the Boston and Maine Railroad finally acquired the company, which was thus dissolved. Today the New Hampshire Northcoast operates the section from Somersworth to Ossipee . The Conway Scenic Railroad operates the section from Conway to Intervale Junction as a museum railway. The remaining sections are closed.