Berlin – Gorham tram

Berlin – Gorham
Gauge :	1435 mm ( standard gauge )

The Berlin - Gorham tram was an interurban tram in New Hampshire ( United States ).

history

On April 22, 1898, several business people from Berlin founded the Berlin Street Railway Company . On June 5, 1899, the company received the concession to build a tram line from Berlin Mills to the city limits of Gorham, a ring line in Berlin and a branch line to the Grand Trunk Railway station in Berlin. The concession was extended on January 29, 1901 by an extension of the main line to the intersection of Main Street / Exchange Street in the center of Gorham. The ring line and the branch line to the Grand Trunk station were never built. However, work on the main line began in 1901.

On July 4, 1902, the first section of the line from Berlin Mills to the "Cascade Mills Station" on the city limits to Gorham was officially opened. On September 2 of the same year, the line to the terminal in Gorham was put into operation. In order to gain additional passengers, the railway company bought a piece of land near Cascade Mills Station at the end of 1902 and opened Cascade Park and casino there.

From 1902 to 1927 the railway company posted profits. 1917 was the most profitable year, grossing the company $ 18,715. In 1920 over 1.6 million passengers were carried.

Due to the economic situation, the company was reorganized on January 1, 1938. Since the tracks and vehicles were worn out, the line was switched to bus operation on December 1, 1938 and then dismantled.

Route

The terminus in Berlin was at the west end of the Berlin Mills Bridge. The single - track standard - gauge route ran along Main Street in Berlin, Glen Avenue, Gorham Road and Main Street in Gorham to the intersection of Main / Exchange Street. Dodges were on Green Square, on Gorham Road ("Halfway Turnout") and on the Gorham city limits. The railroad's six-track depot was on Glen Avenue. The route was 7.5 miles (12 kilometers) long.

Operational flow

The railcars initially ran every 30 minutes. Regular crossing point was at the halfway turnout. The journey time was around 30 minutes, so there were no breaks at the terminals. In addition to passengers, mail was also carried. Additional trips were made at shift changes in Berlin Mills, Cascade Mills and at the Grand Trunk Railway depot in Gorham.

After delays and failures increased in the early 1910s, the Public Service Commission issued an order on August 2, 1913, according to which the railway company had to submit a report on every 1st and 15th of a month, which railways and for what reasons over five minutes drove late or not at all.

Around 1930 the wagon sequence was increased to 40 minutes. Since there was now a five-minute hold time at the terminals, the number of delays dropped dramatically.

Rates

There were two tariff zones, the border was at Cascade Mills Station. Five cents had to be paid for each zone crossed. Starting in the early 1920s, ten cents per zone were to be charged and 12-trip tickets issued for one dollar. However, this was not carried out after protests, but instead the tariff zones were abolished and eight cents were collected for each trip, with advance tickets costing seven cents per trip. At times, reduced worker tickets were issued that were only valid during rush hour traffic. Weekly tickets were also available in the 1930s.

Power system

The railway received its traction current from the Cascade Light and Power Company, whose power plant was located on the line at Cascade Mills Station. The 2200 volts alternating current offered by the power plant were converted into 550 volts direct current and fed into the contact line.

vehicles

The Laconia Car Company ordered two four-axle closed (No. 4 and 6) and open (No. 12 and 14) railcars. When the route was completed, not all vehicles had been delivered. Therefore, when the company opened, two two-axle closed railcars (No. 1 and 2) were bought second-hand in order to be able to run the business until the arrival of the ordered vehicle fleet. These cars were sold again when the ordered vehicles arrived. In 1903 two more open (no. 16 and 18) and in 1904 and 1905 one closed (no. 8 and 10) motor coaches were procured. Before the winter of 1902, the railway bought a snow plow from Wason Manufacturing Company in Springfield, Massachusetts . It was given the number 1. Another open railcar (no. 20) was procured in 1912.

The closed railcar 22 was bought second-hand at the end of the 1910s. A used four-axle goods railcar (No. 24) was added shortly afterwards. In 1920 the company also acquired the closed railcars 11 and 12 of the Shore Line Electric Railway from Connecticut and renamed them to No. 26 and 28. From the Rutland Tramway in Vermont, the railway bought a used rail cleaning car (No. 2) around 1927. Railcar 204 of the Portland (Maine) tram replaced railcar 8, which was destroyed by a fire in Gorham on April 12 of that year, and was given this number in 1935.

The closed railcars were painted dark green, while the open cars were light green. Before 1934, railcars 12 and 14 were scrapped, the rest of the fleet was in use until the end of the line.

Sources and further reading

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Cummings 1965, p. 12.

literature

• OR Cummings: Berlin Street Railway Electric Traction Quarterly, Volume 3, No. 3rd 1965.