Not scared, but glad there are some younger than me who enjoy the history of the B&M. My soon to be son who is 13 could care less about railroading, model or otherwise. I like you have been largely involved with railroading since I was too young to remember. I learned how to airbrush at 10 or 11 cause no one made B&M engines in HO or N. So while others were inside playing with G.I. Joe and Transformers, I was painting blue dip F7's or building balsa model planes. Keep it up, learn as much as you can and don't let others who think what you do is "lame" or "uncool". Those who said that about me are in jail or in a bar somewhere, I became an Associate Editor.
Hank, I meant to respond to you, sorry it got lost in the conversation. The Northern is in ok shape for the most part, however Lebanon NH has grown into the ROW. I know they have sent survey crews through out the line and have said the bridges and clearance will allow intermodal traffic, however it is more Pan Am/ GTI that is holding it up. NH wants the line re-opened but GTI would rather use the Conn valley line. Last trip up to Franklin and I saw one of the many small RR overpasses was gone.
Jim, lobbying the NHDOT, Legislature, and State House to buy the Northern ROW would be an excellent effort for someone like Trainman to spearhead, because that's the only way it will get done. I believe that is what was done with the line between Laconia and Lincoln, though I could be mistaken as to that line's current status. BTW, Wolfboro RR #250 that Trainman referred to was rebuilt in 1975-ish, and ran for a short while as a tourist hauler in Ainsley, MS before being relocated to Wolfboro. I was able to get photos of her returning to Ainsley after her rebuild in Mobile, AL as she passed my house, then later in the day as she was crossing the Bay St. Louis (MS) bridge. Sadly, I can't seem to locate those photos after two moves, though I'm still trying.
Please ignore everything I said about Wolfboro #250, I was WRONG.....sorry. Truth is, the locomotive I remembered and photographed is a 2-8-0, had nothing to do with Tatum Lumber Co., or Wolfboro RR. http://www.hawkinsrails.net/lagniappe/mrm/mrm.htm And is currently running tourists as part of the Three Rivers Rambler stable. http://www.threeriversrambler.com/lindy.htm So much for my quickly receding memory... On the other hand, I found my photos, and it was in 1985, not 1975 when she returned from her rebuild in Mobile.
Ah memories. Many a time I rode behind #250. Somewhere there is a picture of me in the cab when I was 8. Two things of Wolfborro past that I miss is that Railroad museum and the old airport that my grandfathers best friend owned. Summer days spent watching old J3 Cubs and Cessna 170's landing on the grass strip, listening to the pilots hangar talk, seeing old #250 with a good head of steam and hearing the echo of her lonely whistle on Alton Bay. The airport is now condos and the old B&M station in Wolfboro is a day care center. All in the name of progress:thumbs_down:
Hytec, its fine, at least its about a steam locomotive. and Jim i will always keep it up, yeterday i did some cleaning up on the Wolfeboro Branch with some guys and returned to fernald. I DROVE my first locomotive when i was 7 in Ayer MA with a lone GP-40. 2nd Time was when i was 13 and Had 2 GE B30-8's and 3 Slugs in between hauling 66 cars of coal to Bow, NH. Those 2 times have surely secured my love for railroading for life and no matter what anyone says to me, Railroads are going to remain taking up 99.9 percent of my brain and leaving the 0.01 for school HAHA i am good at school though... They should have 250 displayed in Wolfeboro just as a commeneration or something
and also heres the update on the surviving M&L in Londonderry, the yard seems to be in ok condition though theres lots of vegitation, by the pond it smells like crap but the old Trolly bridge and the railroad bridge still stand, ties seemed to have sunk near the bridge and they riped one rail by the bridge for easy access. So far i think that i shoud just reopen the Wolfeboro Branch instead because it is a longer route, more scenic, and it already has an engine house, a little station, and 18+ miles of track. its more scenic and near the Conway Scenic so mabey that would be easier than running a little line near a busy airport... mabey just a caboose can be put in the yard as a display peice
What is the status of the main line to which the Wolfboro Branch connected? Is this still a viable line between Rochester and Conway, or have the rails been removed and the ROW taken over by local usage?
not even a mile of track was riped up, from Wolfeboro Station to wolfeboro falls they riped the rails up, tracks intact the whole rest of the way. pave over in 2 spots, at fernald and route 16. Line is in good condition and is run and maintained by the Cotton Valley Rail Trail Club which i am a part of. We maintain the Fernald Station and Enginehouse which stores our MOW equipment. a trail is next to the tracks and at some spots between the rails but it ends at Cotton Valley. Last train ran in 1985. only 2 stations along the line are still around, Fernald and Wolfeboro. Very beutiful railroad and i am thinking of reviving it someday in the future. The line is almost 12 miles long and connects to the Conway Branch in Sanbornville. Doesnt go near rochester. i run my speeder from Wolfeboro Falls to Route 16 and i have to say it is a very scenic line. if i do say so, i think it would be a nice thing to have a partnership with the Conway Scenic Railroad.
ohhhh u mean the Conway Branch?????? its abandond between Ossipee and Madison and from madison to conway. Silver Lake runs in madison and NHN runs from Ossipee to Dover. and Conway Scenic from conway to North Conway.
Nah, not dead. I was out at a Northeast Fallen Flags Prototype meet yesterday, displaying some of my B&M and Maine Central stuff.
In another development, I have thought about posting my Layout progress thread in the N scale forum as others have done in the past, however it may fit better here for a few reasons. A: The N scale forum has of late been relegated to to whining of Kato, Atlas, IM or other items colors or debates on track. B: the layouts of the midwest and west seem to get more attention than those of the Northeast. Stay tuned.
Jim, do a search for "Saucier" in the N-Scale forum. I may be the only one showing Minute Man heralds, but I'm proud of 'em....:w20z6q:
Hey guys ur going to love this, saw 2 GP40's in manchester yard yesterday getting the circus train ready and they were BOTH ex B&M. One specificly said Boston and Maine on the side and good news....B&M BLUE STILL ROLLS! the other unite wasnt completely painted to the Guilford paintscheme and on the right side of the engine where the side of the engine and cab meet, theres still B&M Blue! I was supprised and my bro took pics of it. quite a find! it also had a tiny patch on one of the Radiator fans also. pretty hard to find 2 engines in the Guilford scheme.
Technically the Boston & Maine still exists, although in name only as a holding company. What were the road numbers of the units you saw? The original B&M had GP40-2's, they were the last new power purchased in 1978. That blue patch you saw could just be some old B&M blue they had in the shop left over from the old days. Pretty common practice for RR's to do that. Circus train? Manchester? I'm intrigued. Can you post pictures? I'm hoping to get up to New Hampshire in two weeks, hope there is some action like this to photograph.
Yah they were power for the circus train, GP40's #312 and #332 were in manchester and #340 came from nashua to be the 3rd unit. #312 had the old blue still on. #332 said Boston and Maine, and we didnt stay to see #340 pull in so i dont know its markings. The train left sunday night and was in Ayer MA yesterday. who knows where it is now. Id like to see B&M #77 because i heard it somehow made it to Deerfield MA!
Well 312 is the original number for a GP40-2. I remember friends seeing original B&M blue units in the 1990's. Finding a blue B&M GP40-2 this far into the Guilford/PAR/Flavor of the day RR is rare. I usually only see the hideous gray and orange locomotives when I'm up your way. Based on what I have here, the unit you saw probably wore the last scheme of darker blue and the Sans Serif white lettering Boston & Maine spelled out on the hood. The scheme looked a lot like Conrail, adding to rumors back then that B&M was going to be bought by Conrail.
