Manchester and Lawrence Branch

This maybe the wrong forum for this question, but this forum gets more views than the Boston and Maine/Maine Central forum.
Was the Manchester and Lawrence Branch ever doubled tracked or was it always a single track line? I have seen pictures of the line both with 2 tracks and with just one for the same area. I look at the ROW from time to time and it looks to me that it did have or could have fit 2 tracks with no problem but then some sections only look like it could fit just on track. Was this a line with long passing sidings so trains could flow easier? Some areas that look like it was doubled tracked was in the Methuen, MA, Salem, NH and Parts of Derry, NH. Windham, NH I have seen pictures of the line with just one track however that same area where the picture that was taken in the late 1800's to early 1900's with one track, where today the tracks are gone but there is still one crossing left and it has two tracks (mostly paved over). The location is near Windham Junction. For a line that seem very important at one time, what happen to it? Was Guilford just being Guilford and did not want to put money into it, to keep it in use or was it a line failing like so many others at the time? (The line was abandoned sections at a time starting in 1984, finally ending in 2001. Now the line is gone.)

Single track except maybe two from South Lawrence (today's Lawrence) to North Lawrence. Constructed 1850s. It was the Boston & Maine RR's friendly connection to Manchester when first built. However, it had not been in business very long before it fell under the control of the CONCORD RR which reduced it to branch line status. The CONCORD sent traffic headed to and from Boston via the Boston & Lowell/Nashua and Lowell routing. When it came into the B & M system when B & M leased the CONCORD & MONTREAL in 1895, it functioned as a busy branch. There were 5, 6 or more through local psgr trains over the route, some of which ran Manchester-Lawrence-Boston up into the first couple of decades into the auto age. Most of the sidings were short; they could fit a local freight plus a local passenger train at same time, not much more. Rockingham Park had a long siding. Again into the first couple of decades of the 20th Century, the park was the site of a country/county fair. B & M put out special timetable forms for regular service on the branch to the fairgrounds plus some specials runs from off branch points direct to the fair. The fair lasted a week or two at the end of summer. Eventually the fair withered away to auto racing, events which would certainly not generate much railroad travel, and other pursuits. When NH legalized betting on horse racing (and maybe horse racing itself) in the 1930s, the fairgrounds were activated as a horse track. B & M began running the Rockingham Racer to Rockingham Park and this continued until about 1961. There was no Sunday racing in this era, but a good Saturday or July 4 would generate multi - section operation direct out of Boston.

Too bad, but the M&L wil never rise again, allthough it provides an almost direct link from Manchester to Boston, does not pass through heavily populated areas so it could be a high speed line, and would take some of the load off Logan airport by setting up Manchester as an alternative with fast connections to Boston (kinda like Green airport in Providence). While this would serve the public well, it is of course just exactly what the managements of Logan and Manchester and the governments of New Hampshire and Massachusetts do not want. So, fuggeddaboudit.

PBM

Growing up next to this line (with in a mile or so) I can shed some more light on the picture. The area's of double track were just passing sidings, the ones that I know of are/were (Most are still there) Rockingham Park and North Londonderry (yard). The idea of using the M&L for commuter traffic is a good one, but there are many limitations. 1- Most of the track is gone and some sections the ROW is gone (Derry and Manchester Airport), 2- the population in the areas are growing rapidly (Salem, Windham, Derry and Londonderry) but most don't commute all the way into Boston. 3 - The bottleneck in Andover MA single track. According to a study, the MBTA will not let any more trains over this section to boston. 4. Manchester to Lowell has a larger population and much better existing right of way.

And don't forget that in Salem, the line ran parrellel to Route 28 including MANY crossings.

NHGUY

Thank you for the information.
You know though, I had forgotten all about that spur leading to the race track, I have seen pictures of this spur in a book that's about Salem's History. I can't remember the name of the book of the top of my head.
It is sad to see the railroad gone. I just happend to see the last train pull away for good in the Summer of 2001. Though at the time I did not know that it was the last train, I knew the end was coming. I only found out that it was the last train when I talked to some people about it. The last train pulled out of Salem, NH in June of 2001 never to return, leaving two hopper cars on a siding for the customer that used the railroad. The Hoppers were sold to the former customer (don't know the name of the company) and are now used for storage. Why did Guilford just give up a customer? were the tracks that bad (worse than the Water Town Branch tracks) for the trains to stop operating? Was that the last customer on the line or is there still a customer near the Lawerence area?
I have read a bunch of times, how the state of NH has done some studies for possible re-use of this line for commuter rail purposes. It was part of the widing of route 93 study. The state came up with a number of different things some of which was to only go as far as Salem, NH others looked at going to the Manchester Airport. They came up with 2 ways to deal with the new runway that is now on top of the ROW. One was to Tunnel under the runway following the orignal path (under ground) and the other was to re-locate the ROW around the runway. I know that more studing is being done for this branch and it's future, but were looking at another 20 to 30 years IF a train ever does return...(20 to 30 years to the finished product).

I talked with the guy who did one of the studies. He
thinks eventually they'll get commuter rail back to Salem; the tracks and ROW are still there, and there's certainly enough demand for it. I think south of Rockingham park, with a stop in Methuen, is about it. North of there, the tracks are gone, there's
not enough demand, and anyway from firsthand experience, the buses from Derry are up to carrying
the load.

Re Rockingham Park, I remember seeing three or four special trains, 8-9 cars pulled by GP-7s parked there during the racing season. Came up non stop from North Station. They were known as Rockingham Racers.

How long ago was that?

Around 1955 or so.

GP7's? the picture I saw in Salem's history book was an F7? maybe that was one of the few times they used and F7.
I know the track from the spur has been gone for a while now but is there anying left from it, the rail bed or somthing? Where did the spur break off of the main line? From the looks in the Salem book it started at the southend of the track and came up the west side of the race track. However I can't say for sure because the area has chanced so much now with the widing of the roads in that area and the Mall that's across from it.

Another question. Did the Coca-Cola building on the other side of 28 just south of Salem Depot have a track running to it? I drive by it a lot and cant see anything that would say there was a siding, not to mention the ROW starts to rise higher than the road next to it, but then again I can find any remains for the spur to the race track.

If I remember correctly (I moved out of the area in '61), the spur took off from the siding just north of the north entrance gate. It didn't make it over to the west side of the property, I don't think. (Policy Street?)

And no, Coca Cola never had a spur crossing Broadway. (Rte. 28)

You're right about the changes. When I go back each year to visit the family, there's lots of changes.