Twin State Railroad

NH has the highest property taxes as well as the highest utility costs in the region. It has virtually no natural resources other than possibly lumber or stone. The NH state government resolutely refuses to tax itself to make infrastructure improvements and the education system is not strong enough to attract large industries and their concomitant population.

eustis22 wrote: ↑Sat Sep 02, 2023 1:39 pm NH has the highest property taxes as well as the highest utility costs in the region. It has virtually no natural resources other than possibly lumber or stone. The NH state government resolutely refuses to tax itself to make infrastructure improvements and the education system is not strong enough to attract large industries and their concomitant population.

NH is in the top 5 as "most forested" state in the country by percentage total acreage to forest acreage. obviously, it has a small total acreage, but the forest products resource is NOT insignificant to the economy of NH. foliage peeps are part of that.

On Monday, January 22 at 630pm in the Whitefield townhall, the Board of Selectmen will be holding a meeting, it is expected that they will be touching on a topic that is in regard to the ex-MEC Mt. Division between Whitefield and St. Johnsbury. There's a growing effort to build a rail trail on this section and it's being called the "Twin State Rail Trail".

They've been working on this for at least 3-4 years with a plan to connect to the existing trail running east from Littleton. Neither proposed section is formally abandoned, including the track east of C119.86. At the current rate it has taken the state to get to Oxbow Road with multiple contractors, I don't think we'll see anything happen east of Wing Road in the immediate future.

There was a recent article in the Cal-Rec on 2/12 regarding the trail group and the January 22nd meeting.

The group (Cross NH Adventure Trail) president, Marianne Borowski, asked the select board for project backing and letters of support for state/fed filings and grant applications. The article simply states the matter was "taken under consideration".

According to Ms. Borowski, this is the state Bureau of Trails and local snowmobile clubs initiating the project.

Is the implication that they’ll keep the ball signal portion intact and loop down along the Berlin Branch to Littleton?

That would be my guess, although the whole thing still needs to be sorted out between the State, NHCR as legal operator of the formally unabandoned sections in NH, and CSXT as RoW owner in Vermont.

I wonder if they could be eyeing the old Groveton Branch, between Scott's Junction and Whitefield Junction. Most of the ROW is still intact, the only deviation would be the Hillside Gravel Pit and the Water Treatment Plant. Going that route would avoid all the major highway crossings.

I doubt it, their PDF suggests that parking/trailhead will be at the diamond.

https://media-gallery.unh.edu/media_sub ... _year=2023

This is all fine and dandy but has anyone contacted New Hampshire Central Railroad, they hold the operating lease. I would love to know what their thoughts are on all of this, are they sitting back and laughing at this, or do they support this? Are these trail supporters going to force a hostile takeover and force abandonment if NHC and even CSX say no? Is it even possible for third party to try and force abandonment of out of service tracks?

I’m sure Ed at NHC is probably watching the situation unfold closely. I don’t think a third party can force an abandonment but trail advocates are nothing if not persistent. If NHC wants to hold onto the stretch for any sort of possible future developments— however unlikely— more power to them. Not holding my breath on that however.

NHV 669 wrote: ↑Wed Feb 21, 2024 2:51 pm I doubt it, their PDF suggests that parking/trailhead will be at the diamond.

https://media-gallery.unh.edu/media_sub ... _year=2023

I wonder if they are even aware there is that alternate route, seems foolish to have pedestrians cross major roads seven times in the distance of three miles, five of those all within downtown Whitefield. If you include the small streets and private crossings, there's six additional crossings, two are in downtown. If they choose the other route, there would only be two pedestrian crossings none crossing a state highway and you wouldn't be dealing with as many houses.

Their goal is to connect it with the existing Presidential Trail, bypassing Whitefield entirely kind of defeats that purpose... plus there's nowhere in between to park beyond the Pondicherry lot by the airport.

All road crossings mentioned are on 30 mph roads, and on a RoW the DoT already owns and is promoting for this project.

The treatment plant is on town land, not sure about the rest of the abandoned RoW within Dalton to Scott Jct.

Doesn't the Presidential rail trail have the problem of active track between Whitefield's center and the wye just west of the airport? How exactly would they connect the two?

Reopen Waumbek Junction to Quebec Junction as an active rail corridor, they would loose parking at Airport Rd but you could build a new bigger lot at Hazen's, that would give them the entire B&M line Woodsville to Berlin. That's what I remember reading anyways, I forget where I saw that.
If that happens here's my 2 cents, obviously interchange with NHC would move to either Waumbek or Quebec Junctions, but let the Conway Scenic lease the MEC section into downtown Whitefield, it will help preserve the diamond and ball signal. They can still turn the space near the diamond into parking, even with an active rail corridor on the MEC side, let the Conway Scenic have access into the railyard, so they don't have to operate with an engine on each end. That would require the rail trail coming from VT, to turn down the Groveton Branch at Scott's Junction though. And yet another reason to push for that different trail route around Whitefield center.