B&Mguy wrote:I know that Pan Am still owns a short length of track in Ossipee, but that must be north of the station.
There would also be potential for the NHN to get more business from a cement plant in Madison, and I could be wrong, but I thought there was a business in the Mount Whittier area as well. I have heard that the state is hesitant to offer this corridor to rail trail groups since there is a high likelihood that rail service will return some day. It would seem that in many ways this abandonment may prove to be temporary.
Before we venture to far from the Conway Scenic much of the Conway Branch has been disgusted in is own Thread tiled the Conway Branch or something of that nature... it’s been a while since I posted on it.
BUT I'll make a quick point here since it was brought up.
Yes, there are a few businesses from Ossipee to Conway that could use rail service; a few of them are former B&M customers. Although the B&M abandoned the branch, I believe the state has the line listed as rail banked.
Pan Am sold the remaining mile, two miles in the mid 90's so the state owns it all, except for the NHN portion.
The ROW is already used as a trail but for winter use only. The bridge north of the rte 16 grade crossing (behind the Pizza Barn) has a deck built over the tracks for snow mobiles to cross, I'm not sure if any other bridges are the same.
The likely hood of service returning to the line is good but funding the rehab is what's putting it on hold. With the stimulus bill in route from Washington some of the money may go towards it but I have a feeling (and if NH is smart about it) most of that money will be gobbled up by the commuter extension from Lowell. Even still the stimulus money should free up money that otherwise would not be there to help the Conway Branch.
theseaandalifesaver wrote:Does that mean that it connects with the ROW the Downeaster currently uses?
Yes and to bring this back to a CSRR related topic the Downeaster (if it were ever to happen) would have two possible ways to get to Conway and the CSRR.
1. The Conway Branch at Rollinsford
2. The Mt. Division Line which the Downeaster already operates on... the first mile of it anyways.
It takes real skill to choke on air, fall up the stairs and trip over nothing. I have those skills.