longest B&M branch?

The peak of B&M Divisions was 1900 - 1930 or so. There were a lot of names, not all of which existed simultaneously: Eastern (old ERR & branches), Western (old B&M & branches), New Hampshire (B&L, CRR, Northern, BC&M), WN&P, Southern (WN&P branches?), Fitchburg, Connecticut River, Portland, Terminal.

I have a set of B & M employee timetables for the whole system, 1914 and 1916. The whole B & M was pretty much complete with the lease of the Fitchburg in 1900. By the 1914 era, the Eastern and Western had been merged into the Portland Division. The Concord Division was already gone. There also was the White Mountain, Connecticut & Passumpsic, Southern, Fitchburg, WN & P. The Saint Johnsbury & Lake Champlain and Montpelier & Wells River rated their own timetables too. During World War I, the Fitchburg was split into two divisions at Greenfield. The eastern side was the Fitchburg, the western side was the Berkshire. They were put back as one by about 1925. Don't forget for a few decades ending in the late 1950s, there was a Terminal Division.

In the last B&M years and early GTI years up until the end the entire line from White River to Berlin through Woodsville was the "Berlin Branch". They ran daily freights (usually all boxcars) from Deerfield all the way to Berlin up until the late 80s when the paper mills started to close.

The following STB document shows application for transfer of the Wells river to WRJ portion to the State of Vermont in 2000. This was then leased to the WACR from the GMRC.

http://www.stb.dot.gov/decisions/readin ... /30999.pdf

I know this is a B&M topic but I would like to know how long was the Maine Central track from Quebec Junction to Lyme Ridge, Quebec?
And for the sake of the topic how long was the Claremont Branch?

When did the Berlin line lose its "main line" status? An employees timetable from 1980 still showed it as such.

The Claremont Branch was about 56 miles. The Lime Ridge (Upper Coos & Hereford Rys.) was 108 miles.

trainsinmaine wrote:cowford's post brings up an interesting point. During the heyday of the B&M and the MEC, which routes were considered Divisions, which Subdivisions, and which Branches? I know the Eastern, the Northern, and the Fitchburg were Divisions, but beyond that I'm a little lost. What about the WN&P, the Central Mass., the Connecticut River, and the Cheshire?

This is a list of the B&M's structure in 1908.

Unless I'm missing something, under the Fitchburg Division I don't see the Saratoga & Schuylerville Branch.

I always thought the Central Mass. was under the Fitchburg. Any idea why it was part of the Southern Division?

The Central Massachusetts was in the Southern Division because it was a part of the Boston & Lowell system which was leased by the B & M in 1887. The B & M did not lease the Fitchburg until 1900.