B&M mainline alignment near Exeter

Over the years of riding the Downeaster, I've enjoyed looking out the window for signs of railroad days gone by. It's fun to see if you can spot what appear to be old sidings and spurs. In the stretch between Newfields and Exeter, I started to notice what appeared to be an old alignment of the mainline slightly west of the current one. It's not a very long stretch, found along NH85 just north of NH101. After a few trips, I was certain that what I was seeing was a roadbed. Interestingly, the current alignment is closer to the river.

I'm wondering if anyone knows any more information about this. I suspect it's not a very interesting story as there isn't much there but farmland, but I'm still curious. I know other another realignment was made "nearby" in Durham, but I can't see how they would be connected. Still, they probably occurred within a few years of each other. According to USGS maps the alignment change in Exeter must have been made between 1893 and 1916.

I asked the same question in the PanAm forum a few weeks ago. I was more curious as to why the right of way moved. No one seems to know.

Link to Google satellite view.

If you are both referring to the tree-traced bowing toward NH85 in the view above (and I'm hoping the link worked right), it would appear that they were straightening out the mainline - removing a curve and possibly improving the ruling grade in the area. They might also have filled a wide spot in the river to do it, as the river appears to have been channeled through the area - although that could have been done as part of the sewage treatment plant construction. A fly-about using Bing's mapping system definitely increases my suspicion that the riverbank in that area was re-engineered and that allowed for the current track route.

And yes... here is an article on the removing of the oxbow from the river, which undoubted led to the straightening of the railroad through the area: http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/ ... -108050338

Historical research is fun!