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  • Restoring the Conway Branch

  • Pertaining to all railroading subjects, past and present, in New England
Pertaining to all railroading subjects, past and present, in New England

Moderators: MEC407, NHN503

 #1102599  by B&Mguy
 
theseaandalifesaver wrote:I'm sure the rails are unusable. But as far as the entire ROW being intact, there hasn't been anything built on it, correct?
The ROW is fairly intact for the most part. Most of the grade crossings have been paved over, and would likely require modern protection if the line was to be reopened. There is nothing actually built on the ROW that I am aware of, but the cement and gravel plant on the Albany/Conway town line seems to have used it as a parking area for equipment and such. There is also a section of track in this area that is said to have been blocked off by the B&M or Guilford soon afterabandonment, to prevent the Conway Scenic from heading south. I haven't actually seem this obstruction though.

Even though the ROW is intact and unobstructed, it would still need to be entirely rebuilt before having either passenger of freight trains. All new rails, ties and balast would be needed, as well as drainage work, as I've heard parts of this line are prone to flooding. Grade crossings would all need to be modernized, as stated above. Brush cutting would also be need too, as many trees and bushes have likely grown in on some places over the years.
 #1105364  by gokeefe
 
One location directly south of CSRX property was in fact blocked off and perhaps dumped on for at least several hundred feet by a private company, possibly a construction contractor. I have not heard for some time whether or not this situation has been remedied.
 #1106857  by b&m 1566
 
Colmans through a lease with the state, uses the ROW for an access road. They've already been quoted in saying that they would abandon that, should rail return. Just like in Augusta, ME the tracks were buried.
 #1123707  by Ridgefielder
 
p42thedowneaster wrote:Wow 40 years... Sadly I still don't see the need to rehab the Conway Branch yet. There are no freight possibilities in North Conway...and there's no reason to haul through Conway only to have to climb over Crawford's anyways. I think weekend excursions from Dover to Conway could be popular, but it couldn't possibly justify the cost of rehabilitating the line.

If you' want to restore a NH rail line it would have to be the Northern out of Concord. Not only would it provide an Amtrak route from North Station to VT and possibly Canada...it could also provide an alternate route for freight trains to travel during service interruptions, and crowded rails. I believe the freight component of the Downeaster route is key to its overall sustainability.
I realize this is probably a stupid question, but: is there a reason you couldn't run a Boston-Montreal passenger train via the Conway Branch, Crawford notch and the SLR? I know there's no historic precedent for a routing like that, but it seems like it would have the advantage of connecting two major cities with a resort area heavily used by people from both places.
 #1124001  by jaymac
 
However Grinchy this post may seem, please don't confuse me with said creature. On the Utility-Futility Continuum, Boston-to-Montréal routing via the Conway Branch would seem close to Futility. However grade-and-curve-compromised both the surviving and abandoned ROW north of Concord might be, it does have the advantage of being "relatively" straight-line compared to routing through the Notch. It has been more than a few decades since I survived high school Geometry, but I seem to recall a given that stated that the sum of any two sides of a triangle is greater than the third side. An increase in mileage generally yields an increase in transit time, not an attractant for a time-sensitive commodity such as passengers.
Would I enjoy a ride via either routing? Absolutely! But if I have to get to Montréal from anywhere near Boston on a convenient schedule, I'll be routing via Interstates even if there were an all-steel routing available.
 #1124107  by Ridgefielder
 
jaymac wrote:However Grinchy this post may seem, please don't confuse me with said creature. On the Utility-Futility Continuum, Boston-to-Montréal routing via the Conway Branch would seem close to Futility. However grade-and-curve-compromised both the surviving and abandoned ROW north of Concord might be, it does have the advantage of being "relatively" straight-line compared to routing through the Notch. It has been more than a few decades since I survived high school Geometry, but I seem to recall a given that stated that the sum of any two sides of a triangle is greater than the third side. An increase in mileage generally yields an increase in transit time, not an attractant for a time-sensitive commodity such as passengers.
Would I enjoy a ride via either routing? Absolutely! But if I have to get to Montréal from anywhere near Boston on a convenient schedule, I'll be routing via Interstates even if there were an all-steel routing available.
I wasn't thinking of it so much as a Boston-Montreal through service-- more like a train that would connect the White Mountains, northern New Hampshire and the Northeast Kingdom of VT with both Boston and Montreal. I wouldn't expect the majority of passengers to ride all the way through, just as I can't imagine the majority of passengers on #95 ride all the way from Boston South Station to Newport News, Va. Still, you're probably right though-- it's far from a direct routing.
 #1124108  by gokeefe
 
Good points from jaymac. The question may be moot at this point anyways because it appears pretty likely that the Vermonter is going to restart service to Montreal sometime within the next five years. Once that happens the answer in New England for travel to Montreal by rail will go through Springfield. At this point New Hampshire is going to be just a spectator for another decade, at least!
 #1124266  by Noel Weaver
 
I think I have mentioned this before but today the best existing railroad route between Boston and Montreal would be the former Boston and Maine out of North Station to Greenfield and then north from there. It would add considerable miles to the old route through Concord, New Hampshire but in as much as it is no longer possible to rail through Concord enroute further I guess it would be the next best alternative. It would be considerably shorter than running via springfield and you would be running over a friendly railroad as well. Running through Crawford Notch would be a nice ride but not enroute Boston and Montreal.
Noel Weaver
 #1124308  by Cosmo
 
Noel Weaver wrote: Running through Crawford Notch would be a nice ride but not enroute Boston and Montreal.
Noel Weaver
Running through Crawford Notch is STILL a nice ride,... but you have to drive to N. Conway. :wink:
 #1124326  by Dick H
 
During a heavy snow year, it would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars just to keep
the Crawford Notch line open for two passenger trains a day. Won't happen.
 #1124352  by gokeefe
 
Dick H wrote:During a heavy snow year, it would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars just to keep
the Crawford Notch line open for two passenger trains a day. Won't happen.
I'll say this much, if there was ever any doubt as to whether or not people would travel from Boston on a 'day-trip' and then back the extension of the Downeaster to Brunswick and Freeport has pretty much eliminated that doubt.

Point being for the Conway Branch that 'Snow Trains' could actually be a legitimate market again.
 #1124526  by ferroequinarchaeologist
 
Hey I just got this idea: run weekend excursion train(s) from Boston up the Conway Branch (after it's patched up), through Crawford Notch to St.J, down the Conn River and back along the Fitchburg. Up and back in a single day. You could even run it in the reverse order. We could call it ... oh, maybe a "'Round the Mountains" excursion. Wonder why nobody ever thought of this. ;-)

PBM
 #1124667  by gokeefe
 
ferroequinarchaeologist wrote:Hey I just got this idea: run weekend excursion train(s) from Boston up the Conway Branch (after it's patched up), through Crawford Notch to St.J, down the Conn River and back along the Fitchburg. Up and back in a single day. You could even run it in the reverse order. We could call it ... oh, maybe a "'Round the Mountains" excursion. Wonder why nobody ever thought of this. ;-)

PBM
I'm sure Massachusetts Bay Railroad Enthusiasts (MBRRE) would have already done this years ago if it was financially feasible for them. As it stands their predecessors (or perhaps them?) were the ones who chartered some of the very last trips up the Conway Branch to North Conway.
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