North Stratford Railroad

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North Stratford Railroad boxcar on display at Gorham Historical Society North Stratford Railroad boxcar at Gorham Historical Society, August 2012.JPG
North Stratford Railroad boxcar on display at Gorham Historical Society

The North Stratford Railroad( reporting mark NSRC) was an interstate railroad in northeastern Vermont and northwestern New Hampshire. It ran from the village of North Stratford, New Hampshire (in the town of Stratford) to the village of Beecher Falls in Canaan, Vermont, a distance of approximately 23 miles (37 km).

Reporting mark alphabetic code ID used on the North American railroad network

A reporting mark is an alphabetic code of two to four letters used to identify owners or lessees of rolling stock and other equipment used on certain railroad networks.

Vermont State of the United States of America

Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It borders the U.S. states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the north. Vermont is the second-smallest by population and the sixth-smallest by area of the 50 U.S. states. The state capital is Montpelier, the least populous state capital in the United States. The most populous city, Burlington, is the least populous city to be the most populous city in a state. As of 2015, Vermont was the leading producer of maple syrup in the United States. In crime statistics, it was ranked as the safest state in the country in 2016.

New Hampshire State of the United States of America

New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the north. New Hampshire is the 5th smallest by area and the 10th least populous of the 50 states. Concord is the state capital, while Manchester is the largest city in the state. It has no general sales tax, nor is personal income taxed at either the state or local level. The New Hampshire primary is the first primary in the U.S. presidential election cycle. Its license plates carry the state motto, "Live Free or Die". The state's nickname, "The Granite State", refers to its extensive granite formations and quarries.

Contents

History

Origin of the line

The line was originally conceived by George van Dyke, who owned large tracts of forest in Vermont and Quebec. Starting in 1883, van Dyke obtained the following charters to build the line, listed from south to north:

Quebec Province of Canada

Quebec is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is bordered to the west by the province of Ontario and the bodies of water James Bay and Hudson Bay; to the north by Hudson Strait and Ungava Bay; to the east by the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the province of Newfoundland and Labrador; and to the south by the province of New Brunswick and the U.S. states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York. It also shares maritime borders with Nunavut, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia. Quebec is Canada's largest province by area and its second-largest administrative division; only the territory of Nunavut is larger. It is historically and politically considered to be part of Central Canada.

Construction began in 1887 on the second section of the Upper Coos Railroad of New Hampshire between North Stratford, where the railroad connected to the Grand Trunk Railway, and Stewartstown, New Hampshire. Operations started the same year. A bridge across the Connecticut River from Stewartstown to Beecher Falls was built in 1888, and the Upper Coos Railroad of Vermont was completed north to the border a few months later. In Canada, 34 miles (55 km) of track of the Hereford Railroad from the border near Beecher Falls north to Cookshire, Quebec were laid in 1889, allowing interchange with the Canadian Pacific Railway. In 1890 the final 19 miles (31 km) of track in Quebec were laid to Lime Ridge, which allowed interchange with the Quebec Central Railway in Dudswell, Quebec. Construction south of North Stratford took longer, and the entire section went into service in 1891. In this area, the line connected to the Boston and Maine Railroad in Lancaster, New Hampshire, again at Waumbeck Junction in Jefferson, New Hampshire, and then met the Maine Central Railroad at Quebec Junction in Carroll, New Hampshire.

Grand Trunk Railway British-owned railway in Canada and New England

The Grand Trunk Railway was a railway system that operated in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario and in the American states of Connecticut, Maine, Michigan, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The railway was operated from headquarters in Montreal, Quebec, with corporate headquarters in London, England. It cost an estimated $160 million to build. The Grand Trunk, its subsidiaries, and the Canadian Government Railways were precursors of today's Canadian National Railways.

Stewartstown, New Hampshire Town in New Hampshire, United States

Stewartstown is a town in Coos County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,004 at the 2010 census. It includes the village of West Stewartstown and is part of the Berlin, NH–VT Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Connecticut River river in the New England region of the United States

The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for 406 miles (653 km) through four states. It rises at the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges at Long Island Sound. Its watershed encompasses five U.S. states and one Canadian province, 11,260 square miles (29,200 km2) via 148 tributaries, 38 of which are major rivers. It produces 70% of Long Island Sound's fresh water, discharging at 19,600 cubic feet (560 m3) per second.

Maine Central Railroad

In 1890, the Maine Central Railroad gained control of the line through a series of leases. The MEC operated the line without fanfare until 1925, when it canceled its lease with the Hereford Railroad. After an extended legal battle, the tracks from the border north to Malvina, Quebec were removed. In 1948, the MEC negotiated trackage rights with the Grand Trunk Railway and the Boston and Maine Railroad between North Stratford and Lancaster. This rendered 12 miles (19 km) of track in Vermont and 7 miles (11 km) in New Hampshire redundant, and the rails were removed. Traffic on the section from North Stratford to Beecher Falls remained sufficient to keep the line open through the 1960s, but had declined enough by the early 1970s that the MEC embargoed the line after floods in 1973. The MEC filed for abandonment, but was forced to reopen the line in 1974.

North Stratford Railroad

In 1976 the state of New Hampshire bought the track between North Stratford and Beecher Falls from MEC, which had finally obtained permission to abandon it. A separate, short section of track between Waumbeck Junction and Quebec Junction was abandoned by the MEC at this time as well. The state chartered the North Stratford Railroad Corporation to operate the line, which primarily served a furniture plant in Beecher Falls. Traffic tapered off as the main shipper moved more and more goods by truck, and the line was embargoed in 1989.

For a short time in 1981, the North Stratford Railroad also operated the White Mountain Branch between Concord and Lincoln as an interim operator before the New England Southern Railroad stepped in.

Concord, New Hampshire capital of New Hampshire

Concord is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Hampshire and the county seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2010 census, its population was 42,695.

Lincoln, New Hampshire Town in New Hampshire, United States

Lincoln is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. It is the second-largest town by area in New Hampshire. The population was 1,662 at the 2010 census. The town is home to the New Hampshire Highland Games and to a portion of Franconia Notch State Park. Set in the White Mountains, large portions of the town are within the White Mountain National Forest. The Appalachian Trail crosses in the northeast. Lincoln is the location of the Loon Mountain ski resort and associated recreation-centered development.

New England Southern Railroad

The New England Southern Railroad is a Class III shortline railroad that operates out of Canterbury, New Hampshire, and serves industries in central New Hampshire, in the United States.

Stations

This list is incomplete.

Guildhall, Vermont Town in Vermont, United States

Guildhall is a town in and the shire town of Essex County, Vermont, United States. The population was 261 at the 2010 census. According to a large sign in the town center, it is the only town in the world so named. The name derives from a meeting house on the square called the Guildhall.

Maidstone, Vermont Town in Vermont, United States

Maidstone is a town in Essex County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a population of 208, up from 105 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Berlin, NH–VT Micropolitan Statistical Area. There is no town center or gas station, but there is a town office building in the southern part of the town.

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References

Jones, Robert C., Railroads of Vermont, Volume II, 1993.