A damamged but mostly repaired photo I took on the NRHS Spring 1950 "Round-the-Mountains" fan trip. At Concord, the ex-DL&W Pacific, here pictured, was replaced by two Moguls for the trip over what became the Concord and Clairmont. The destruction of the beautiful Concord Station, which I had used many times, was as much a tragedy for me as Penn Station's destruction.
I missed Concord at its height and only saw the residue in the late 60s and early 70s.
Even the replacement station, shared with Concord Trailways (and solely used by them later) has been removed. Last RR use was during the 1980 experimental MBTA extension and Leyland Railbus experiment.
In 1954 when I was 5 years old, we lived in Contoocook, which was along the C&C. Concord was the big town, and I once arrived at the station on a trip from New York. There was a bit of industrial street trackage in the vicinty of the station. One time my father had a errand to run and he parked on one of those tracks, with the keys in the car, and me in the back seat. Eventually a railroad crewman got in the car to move it of the track. Big adventure for a 5 year old. A parking structure is now built in the area.
Still some embedded rail in the area around the parking garage.
The Concord station was also a favorite of mine though I lived far from it. I went through it several times on B&M trains and had thought of modeling the train shed but never did. It was a treat to see a photo of one of the B&M's ex DL&W Pacifics at Concord since photos of them are not common. The double-headed Moguls pulling the train of wooden open platform coaches have been recorded on published photographs but the fantrip you remember was not the popular Round-The- Mountains trip. I rode a number of them and while they went through Concord they proceeded to White River Jct and Wells River and then toward Mt.Washington and down the Crawford Notch with a return to Boston via Dover, NH. I also wonder if the Concord-Claremont trip behind the Moguls was a NRHS sponsored trip -- I know the national convention was in Philadelphia in 1950. In any case, your photo is much appreciated.
At the time, I was a Freshman at MIT. It was during the Spring Term. I attended Boston NRHS meetings regularly. It may have been actually an RL&HS trip, but I heard about it at an NRHS meeting and bought my ticket at one of the meetings. It was billed as a "Round the Mountains" trip, but there certainly may have others with that name.
On the Classic Trains forum, several years ago I posted my use of the station at 13 years old riding the Suncook Valley mixed, four times. My first visit was in 1937, with parents, aged 5, boat to Boston, B&M to Concord, private car to the camp where my sisters were, one counselor and one camper, return the same way; then 1938 through summer 1945 to and from summer camp. Then the fan trip, then bike ride around Lake Winnapasauki, then as an acoustical engineer working on the State Legislature sound systems, just about to the end of passenger service.
Glad the Concord Stagecoach in the lobby was preserved.
I just tried to post the only photograph I took of the Concord station but it didn't work. Actually, it wasn't very good -- I was in high school and shot it from a Round-the-Mountains trip on a dark, gloomy day. The color-slide view is almost a duplicate of the photo Mr. Klepper posted above. It is mainly interesting because the "Alouette" is in the station and B&M E-7 3812 leads with its nose poking out from the train shed. There is a red "searchlight"type signal on the train shed over the E-unit and the multi-bulb headlight used by the B&M is on dim with each bulb showing clearly. Moreover, out of the picture is the Canadian Pacific buffet-parlor-lounge with the open observation platform that made the train appealing but unusual for the mid-1950s (I lost the actual date but there is snow on the ground -- it was one of the winter excursions to the mountains.) I can't recall the circumstances. I think my train was running ahead of the "Alouette" -- we were both northbound. When we arrived at White River Junction there was a Canadian Pacific E-unit waiting at the station which I assume was ready for the "Alouette".
Boston & Maine 3818 an E7 A unit has just been changed off by CP 1801 on train No.5 Alouette from Boston shown here at Woodsville, New Hampshire in May of 1954. Over the years engines were at times changed off and at other times run through to destination. Dwight Smith
Note: Years later, 1801 would be involved in a serious wreck which would result in it being scrapped. No. 154 eng 1801 hit head on by Extra 8787 at Lachevrotiere, Quebec 12/28/1969.
Buffet-Observation-Parlor car 6611 with its open platform brings up the rear of the Alouettenorthbound at Lowell, Massachusetts in 1951. Donald G. Hills
Three cars were required for this service including 6612 (date and location unknown.) Floor plan.
If I ever invent a time machine, one of the first things I'll do is ride the "Alouette" from Boston to Montreal with a parlor seat in the Canadian Pacific's open platform observation. By the time I got to ride from Boston to Montreal over the B&M-CPR in June 1959 the equivalent of the "Alouette" was RDCs -- comfortable enough but hardly luxury. Interestingly, seeing operating open platform observations was a common event for me when I was commuting to NYC over the North Jersey Coast Line (NY&LB)in the 1970s. Two of the old CNJ "Blue Comet" open platform observations were in service, including "Monmouth" which was a private commuter's club car with a white-jacketed attendant. Even better was when the "Monmouth" was out of service for maintanence and the PRR open platform "Queen Mary" was substituted.
The 1953 Federal marketing order which effectively killed the milk business on the B&M was followed by a series of local washouts on the line between Plymouth and Woodsville, resulting in the line's closure in 1954. The later service under the Allouette name ran via White River Jct. The RDC service ended with the rest of B&M's non-commuter service in 1966. The line between White River Jct and Concord was last used as a 10 MPH detour route in 1986 and embargoed in sections until the state bought it (and let Guilford dismantle it) in the early 2000s.
Why did the State buy the line, just to let it be dismantled? Does NH still own the ROW?
Just to verify that the power did run through at times, and from observation at age 16, in steam days as well:
daveklepper Then the fan trip, then bike ride around Lake Winnapasauki, then as an acoustical engineer working on the State Legislature sound systems, just about to the end of passenger service.
Then the fan trip, then bike ride around Lake Winnapasauki, then as an acoustical engineer working on the State Legislature sound systems, just about to the end of passenger service.
I spent the last two nights at a hotel in Center Harbor on Lake Winnipesaukee and saw the remnants of the B&M(?) line through Meredith being operated as a tourist train. Spent most of the time a few miles away overlooking Squam Lake.
The bke ride around the lake sounds like it was a lot of fun, the scenery is quite lovely.
MidlandMike Why did the State buy the line, just to let it be dismantled? Does NH still own the ROW?
While officially still a railroad right of way owned by the state, it has become a jealously guarded "rail trail" between Lebanon and Canaan, effectively making restoration impossible. The west end is operated by New England Central for about a mile or so, and the track is still in place between Concord and Penacook on the east end.
I understand that the coal burning Bow power plant is the main traffic on the Concord line. I also hear that the plant is to shut down the boilers. What is the future of the Concord line?
The Bow plant is part of a rate making fiasco between Eversource (successor to PSNH) and the state of NH, which believes that forcing Eversource to sell off its power generating facilities (Bow and others) will benefit NH ratepayers (though it hasn't worked anywhere else). Meanwhile Bow operates mostly during the Winter, and is not particularly threatened as it had full scrubbers installed (at PSNH expense) not too many years ago. (Full disclosure - I am an Eversource customer). At this point I think Eversource still owns the plant as nobody seems to be standing in line to buy coal plants. Lurking on the edge is natural gas, which for now is handled by LNG tanker through Portsmouth, but is not available in most of NH. Pipeline proposals have met with strong local opposition.
Same fantrip at Concord, the two Moguls backing down to couple to the train for the trip to Clairmont Junction. At each covered bridge, the lead locomotive would be uncoupled, run ahead, and then be recoupled after the train was pulled across by the second locomotive, because of the weight restrictions on the bridges that mandated the lighter power in the first place.
Some more photos from the 1950 fantrip: The negetives were damaged. Using MSPaint and MSPhoto Editor, I did a lot of repair, but they are not perfect, yet.
Before departure at North Station:
On the southern wye track at White River Junction, with the Pacific that will take the train back to Boston via Concord.
Northbound Ambassador arriving behind B&M F3A&B:
Engine changed to a CV 4-8-2:
To compliment the view of North Station from the North, here is something for transit fans from the south:
Thanks for the views Dave. And to update your information that B&M F3AB it's actually a very rare F2AB delivered in 1946. All those diesels looked alike back then, right?
B&M's F2ABs were delivered with drawbars like FTs, but quickly got couplers.
The excursion on the south wye appears to be on the CV connector track, since removed. Some of the buildings in view on the right are still standing along South Main Street in White River Jct.
I should have checked the numbers on the front of the F2-A. The side view isn't clear enough in the photo, although there were differences.
If I remember correctly, the F2 still had only 1350HP per unit but did away with al the belt-drives for accessories and used auxiliary motors instead, like the F3.
Or was it the reverse? 1500HP while keeping the belt-drives?
F2 was 1350 HP. The main generator was the same as for an FT, hence the rating. The F3 in the same carbody introduced the later generator.
Here is the ex-DL&W Pacific after cut off from the fan-trip train:
About a year-and-half before the fan-trip. late Augusdt or early September, I arrived with other Camp Ironwood (Harrison, Maine) campers, returning homeward, on B&M train from Portlsand. We rode in B&M "American Flyer" Pellman lightweight coaches. (In the train to New York, standarrd six-wheel truck parlor with an I-5 of front to New Haven on the Yankee Clipper.) I took pictures of other campers detraining, thenb a steam-hasuled arrival on an adjascent trasck.
Are those photos in Boston North Station?
Yes.
I presume you had to transit to South Station. How would you have gotten there?
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