Canterbury - Lincoln

January 2nd, 2001 to March 19th, 2001only
between Canterbury Siding and Lincoln only

* Railroad mileage from Concord
** Railroad mileage from Plymouth
Dark face = telegraph station in 1923
Red Italics indicates points beyond currently open trail

Snowmobile operation will be permitted on the Concord to Lincoln Rail Line, beginning at the Canterbury Siding near Exit 18, northward to Lincoln from January 2nd, 2001 to March 19th, 2001. THE CONCORD TO LINCOLN RAIL LINE IS CLOSED TO ALL USE FROM CONCORD TO EXIT 18 IN CANTERBURY. In addition, the snowmobile parking lot in Concord will not be open again this season.

[Al Smith at the Bureau of Trails in Concord, New Hampshire <[email protected]> - December 29, 2000] 

For reasons of personal safety, any unauthorized use of these railroad tracks outside of the specified geographic and time limits is strictly forbidden!

A Description of the railroad line between Tilton and Lincoln (with brief history, current photographs, and old postcard views) has been posted to the Hobo & Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroads Web Site.

This railroad line is State-owned from East Concord to Lincoln. An additional section of the line in Concord was purchased recently so that it could be relocated to permit construction of the Concord Civic Center. Note that the Hobo & Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroads operate tourist trains from Lincoln, Meredith, & Weirs Beach on a seasonal basis, and the New England Southern Railroad (NEGS) is authorized to provide freight service as required to the entire line. 

Since neither of these railroads expects to operate any trains during the winter months, formal permission has been granted by the Bureau of Trails to use the specified section of railroad for trail purposes during the specified period of time. Please note that the geographic limits of trail use and the dates of trail opening and closing vary from one year to the next!

Note also that the railroad track is still intact and trail users must be particularly aware that railroad switches at sidings and guard rails at bridges constitute hidden hazards for winter trail users of all kinds! 

Because the railroad track is in use on a seasonal and otherwise occasional basis, the track can not be removed from the railroad bed for year-around trail purposes. However, the planning process undertaken for the 44 mile section of Maine State owned Mountain Division in Maine suggests the possibility that a trail could be built alongside this track on otherwise unused State-owned land . Unfortunately, this idea has apparently never been seriously considered by the New Hampshire State Government!

NH Executive Council Actions:

• December 17, 1997 10:30 a.m. - DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION - #117 Authorized to extend the original Operating Agreement dated May 21, 1992, with the New England Southern Railroad Co., Inc., Concord, NH, for an additional five years, through June 30, 2002, unless terminated earlier.

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