Elmwood - Keene

A potential Rail-trail

Mileage Chart

Mileage* Station Name Note Settlement Municipality
32.27 Elmwood TFP Elmwood Hancock
35.60 Hancock TFP Hancock Hancock
40.20 Eastview FPS Eastview Harrisville
43.11 Harrisville TFP Harrisville Harrisville
46.13 Chesham FP Chesham Harrisville
49.89 Marlboro TFP Marlboro Marlboro
56.80 Keene TFP Keene Keene
* = Railroad Miles from Nashua
Note (in 1923): T=Telegraph, F=Freight Accounts, P=Passenger Tickets S=Summer only
Dark Face suggests  existence of depot in 1923

Mileage and Station Names from Official List of Officers, Agents and Stations of the Boston & Maine Railroad, July 1,1923

This railroad line was abandoned in 1938 & 1939, hence all of the steel bridges are missing, and the property has presumably been sold to abutting land owners. Nevertheless, the Webmaster was able to locate the right-of-way at every public road crossing or overpass during a very quick survey of the line in 1998. Accordingly, the availability of Transportation Enhancement funding for such purposes suggests the possibility of purchasing the entire right-of-way and the construction of trail bridges where necessary. The result would be a delightfully scenic route for a variety of human and animal powered transportation modes that would connect with the existing rail-trail network at Keene and a proposed rail-trail at Elmwood. Furthermore, the speed and frequency of automobile traffic on Route 101 suggests that this trail can be justified as a matter of bicycle and pedestrian safety!  

Note that this trail would connect with the Cheshire County rail-trail system in the southeast corner of Keene. A rail-trail that currently ends in Jaffrey might likewise be extended through Elmwood to connect with another rail-trail between Bennington and Hillsboro. Rail-with trail alongside the currently unused railroad between Bennington (through Elmwood) and South Lyndeborough is realistic, and the trail might even be extended alongside the active railroad to the end of State ownership at Wilton.  

Railroad Abandonment Summary

Item From To Year RR Miles
90 Coolridge Crossing
(Hancock)		 Keene 1938 B&M 21.9
144 Elmwood Coolridge Crossing
(Hancock)		 1939 B&M 1.8

B&M = Boston & Maine Railroad

From the "Directory of Rail Abandonments 1848-1994" in the book Lost Railroads of New England, 2nd Ed. by Ronald Dale Karr, published by Branch Line Press in 1996.

Sign images are from the Manual of Traffic Signs by Richard C. Moeur.

Updated on February 26, 2001 by Kenyon F. Karl <[email protected]>.
  Unintentional errors are likely!

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