Maps are available on the Winchendon Page of the Cheshire Branch Rail-Trail on this Web Site.
Trail pictures and narrative are arranged from south to north!
Rail-trail users must note that four rail-trails converge at Winchendon:
Cheshire Branch Rail-trail to Keene and Westmoreland NH
Monadnock Branch Rail-trail to Jaffrey NH
North Central Pathway to Gardner MA
Ware River Rail-Trail to Coldbrook.
Information and pictures for the trail segment between Central and Jackson Streets are available on the Winchendon Page of the Cheshire Branch Rail-Trail on this Web Site.
The Monadnock Branch Railroad bed is blocked by trees, weeds, and junk between Jackson Street and the north end of the Toy Town Industrial Park. 'Street legal' trail users must accordingly jog to the west to use Lawrence Avenue as a bypass route. This route continues north in Lawrence Avenue past the entrance to the Cheshire Branch Trail, until it passes between a pair of ancient factory buildings and around a curve to the extreme end of a factory yard that contains piles of old wooden pallets. Note that these factory buildings are apparently occupied by a group of Native Americans that have gathered under the name Woodspeople Intertribal Village.
The trail begins as a jeep track next to an outdoor loading dock then jogs up onto an embankment that runs across the extreme back side of the yard full of old wooden pallets. The trail then turns sharply north and descends to the old railroad bed, presumably to continue north to the State Line.
The ancient factory buildings of the Toy Town Industrial
Park.
Digital photograph by Kenyon F. Karl on July 24, 2000.
The railroad bed is blocked by piles of junk on the east
side of the factory buildings.
Digital photograph by Kenyon F. Karl on July 24, 2000.
The entrance to the trail is along an embankment at the
extreme north edge of the piles of old pallets behind the buildings.
Digital photograph by Kenyon F. Karl on July 24, 2000.
Looking north along the railroad bed from the entrance
trail.
Digital photograph by Kenyon F. Karl on July 24, 2000.
Trail facilities at Central Street Crossing are listed on the Winchendon Page of the Cheshire Branch Rail-Trail on this Web Site.
'Street-legal' trail users can enter and exit the trail at the following point:
Jeep road at extreme north end of Toy Town Industrial Park on Lawrence Avenue
No trail facilities were observed north of the Central Street Crossing in Winchendon!
Sign images are from the Manual of Traffic Signs by Richard C. Moeur.
Updated on February 22, 2001 by Kenyon F.
Karl <[email protected]>.
Unintentional errors are likely!
