Conway Scenic Railroad facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Conway Scenic Railroad |
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Display EMD F7 beside the 1874 North Conway freight depot
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| Locale | White Mountains region of New Hampshire |
| Connections | New Hampshire Central Railroad |
| Commercial operations | |
| Built by | Conway Branch: Portsmouth, Great Falls and Conway Railroad; Mountain Division: Portland and Ogdensburg Railroad |
| Original gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Preserved operations | |
| Owned by | Profile Mountain Holdings Corp; Mountain Division right-of-way owned by the State of New Hampshire |
| Operated by | Conway Scenic Railroad |
| Reporting mark | CSRX |
| Length | 51 miles (82 km) |
| Preserved gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Commercial history | |
| Opened | 1872 |
| 1875 | Mountain Division is completed and connected |
| 1890 | Boston and Maine Corporation acquires the Conway Branch |
| 1972 | Conway Branch abandoned north of Ossipee |
| 1983 | Crawford Notch regular service ends in September |
| 1984 | Last Crawford Notch train (October) |
| 1992 | Mountain Division abandoned east of Whitefield |
| Closed | N. Conway Station 1961 |
| Preservation history | |
| August 4, 1974 | Started |
| 1994 | Mountain Division operations begin |
| Headquarters | North Conway |
The Conway Scenic Railroad is a special kind of train line. It's called a heritage railroad. It's located in North Conway, New Hampshire, in the United States.
This railroad lets you ride on two old train routes. One goes from North Conway to Conway. The other goes through a beautiful area called Crawford Notch to Fabyan. The Conway Scenic Railroad owns the first line. The State of New Hampshire owns the second line.
The main train station is in downtown North Conway. This station is very old and important. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1979.
Contents
History of the Conway Scenic Railroad
The Conway Scenic Railroad was started by three people. They were local businessmen Bill Levy and Carroll Reed, and railroad worker Dwight Smith. Passenger trains stopped running on the Conway line in 1961. After that, Levy and Reed bought the North Conway station and its train yard.
In 1967, Dwight Smith bought an old train engine, number 7470. He wanted to fix it up and run it. Soon, people heard that the Boston & Maine (B&M) railroad might stop using the Conway line. In 1968, Smith visited North Conway and saw the train facilities. He met with Levy and Reed, and they agreed to start a new railroad.
In 1969, the B&M railroad asked to stop using the line north of Ossipee. This was approved in September 1972. The last B&M train left North Conway on October 31, 1972.
Starting the Scenic Railroad
In May 1974, the Conway Scenic Railroad officially began. They bought about 7 miles (11 km) of track. The very first train ride happened on August 4, 1974.
In 1983, train traffic through the Mountain Division stopped. This meant the Conway Scenic Railroad was cut off from other train lines. But in 1992, the State of New Hampshire bought the Mountain Division line.
On September 1, 1994, the Conway Scenic Railroad got permission to use this line. This reconnected them to the national rail network. They started working to clear and fix the tracks right away. The first train to Bartlett ran on December 17, 1994. Trains started going through Crawford Notch on September 5, 1995. The first train to Fabyan Station ran on September 1, 1996.
In 2018, the railroad expanded its line again. They added another mile (1.6 km) of track. The first train on this new section ran on May 13, 2019. This was the first expansion since 1998.
New Owners and Future Plans
In 1999, Russ and Dot Seybold bought the railroad. Then, on January 30, 2018, Profile Mountain Holdings Corp. bought it.
Train Rides and Experiences
The Conway Scenic Railroad offers different train rides. They are usually called "Heritage Excursions" and "The Mountaineer."
Heritage Excursions
These trips are shorter. They go either south to Conway (about 55 minutes round trip) or west to Bartlett (about 1 hour 45 minutes round trip).
The Heritage train has special cars. These include the dining car Chocorua. There's also the 1898 open-deck Pullman observation car Gertrude Emma. This is the oldest active standard gauge passenger car in the country! Some cars are from the 1920s. These trains usually run from mid-April to December.
The Mountaineer Train
This is a longer trip through Crawford Notch. It's usually a 5-hour round trip to Crawford Depot. During the fall, when the leaves change color, the trip is longer. It goes to Fabyan Station in Carroll, lasting 5 and a half hours.
The Mountaineer train has special features. It has an open-air car called Silver Cascade. There are also first-class cars with glass dome roofs. These are called Rhonda Lee and Dorthea Mae. This train usually runs from mid-June to early November.
Sunset Dinner Train
This special train runs in the evenings. It's a 1 hour 45 minute round trip to Bartlett. You can enjoy dinner while riding the train. They also have special dinner trains for holidays like Valentine's Day. Sometimes they even have "Murder Mystery" dinner trains!
Special Events and Winter Trains
The railroad hosts many fun events throughout the year. These include Mother's Day and Father's Day specials. They also have a "Pumpkin Patch Express" in the fall. In winter, the "Journey to the North Pole" is a popular event.
Since February 2020, they also run "Snow Trains." These shuttle trains go from North Conway to Attitash Mountain Resort in Bartlett. They run daily during school vacation weeks. This helps the railroad operate all year round.
Special Freight Operation
On June 20, 2009, a very heavy train came through Crawford Notch. It carried a huge 227-ton transformer for an electric company. This was the first scheduled freight train through Crawford Notch since 1983. It was a special and rare event for the Conway Scenic Railroad.
Locomotives: The Engines That Pull the Trains
The Conway Scenic Railroad has many different types of train engines. Some are steam engines, and others are diesel engines.
Main Units (Currently Running)
| Number | Builder | Type | Build date | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7470 | Grand Trunk Railway | Steam, 0-6-0 | 1921 | Operational | This steam engine is named "Dwight Smith." It's the only active coal-fired steam engine in New Hampshire. It started running on the Conway Scenic Railroad in 1974. It's often used for the Conway-bound Heritage trains. It returned to service in 2019 after a big inspection. |
| 573 | EMD | GP7 | 1950 | Operational | This engine came from the Maine Central line. It's called "Mr. Miller's Engine" because a railroad president liked it. It's usually the main engine for the Valley Train. |
| 4266 | EMD | F7A | 1949 | Operational | This engine used to belong to the Boston & Maine railroad. It was the last "F unit" to run on that line. It pulled the first trains to Bartlett and Crawford's Depot for Conway Scenic. It's now used for special trips. |
| 23 | Budd Company | RDC-1 | 1952 | Operational | This is the only working RDC (Rail Diesel Car) in New Hampshire. It's named Millie. It's used for Heritage Excursions when it's not busy. |
| 216 | EMD | GP35 | 1965 | Operational | This engine was acquired in 2010. It often runs with engine 252 on the Mountaineer train. It has special controls to be operated from either side. |
| 252 | EMD | GP38 | 1966 | Out of service; awaiting repairs | This engine is named "Kurt Ward." It pulled the last regular freight train through Crawford Notch in 1983. It needs major repairs right now. |
| 1751 | EMD | GP9 | 1956 | Operational | This engine was acquired in 2011. It's often used for the Valley trains. It can also be used for the Mountaineer because it has special brakes for steep hills. It sometimes works for another railroad, the New Hampshire Central. |
| 501 | Alco | Steam, 2-8-0 | 1910 | Display; pending restoration | This engine was the last steam engine to run on the Mountain Division in 1953. It's currently on display. The railroad plans to restore it to working condition, which will be a long project. |
| 4268 | EMD | F7A | 1949 | Under restoration | This engine has been on display for a long time. It's now being restored. Parts from another old engine (1757) are being used to help fix it. |
| 360 | General Electric | 44-tonner | Display | This engine is owned by the State of New Hampshire. It's on display at the railroad but has never been used by Conway Scenic. | |
| 1757 | EMD | GP9 | 1956 | Display | This engine is being used for parts to restore engine 4268. It will be scrapped once all useful parts are removed. |
| 1741 | EMD | GP9 | 1957 | Awaiting shipment from Waterville, ME. | This engine is waiting to be shipped to the Conway Scenic Railroad. It needs repairs before it can run. |
Former Units (No Longer Here)
| Number | Builder | Type | Build date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1943 | General Electric | B23-7 | 1978 | This engine had electrical problems and never ran regularly. It was traded to another railroad in 2011. |
| 2820 | General Electric | U23B | 1975 | This engine ran for a few years but then broke down. It was also traded to another railroad in 2011 for parts. |
| 6505/6516 | GMD | FP9s | 1954/1957 | These two engines were called "the Sisters." They were the main engines for the Notch Train for a while. They were traded away in 2010 because they didn't have special brakes needed for steep hills. |
| 1055 | Alco | S-4 | 1950 | This engine was a main power source for the railroad until 1996. It was sold to another scenic railroad in 2010. |
| 15 | General Electric | 44-tonner | 1945 | This was the railroad's first diesel engine. It was sold in 2010 to a railroad in Canada, where it was fully restored and still runs. |
| 108 | Baldwin | Steam, 2-6-2 | 1920 | This steam engine ran on the Conway Scenic from 1977 to 1988. It was too small for the longer trains. It was sold in 1999 and is now in pieces in Texas, waiting for restoration. |
Conway Scenic Railroad in Movies
The Conway Scenic Railroad has even been in a movie! In the 2005 Christmas TV film The 12 Dogs of Christmas, the North Conway train station was used in several scenes. The railroad's passenger cars were also in the film.
