North Conway station facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
North Conway
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North Conway station in 2012
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| Location | 38 Norcross Circle North Conway, New Hampshire United States |
| Coordinates | 44°3′6″N 71°7′44″W / 44.05167°N 71.12889°W |
| Owned by | Conway Scenic Railroad |
| Tracks | 1 |
| History | |
| Opened | 1874 |
| Closed | 1961 |
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North Conway Depot and Railroad Yard
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| Built | 1874 |
| Architect | Nathaniel J. Bradlee |
| Architectural style | Russian-Victorian |
| NRHP reference No. | 79003792 |
| Added to NRHP | August 10, 1979 |
The North Conway station is a historic train station in North Conway, New Hampshire. It was built in 1874. The station was designed by Nathaniel J. Bradlee. He used a special mix of Russian and Victorian styles.
Today, the station is the main stop for the Conway Scenic Railroad. This railroad offers fun train rides for visitors. Next to the station, there is a large round building called a roundhouse. This building holds the Scenic Railroad's trains. The station and its train yard became a protected historic site in 1979. It is known as the North Conway Depot and Railroad Yard.
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Station Design and Features
The North Conway station was built to be very impressive. It was the most important station on the old Conway Branch railway line. Architect Nathaniel J. Bradlee gave it a unique Russian-Victorian look.
Inside the station, there was a ticket office and a room for luggage. There were also two waiting rooms, one for men and one for women. Today, one of these waiting rooms is a gift shop. Two fancy curved staircases lead upstairs. These stairs go to offices located in tall, round towers. A large clock on the station faces the town. The area in front of the station is an open park.
The Train Yard
The train yard around the station has other important buildings. There is a freight station, which was used for moving goods. There are also sheds for maintaining the tracks. The yard includes a four-stall roundhouse. This building has a large 85-foot (26 m) air-powered turntable. The turntable helps turn trains around.
The roundhouse and turntable are still used today. The Conway Scenic Railroad uses them to keep their trains in good shape. The old freight station now holds a cool model railroad display. There is also an old baggage car. It was turned into a sleeping area for train crews in 1949. The heritage railroad still uses it for this purpose.
A Look Back: Station History
The Portsmouth, Great Falls and Conway Railroad built the station in 1874. This was two years after the Conway Branch railway line was finished. The Boston and Maine Railroad took over the Portsmouth, Great Falls & Conway in 1890. The station served North Conway for 87 years.
The railway line continued a bit north to Intervale. There, it met another railway line called the Maine Central Railroad Mountain Division. The station was very busy in the summer. North Conway was a popular place for vacations. Starting in 1932, skiing became popular. Special "skier trains" brought many people to the station.
Changes Over Time
In the middle of the 1900s, fewer people traveled by train. Cars became more popular. The Boston & Maine Railroad stopped using traditional trains. They started using special Budd Rail Diesel Cars instead. Finally, on December 3, 1961, passenger train service to North Conway ended.
About 10 years later, on October 30, 1972, freight service also stopped. The station, yard, and railway line were no longer used. The station building was even used as a firehouse and post office by 1968.
A New Beginning
The station did not stay abandoned for long. In 1974, three local business people and many volunteers helped. They fixed up the old station. They also started a new heritage railway called the Conway Scenic Railroad. More restoration work was done in 1996 to keep the station looking great.
See also
