White Mountain Central Railroad facts for kids
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Climax Locomotive of 1920
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| Overview | |
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| Headquarters | Lincoln, New Hampshire |
| Reporting mark | WMCRR |
| Locale | Clark's Bears |
| Dates of operation | 1958–present |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Length | 1.25 miles (2.01 km) |
| Other | |
| Website | http://www.whitemountaincentralrr.com/ |
The White Mountain Central Railroad is a special train ride at Clark's Bears in Lincoln, New Hampshire. It's a "heritage railway," which means it uses old trains to give people a fun trip back in time. This railroad is unique because it's one of the few places in New England where you can regularly see real steam locomotives running. It's also special because it was built just for tourists, like a ride you'd find at an amusement park, but it uses the same standard track size as big trains, not a smaller "narrow gauge" track.
Contents
Exploring the Train Route
The adventure begins at the entrance building of Clark's Bears, which also serves as the train station. From there, the train heads north through the park. It passes by a small building where the locomotives are kept and fixed.
One exciting part of the journey is when the train crosses the Pemigewasset River. It goes over a cool covered bridge! After the bridge, the train enters a wooded area. Here, a fun actor playing a "Wolfman" character might chase the train in a funny, old car. The ride ends after the train goes under a ramp for Interstate 93.
When Can You Ride?
The White Mountain Central Railroad runs whenever Clark's Bears is open. This is usually from late May until early October. Each day, there are between one and seven train trips, depending on how long the park is open.
Every train ride lasts about 30 minutes. The cost of the train ride is already included in your ticket to Clark's Bears. Sometimes, usually in September, they have special "Railroad Days." This event features extra trains and unique train setups. This special event now happens every 5 to 10 years.
A Look at History
Building this railroad started in 1955. The very first train ride for visitors happened on July 30, 1958. The famous covered bridge that the train crosses wasn't built there. It was moved all the way from East Montpelier, Vermont! Workers carefully took it apart and put it back together in its current spot between 1963 and 1965.
Meet the Locomotives
The White Mountain Central Railroad has several interesting locomotives. Here are some of them:
| Number | Type | Builder | Year Built | History | Acquired | Status | Notes |
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| 1 | 0-4-0 Tank | H.K. Porter, Inc. | 1931 | Used at a wood treatment plant. | 1957–1958 | Operational | This is the smallest steam locomotive. It only runs during special Railroad Days. |
| 2 | Gasoline locomotive | Vulcan Iron Works | From a Granite quarry in Barre, Vermont. | 1964 | Operational | This tiny train is too small for regular passenger trips. It helps with track repairs sometimes. | |
| 4 | Heisler locomotive | Heisler Locomotive Works | 1929 | Used by International Shoe Company. | 1958 | Not working | It first ran here in 1961. It was the main train from 1964 to 1976. It's currently being fixed in Maine. You can see it on display during Railroad Days. |
| 5 | 2-4-2T | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 1906 | Used for logging and at a sawmill. | 1999 | Operational | This train worked in logging for 40 years. It started running at WMCRR in 1999. It runs during Railroad Days. |
| 5 | Class B Shay locomotive | Lima Locomotive Works | 1917 | Used by Woodstock Lumber Company. | 1951–1952 | Not working | This 50-ton train was used for moving cars around. It is displayed during Railroad Days. |
| 6 | Climax locomotive | Climax Locomotive Works | 1920 | Used by Beebe River Lumber Company. | 1951 | Operational | This train was fully restored in 1976 and is ready to go! |
| 1943 | GE 65-ton switcher | GE Transportation | 1943 | Used by Newport Dinner Train. | Operational | This train is used as a backup power source. | |
| B1 | Railbus | Sandy River and Rangeley Lakes Railroad | 1930 | Used by Sandy River and Rangeley Lakes RR. | Operational | This railbus used to run during quieter times of the year. It also runs during Railroad Days. |
The Clark's Bears Station
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Clark's Bears
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| Heritage railway | |
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Clark's Bears
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| Location | 110 Daniel Webster Highway, Lincoln, New Hampshire United States |
| Owned by | Clark's Bears |
| Line(s) | White Mountain Central Railroad |
| Tracks | 1 |
| Construction | |
| Structure type | At-grade |
| Parking | Free |
| Disabled access | Yes |
The train station at Clark's Bears has an interesting past. It actually came from another amusement park called Freedomland U.S.A.. When that park closed in 1964, the station found a new home here!
