Conway Scenic Railroad

Conway Scenic Railroad
GP35 No. 216, GP38 No. 252 and GP7 No. 573 at North Conway Depot
LocaleWhite Mountains region of New Hampshire
ConnectionsNew Hampshire Central Railroad
Commercial operations
Built byConway Branch: Portsmouth, Great Falls and Conway Railroad;
Mountain Division: Portland and Ogdensburg Railroad
Original gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Preserved operations
Owned byProfile Mountain Holdings Corp; Mountain Division right-of-way owned by the State of New Hampshire
Operated byConway Scenic Railroad
Reporting markCSRX
Length51 miles (82 km)
Preserved gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Commercial history
Opened1872
1875Mountain Division is completed and connected
1890Boston and Maine Corporation acquires the Conway Branch
1972Conway Branch abandoned north of Ossipee
1983Crawford Notch regular service ends in September
1984Last Crawford Notch train (October)
1992Mountain Division abandoned east of Whitefield
ClosedN. Conway Station 1961
Preservation history
August 4, 1974Started
1994Mountain Division operations begin
HeadquartersNorth Conway
Website
conwayscenic.com

The Conway Scenic Railroad (reporting mark CSRX)[1] is a heritage railroad located in North Conway, New Hampshire, owned by Profile Mountain Holdings Corp. The railroad operates over two historic railway routes: a line from North Conway to Conway that was formerly part of the Conway Branch of the Boston and Maine Railroad, and a line from North Conway through Crawford Notch to Fabyan that was once part of the Mountain Division of the Maine Central Railroad. The Conway line is owned by Conway Scenic, and the Mountain Division is owned by the State of New Hampshire.

The railroad's main terminal is located in historic downtown North Conway in the Mount Washington valley. The station complex has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1979.[2]

History

The Conway Scenic Railroad was formed by Dwight Smith, who was an employee of the Boston and Maine Railroad in the late 1960s. After years of negotiations, Smith was able to convince his employer to sell a portion of the Conway Branch, which it planned to abandon, to him and two local businessmen in 1974, and the Conway Scenic Railroad began that year.[3] In 1999, the original owners were bought out by husband and wife Russ and Dot Seybold and on January 30, 2018, the railroad was sold again to Profile Mountain Holdings Corp.[4][5]

Operations

The Dorthea Mae dome car

The railroad operates passenger trains out of its station in North Conway Village from April to December each year.[6]

Special freight operation

On June 20, 2009, a 20-axle Schnabel car was brought down through Crawford Notch carrying a 227-ton transformer for Public Service of New Hampshire, an electrical utility company. The train was led by locomotives No. 573, No. 6505 and No. 6516. It was the first scheduled freight train through Crawford Notch since September 3, 1983, and the first freight train of any kind since October 1984. The empty cars were shipped out nine days later, led by No. 6505 and No. 4266. This shipment completed the first and only revenue freight move for the Conway Scenic to date.[7]

Equipment

Locomotives

Locomotive details[8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]
Number Images Builder Type Wheel Arrangement Build date Serial Number Status
7470 Grand Trunk Railway Steam 0-6-0 1921 22/1500 Operational
23 Budd Company RDC-1 (1A-A1) 1952 5504 Operational
216 EMD GP35 (B-B) 1965 30297 Operational
252 EMD GP38 (B-B) 1966 32661 Operational
255 EMD GP38 (B-B) 1966 32664 Operational
360 General Electric 44-tonner (B-B) 1942 Unknown Display
501 Alco Steam 2-8-0 1910 47732 Under restoration
573 EMD GP7 (B-B) 1950 12369 Operational
1741 EMD GP9 (B-B) 1957 23239 Operational
1751 EMD GP9 (B-B) 1965 22036 Operational
4266 EMD F7A (B-B) 1949 8476 Operational
4268 EMD F7A (B-B) 1949 9932 Operational

Visiting units

Locomotive details[17]
Number Images Builder Type Wheel Arrangement Build date Serial Number Previous owner Current owner Status
Flying Yankee Budd Company and Electro-Motive Corporation Streamliner B-2 1935 Unknown Plymouth & Lincoln Railroad Flying Yankee Association Stored, awaiting restoration

Former units

Locomotive details[18][19][20][21][22][7]
Number Images Builder Type Build date Wheel Arrangement Serial Number
15 General Electric 44-tonner 1945 (B-B) 27975
108 Baldwin Steam 1920 2-6-2 52820
1055 Alco S-4 1950 (B-B) 78416
1757 EMD GP9 1956 (B-B) 21888
6505/6516 GMD FP9s 1954/1957 (B-B) A635/A1046

2022 accident

On the morning of January 3, 2022 at 4:44am, a radio inside No. 7470's cab caught fire, and it caused the inside of the locomotive's cab to burn up as well. The fire also damaged the spring in the whistle valve, causing the whistle to continuously blow, which alerted the nearby steam locomotive mechanic, who called 9-1-1.[23] The nearby fire department arrived shortly afterward to put the fire out. Had it not been for the whistle valve blowing itself, the 1874-built roundhouse it was stored in would have received critical fire damage and collapsed onto No. 7470. The cab has since been repaired and the engine returned to service in June 2022.[24]

Appearances in film

In the 2005 Christmas television film, The 12 Dogs of Christmas, starring Jordan-Claire Green, the museum's depot was filmed in several scenes during the beginning of the film, and the Conway Scenic's passenger cars were also used in the film.[25]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Search MARKs". Railinc. Archived from the original on July 15, 2011. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  2. ^ "NEW HAMPSHIRE - Carroll County". National Register of Historic Places. (District - #79003792)
  3. ^ Amadon, Ron (July 23, 1977). "A Nostalgic Train Ride". The Telegraph. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  4. ^ "History: Conway Scenic Railroad, Inc". Conway Scenic Railroad. Archived from the original on December 22, 2016. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  5. ^ Eastman, Tom (January 31, 2018). "Conway Scenic RR sold to Profile Mountain Holdings Corp". The Conway Daily Sun.
  6. ^ "Visit NH: Conway Scenic Railroad, Inc". Visit NH. Archived from the original on October 29, 2021. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  7. ^ a b Tucker, Edith (June 24, 2009). "End of line for made in China transformer. 411-ton transformer is hauled on Conway Scenic RR". Coos County Democrat. Retrieved July 17, 2011.
  8. ^ Solomon, Brian (May 2020). "Steam, Stunning Scenery, Ghosts, and a Cat Named Cinders". Trains. pp. 32–39.
  9. ^ "Steam Engine #7470". Conway Scenic Railroad. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  10. ^ Eastman, Tom (April 13, 2018). "ALL ABOARD! Conway Scenic's 44th season opens with new owners". The Conway Daily Sun.
  11. ^ Solomon, Brian (September 13, 2022). "Maine Central 501 on the Move!". Tracking the Light. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  12. ^ Solomon, Brian. "April 2021 Wheel Report". Conway Scenic Railroad.
  13. ^ "4266 and 4268 Updates on July 30 and August 1". The 470 Railroad Club Blog. August 1, 2021.
  14. ^ "Conway Scenic Acquires Second Maine Central GP38". Railfan & Railroad Magazine. October 19, 2021.
  15. ^ Solomon, Brian. "October 2020 Wheel Report". Conway Scenic Railroad.
  16. ^ "Historical Group Saves Boston & Maine GP9". Railfan & Railroad Magazine. December 24, 2020.
  17. ^ Lasson, David (July 24, 2024). "'Flying Yankee' changes hands, will be moved to Conway Scenic Railroad". Trains.com.
  18. ^ "Maine Central 44 Ton Switcher #15". Ozark Mountain Railcar. Archived from the original on September 27, 2009.
  19. ^ "Request for Expressions of Interest in Acquisition of Steam Locomotive #108". Railway Preservation News. July 25, 2005. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
  20. ^ "Steam Locomotive #108". The Rannoch Corporation. Archived from the original on February 4, 2005. Retrieved July 27, 2011.
  21. ^ "Rail Equipment". Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  22. ^ "Old CSRR locomotive is dismantled for scrap". The Conway Daily Sun. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  23. ^ Parsons, Jeff. "Fire in Conway Scenic Railroad Steam Locomotive Causes Whistle to Blow Alerting Staff". Q97.9. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  24. ^ Eastman, Tom. "Minor engine fire cancels special run at CSRR". Q97.9. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  25. ^ Merrill, Kieth (May 7, 2004). "12 Dogs of Christmas". Meridian Magazine.
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