A beautiful spring day and a train show for the restoration of the Bartlett, NH roundhouse got the DT&I Fan and I out for a drive through the mountains. It was a great day for a drive, even if we only shot photos of captive rail relics.
We worked our way toward Bartlett by stopping in Conway to see the MEC Mountain Division bridge over the Saco River. The old road from Fryeburg leads to a boat launch and trail system which provides easy access for this photo. Apparently there is some rumor that either this bridge had been removed or needs substantial repairs. I guess you can see that it isn't missing. This has some bearing on whether the line is restored one day for trains out of Portland.
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| Former MEC roundhouse Bartlett, NH |
From here we followed the new by-pass through North Conway which also follows the line. This dumped us by the depot but we went straight to Bartlett to see the train show. The show was small but we just wanted to give our money at the door anyway. After our visit we wandered over the the roundhouse. At the moment the building belongs to the NHDOT. However, the building is in need of repairs. I think the DOT wants to turn the building over to a historical society which will fix up the building and work with the Conway Scenic Ry.
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| MEC boxcar on the Conway Scenic. |
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| Wooden snow plow. |
Also found at the site is this old MEC wooden boxcar, similar to ones on my layout. There is also a wooded plow to be seen. Both look like they need some restoration too. But they seem to have good frames holding them up.
Once we had seen all there is to see in Bartlett we head back to North Conway for a closer look at the Conway Scenic Ry. Along the way we see evidence of ballasting and track work going on up to the Notch. We would see more of this later in the day. We arrive at the depot as a Bartlett train is leaving with the 573 in the lead. This worked out well as it cleared the tracks to view the equipment scattered around. Here we see the former MEC GP38 traded from Pan Am and restored by the Waterville shop. Those people know how to paint a locomotive when they are allowed to. This guy is sharp in every exterior detail. The MEC style paint job is fantastic. No where do you see shoddy paint work sprayed over rough surfaces, rust or excess layers of old paint. Hopefully the interior is decent too. This and a high hood GP35 were traded to Pan Am for two former Canadian FP-9's. The other unit is also in MEC paint and seen in the yard.
Farther down the track by the roundhouse I had to grab this marginal shot of the restored former B&M F unit at the turntable. This is a recent restoration from what I understand. A sister unit is getting some cosmetic attention and may join up as some form of "dummy" unit. A bit farther back was this wooden flanger car. A car just like this one was parked at South Paris, ME on the Grand Trunk for years. It was the same color and lettered for Central Vermont. If I recall correctly, I saw both cars at the same time in the 1970's, so they are identical but not the very same.
Without much additional walking we came across this neat pair of BAR cars that I've recently acquired for my N scale empire. I was now familiar enough with the details to appreciate the features of these unusual cars. The tri-color Magor cars were unusual for their charcoal heaters and special vents. I had to photograph those details. The heater detail is here. I felt compelled to include the plate above the heater that denotes ownership. I took several other photos of the details but this really isn't the place for those things. They'll probably end up in another post where I compare them to my N scale replicas.
Though the orange reefer isn't that unique, the detail for the fan battery, drain spout and paint job are included here.
I don't know why but I never noticed the swiveling downspouts that drained the melting ice inside the reefer. This was probably a common sight before mechanical reefers took over. The accessories for the electric fans inside the car were something I hadn't noticed before either.
From Conway we headed over the Kancamagus Highway to Lincoln to visit the Hobo RR. I knew they worked on and stored unusual railroad items we might see from their parking area. We were not disappointed. I had hoped we'd see the New Haven's Roger Williams train set. The two ends and one middle car were present as you can see here. The trailing parts were visible but not easy to photograph. I also took the opportunity to photograph the odds and ends in the area.
These two cabeese are quite obviously of Boston and Maine origin. The blue one is obvious but the other wild one from the MBTA is probably less obvious.
Former MEC and PT Alco's were prominent. Looking toward the shop we see a McGuiness painted RDC and the other end of the Roger Williams. Behind the cabooses we see a former Santa Fe car from the El Capitain.
Here are the two Alco switchers. 958 was a former Maine Central switcher I've actually seen in operation in Auburn back in the 1970's. It went to the Maine Coast where a group of us actually witnessed it leave Brunswick for this destination. The other unit is a former Portland Terminal unit. I don't know if I'd seen it before or not. Alco's are just cool regardless.
I'm not entirely sure that this is a former New Haven RDC because of the Reading RR style drip edge under the headlight, but anything with the McGuiness NH logo gets my attention. I took the opportunity to photograph the depot too.
On the way out of the parking lot you pass through a mini-golf course that a wye cuts through. A former MBTA Geep was parked there. As it turns out it started life on the Northern Pacific and was picked up from the Burlington Northern. The MBTA gave it this B&M heritage paint job and added the Minute Man logos. They also dedicated the unit to a retiring engineer who operated it. Luckily it was picked up by the Hobo when it was retired. Only the railroad names have changed since then.
St. Johnsbury was now close enough that we could take a detour. Who knows if we might encounter the Washington County RR but we could scout the Passumpsic Ry anyway. We headed to Barnett first. This little line is a curiosity. There is almost no signage, no obvious parking area or even a good place to pull off the road. There's just a collection of railroad stuff next to Rt. 5.
The collection does include two former Aroostook Valley RR 44 tonners and a former MEC 44 tonner. There's a relic of a Climax and scattered steam era cars. The prototype for the Quincy station model appears to be the ticket office for the operation. Apparently the line is open from time to time but we were checking this place out on the fly so we did some "drive by shooting".
A string of cars through St. J and little other activity wasn't very welcoming. We drove around to see what the WACR was up to and found little. I took a couple of shots of the remnants of the Mountain Division. This one useable shot is on the edge of town behind the maple syrup plant. As you can see the state of Vermont doesn't do much about trees on the right of way.
Over Rt. 2 to Lancaster and over to Whitefield to see what's left of the famous ball signal. Now that the Berlin line is pulled up and the old Mountain Division is idle, not much happens here anymore. I think it is still in place because of its potential. It does connect to the other junctions that in turn connect the all but idle NHVT to the SLR at Groveton. This means the Conway Scenic has an outlet to the rest of the world. It also means restoration of the Mountain Division is still possible.
We returned home before the sun went down. This is a rare thing for most of our adventures. I'll leave the rest of the Whitefield photos scattered by Blogger below.
BC
Once we had seen all there is to see in Bartlett we head back to North Conway for a closer look at the Conway Scenic Ry. Along the way we see evidence of ballasting and track work going on up to the Notch. We would see more of this later in the day. We arrive at the depot as a Bartlett train is leaving with the 573 in the lead. This worked out well as it cleared the tracks to view the equipment scattered around. Here we see the former MEC GP38 traded from Pan Am and restored by the Waterville shop. Those people know how to paint a locomotive when they are allowed to. This guy is sharp in every exterior detail. The MEC style paint job is fantastic. No where do you see shoddy paint work sprayed over rough surfaces, rust or excess layers of old paint. Hopefully the interior is decent too. This and a high hood GP35 were traded to Pan Am for two former Canadian FP-9's. The other unit is also in MEC paint and seen in the yard.
Farther down the track by the roundhouse I had to grab this marginal shot of the restored former B&M F unit at the turntable. This is a recent restoration from what I understand. A sister unit is getting some cosmetic attention and may join up as some form of "dummy" unit. A bit farther back was this wooden flanger car. A car just like this one was parked at South Paris, ME on the Grand Trunk for years. It was the same color and lettered for Central Vermont. If I recall correctly, I saw both cars at the same time in the 1970's, so they are identical but not the very same.
Without much additional walking we came across this neat pair of BAR cars that I've recently acquired for my N scale empire. I was now familiar enough with the details to appreciate the features of these unusual cars. The tri-color Magor cars were unusual for their charcoal heaters and special vents. I had to photograph those details. The heater detail is here. I felt compelled to include the plate above the heater that denotes ownership. I took several other photos of the details but this really isn't the place for those things. They'll probably end up in another post where I compare them to my N scale replicas.
Though the orange reefer isn't that unique, the detail for the fan battery, drain spout and paint job are included here. 
I don't know why but I never noticed the swiveling downspouts that drained the melting ice inside the reefer. This was probably a common sight before mechanical reefers took over. The accessories for the electric fans inside the car were something I hadn't noticed before either.
From Conway we headed over the Kancamagus Highway to Lincoln to visit the Hobo RR. I knew they worked on and stored unusual railroad items we might see from their parking area. We were not disappointed. I had hoped we'd see the New Haven's Roger Williams train set. The two ends and one middle car were present as you can see here. The trailing parts were visible but not easy to photograph. I also took the opportunity to photograph the odds and ends in the area.
These two cabeese are quite obviously of Boston and Maine origin. The blue one is obvious but the other wild one from the MBTA is probably less obvious.
Former MEC and PT Alco's were prominent. Looking toward the shop we see a McGuiness painted RDC and the other end of the Roger Williams. Behind the cabooses we see a former Santa Fe car from the El Capitain. 
Here are the two Alco switchers. 958 was a former Maine Central switcher I've actually seen in operation in Auburn back in the 1970's. It went to the Maine Coast where a group of us actually witnessed it leave Brunswick for this destination. The other unit is a former Portland Terminal unit. I don't know if I'd seen it before or not. Alco's are just cool regardless.
I'm not entirely sure that this is a former New Haven RDC because of the Reading RR style drip edge under the headlight, but anything with the McGuiness NH logo gets my attention. I took the opportunity to photograph the depot too.
On the way out of the parking lot you pass through a mini-golf course that a wye cuts through. A former MBTA Geep was parked there. As it turns out it started life on the Northern Pacific and was picked up from the Burlington Northern. The MBTA gave it this B&M heritage paint job and added the Minute Man logos. They also dedicated the unit to a retiring engineer who operated it. Luckily it was picked up by the Hobo when it was retired. Only the railroad names have changed since then.
St. Johnsbury was now close enough that we could take a detour. Who knows if we might encounter the Washington County RR but we could scout the Passumpsic Ry anyway. We headed to Barnett first. This little line is a curiosity. There is almost no signage, no obvious parking area or even a good place to pull off the road. There's just a collection of railroad stuff next to Rt. 5.
A string of cars through St. J and little other activity wasn't very welcoming. We drove around to see what the WACR was up to and found little. I took a couple of shots of the remnants of the Mountain Division. This one useable shot is on the edge of town behind the maple syrup plant. As you can see the state of Vermont doesn't do much about trees on the right of way.
Over Rt. 2 to Lancaster and over to Whitefield to see what's left of the famous ball signal. Now that the Berlin line is pulled up and the old Mountain Division is idle, not much happens here anymore. I think it is still in place because of its potential. It does connect to the other junctions that in turn connect the all but idle NHVT to the SLR at Groveton. This means the Conway Scenic has an outlet to the rest of the world. It also means restoration of the Mountain Division is still possible. 
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