New England Rail Heritage Series

Available Now!

New Hampshire Rail Trails

by Charles F. Martin

BRANCH LINE PRESS invites hikers, bikers, railfans, and local history buffs to explore New Hampshire's history, scenery, and abandoned railroads with New Hampshire rail trail expert Charles Martin.

With detailed maps and numerous photographs, New Hampshire Rail Trails is the most comprehensive guide yet written on the extensive network of rail trails in the state of New Hampshire.

Charles F. Martin has logged hundreds of hours and hundreds of bicycle miles exploring every available trail on the rights of way of this state's former railroads. He shares his experience and expertise in an inviting, well-researched guide that includes capsule histories of the railroads that operated here, followed by detailed maps and descriptions of the trails that have taken their place.

Each trail description includes ratings of the trail surface condition and the scenery that can be seen from the trail; a list of permitted uses (from walking and biking to horseback riding and snowmobiling); clear instructions for parking and for accessing the trail; and comprehensive notes on natural and historical sights, as well as railroad artifacts, that trail users will see along the way.

This is the way a rail trail guide should be written, melding railroad history with trail descriptions. Along with first-class maps, this is certainly the best overall book ever done on rail trails in the United States.

—Craig Della Penna

A Field Guide to Southern New England Railroad Depots and Freight Houses

by John H. Roy, Jr.

New in 2007

AT THE height of the railroad era, nearly every community in New England had at least one depot and freight house around which the town center grew. With the decline of the railroads throughout the twentieth century, however, scores of these historic structures have been lost, including many architectural gems. But even today hundreds of railroad stations and freight houses survive, sometimes years after the last train ran and the rails were removed. Recent decades have seen new stations built to serve still-active rail lines. Former stations have been recycled as offices, gift shops, private homes, government buildings, and a few even as churches.

John H. Roy, Jr., has spent the last fifteen years tracking down every station, depot, and freight house still extant in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. In this handbook he provides a comprehensive guide to all 467 such structures—past and present—that survive today. Each entry includes a photograph of the structure, the date it was built, its use today, and brief historical and architectural notes. Rail fans, modelers, architecture enthusiasts, local history buffs, and historical preservationists will find a wealth of information to help them explore this important aspect of New England's architectural and railroad heritage.

The Rail Lines of Northern New England

A Handbook of Railroad History

by Robert M. Lindsell

THIS oft-requested companion to The Rail Lines of Southern New England is packed with information about all of the rail lines of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Author Robert M. Lindsell, a veteran of the transportation industry with international experience, has distilled the wealth of information about Northern New England railroads into capsule accounts of 77 lines, from their beginnings in the 19th century through today. Each chapter includes a comprehensive summary of the development of a separate rail line and its branches; a map detailing the line's relationship to other lines; an all-time station list; and summaries of construction dates, operators, passenger trains, and abandonments. With over 100 vintage and current photographs, no other publication has ever brought together so much information in one handy reference guide.

The Rail Lines of Southern New England

A Handbook of Railroad History

by Ronald Dale Karr

Anyone interested in New England railroads should have this book.

—Trains Magazine

HAVE YOU ever come across an active rail line or abandoned right of way and wondered where it goes, how it came to be, what kind if traffic it saw, or who owns or operates it today? Historian Ronald Dale Karr answers these questions for railfans and history buffs alike in this unique handbook. Each chapter comprises a lively, detailed chronicle of a rail line and its branches, a map showing the line's relationship to other lines, an all-time station list, and information about when the line was built, its operators, the number of passenger trains, and dates of abandonments. With 90 photos and illustrations, this is a must for any New England rail fan.

...an excellent introduction to local rail history.

— New London Day

Lost Railroads of New England

2nd Edition

by Ronald Dale Karr

If you're traveling through New England and stumble upon a path through the trees, this book will let you know if it's an abandoned line, where it went and who owned it.

—Railfan & Railroad

WITH an informative summary of the rise and fall of New England's railroads, Lost Railroads of New England is a comprehensive guide to all abandoned rail lines in the six New England states. The core of the new edition is an expanded, updated, fully annotated directory of abandonments from 1848 through 1994. It also includes new photographs and all new maps.

This handy little reference is a 'must have' for New England railfans and historians.

—Vintage Rails

From the Palmer Public Library . . .

One Town & Seven Railroads

The Railroads of Palmer, Massachusetts, Past, Present & Never Were

by the Palmer Public Library Railroad Advisory Board

THIS exciting new book traces Palmer's unique railroad history beginning in 1839 through the present, showing how the rairoads changed Palmer from a farming community into an industrial and commercial center. Many rare unpublished photographs of familiar Palmer locations are included. Comprehensive maps guide the reader through Palmer's villages and portray every railroad route. But this book is not just about trains. It tells how railroads affected everyday life, from the wealthy men who controlled the lines to the personal stories of past generations. Here are the stories of corporate swindles, ghost railroads, and the town's lively trolley system. Every New England railfan will want this book!

The First Book on Palmer's Railroads Is Now Available!

From Bondcliff Books . . .

Logging Railroads Along the Pemigewasset River

by Bill Gove

A LITTLE more than a century ago, in the watershed of northern New Hampshire's Pemigewasset River, stood some of New England's finest and most bountiful virgin timber. Written by retired forester and longtime rail historian Bill Gove, this book tells the fascinating story of the golden age of lumbering and railroading in this region. Based on more than three decades of research, Gove examines the history of the various logging operations that worked the Pemi watershed for nearly 50 years. Complementing Gove's lively account of this unique era are vintage photographs and original maps and charts drawn and compiled by the author.

Logging Railroads of the Saco River Valley

by Bill Gove

FOR MORE than 50 years during the late 19th and early 20th centuries the Saco River Valley and its tributaries were the scene of some of the most intensive logging ever to take place in the rugged and wild White Mountains of New Hampshire. In this book retired Vermont forester and longtime rail buff Bill Gove takes readers back to the days when timber was king and lumberjacks cut their way through the virgin wilderness. Based on more than 30 years of research Gove examines the colorful history of the six logging rail lines that once operated along or near the scenic Saco River, as well as the many controversial figures who were behind these labor-intensive timber operations. Gove presents vintage photos plus nearly a dozen original maps and charts detailing practically every aspect of logging operations.

Reads like a mystery novel...highly recommended.

—National Railway Bulletin

MYTH and mystery surround the never-completed Southern New England Railroad for which immense fills, deep rock cuts, and lofty abutments still mark its 85-mile route from Palmer, MA, to Rhode Island. Begun in 1910 by the Grand Trunk RR, the line was covertly fought by New England “Railroad Lord” Charles S. Mellen in a fierce battle exhaustively researched and eloquently recounted by historian Larry Lowenthal. Includes over 200 maps and illustrations, detailed maps of the route, and full color dust jacket.

Titanic Railroad is a gem. It belongs on the bookshelf of any serious student of New England railroads.

—Railroad History