Monadnock Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Monadnock Railroad was one of many extension line railroads built to help expand the Fitchburg Railroad
/Vermont and Massachusetts Railroad into New Hampshire
. This line was to serve the New Hampshire towns on the eastern side of Mount Monadnock
, mainly Jaffrey
and Peterborough
.
It took quite a bit of time for the line to get going after the railroad was chartered in 1848. It began in Winchendon, Massachusetts
where the line ran off the Cheshire Railroad at a junction with the Ware River Railroad and the Boston, Barre and Gardner Railroad, but construction did not begin until 1870, some 22 years later.
The Monadnock finally opened from Winchendon to Jaffrey, New Hampshire
in December 1870 and then to Peterborough by late spring 1871, from which the Peterborough and Hillsborough Railroad could take traffic further north to Concord
.
The Boston, Barre and Gardner Railroad, running south from Winchendon, leased the Monadnock in 1874 in order to have a line to Concord. In 1880, the BB&GRR fell on hard times and transferred the lease to the Cheshire Railroad in order to keep it out of the hands of the Boston and Albany Railroad
which had taken over the Ware River in 1873 and wanted to have access to the Monadnock Region. The Monadnock became part of the Fitchburg, along with the entire Cheshire, in 1890 and then to the Boston and Maine Railroad
in 1900.
As a line of the B&M, the Monadnock served as part of a long through route between Worcester, Massachusetts
and Concord under the name of the Worcester and Hillsboro (sometimes Worcester and Contoocook
) branch. In the 1940s, the line was one of the most scenic, rural Yankee branch lines.
Through service ended on the line after the floods caused by the 1938 Hurricane, but local passenger trains continued to run until 1953. The line survived intact until 1972 when the B&M abandoned the line between Jaffrey and Peterborough. The remainder of the line continued until 1984 when Guilford
abandoned it.
Fitchburg Railroad
The Fitchburg Railroad is a former railroad company, which built a railroad line across northern Massachusetts, USA, leading to and through the Hoosac Tunnel. The Fitchburg was leased to the Boston and Maine Railroad in 1900...
/Vermont and Massachusetts Railroad into New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
. This line was to serve the New Hampshire towns on the eastern side of Mount Monadnock
Mount Monadnock
Mount Monadnock, or Grand Monadnock, is the most prominent New England mountain peak south of the White Mountains and east of the Massachusetts Berkshires, and is the highest point in Cheshire County, New Hampshire...
, mainly Jaffrey
Jaffrey, New Hampshire
Jaffrey is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 5,457 at the 2010 census.The primary settlement in town, where 2,757 people resided at the 2010 census, is defined as the Jaffrey census-designated place and is located along the Contoocook River at the...
and Peterborough
Peterborough, New Hampshire
Peterborough is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 6,284 at the 2010 census. Home to the MacDowell Art Colony, the town is a popular tourist destination....
.
It took quite a bit of time for the line to get going after the railroad was chartered in 1848. It began in Winchendon, Massachusetts
Winchendon, Massachusetts
Winchendon is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, USA. The population was 10,300 at the 2010 census. Home to Winchendon State Forest, the town includes the villages of Waterville and Winchendon Springs....
where the line ran off the Cheshire Railroad at a junction with the Ware River Railroad and the Boston, Barre and Gardner Railroad, but construction did not begin until 1870, some 22 years later.
The Monadnock finally opened from Winchendon to Jaffrey, New Hampshire
Jaffrey, New Hampshire
Jaffrey is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 5,457 at the 2010 census.The primary settlement in town, where 2,757 people resided at the 2010 census, is defined as the Jaffrey census-designated place and is located along the Contoocook River at the...
in December 1870 and then to Peterborough by late spring 1871, from which the Peterborough and Hillsborough Railroad could take traffic further north to Concord
Concord, New Hampshire
The city of Concord is the capital of the state of New Hampshire in the United States. It is also the county seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2010 census, its population was 42,695....
.
The Boston, Barre and Gardner Railroad, running south from Winchendon, leased the Monadnock in 1874 in order to have a line to Concord. In 1880, the BB&GRR fell on hard times and transferred the lease to the Cheshire Railroad in order to keep it out of the hands of the Boston and Albany Railroad
Boston and Albany Railroad
The Boston and Albany Railroad was a railroad connecting Boston, Massachusetts to Albany, New York, later becoming part of the New York Central Railroad system, Conrail and CSX. The line is used by CSX for freight...
which had taken over the Ware River in 1873 and wanted to have access to the Monadnock Region. The Monadnock became part of the Fitchburg, along with the entire Cheshire, in 1890 and then to the Boston and Maine Railroad
Boston and Maine Railroad
The Boston and Maine Corporation , known as the Boston and Maine Railroad until 1964, was the dominant railroad of the northern New England region of the United States for a century...
in 1900.
As a line of the B&M, the Monadnock served as part of a long through route between Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
and Concord under the name of the Worcester and Hillsboro (sometimes Worcester and Contoocook
Contoocook, New Hampshire
Contoocook is a village and census-designated place within the town of Hopkinton in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,444 at the 2010 census.-History:...
) branch. In the 1940s, the line was one of the most scenic, rural Yankee branch lines.
Through service ended on the line after the floods caused by the 1938 Hurricane, but local passenger trains continued to run until 1953. The line survived intact until 1972 when the B&M abandoned the line between Jaffrey and Peterborough. The remainder of the line continued until 1984 when Guilford
Pan Am Railways
Pan Am Railways, Inc. , known as Guilford Rail System before March 2006, is a holding company that owns and operates Class II regional railroads covering northern New England from Mattawamkeag, Maine to Rotterdam Junction, New York...
abandoned it.