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Old 01-06-2005, 11:43 AM   #1
mcdude
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Default Lakeshore Railroad - "All Aboard!"

All Aboard! for a journey on the old Lakeshore Railroad from Alton to Lakeport and beyond.

The Cocheco Railroad (so named because it follows the Cocheco River) was chartered on July 2, 1847. It's original charter was to reach from Dover, NH to Meredith, NH where it would connect to the Boston, Concord and Montreal Railroad. On June of 1848 construction began. Tracks opened from Dover, NH to Farmington, NH on September 21, 1849 and then opened as far as Alton Bay, NH in September of 1851.

The Cocheco Railroad never reached it's final destination of Meredith - with Alton Bay being the end of the line. In April of 1863 the Cocheco Railroad reorganized as the Dover and Winnipisogee Railroad and in November of that same year it was leased to the Boston and Maine Railroad. In June of 1892 the Dover and Winnipisogee Railroad was absorbed into the Boston and Maine Railroad. For many years this was a popular way to reach the lake from Boston.

from the Rattlesnake Gal Collection.


Click here for SUPER-SIZED Image
As one drives up Rt. 11 through Rochester and Farmington, vestiges of the old railroad bed and some granite bridges to allow streams to flow underneath are visible. (See granite bridge just north/west of Walmart on your right as you travel). The 1919 topographical map above shows the Cocheco tracks (highlighted in pink) following along the Merrymeeting River and crossing over the road where the Alton Traffic Circle now is. Note that the new Rt. 11 and the new Rt. 28 to Wolfeboro had not yet been built. It appears that the new Rt. 11 was built on the former railroad bed. Just down the road in New Durham would be the (now defunct) New Durham Railway Station restaurant. Adjacent to the restaurant is a state DPW barn that was formerly a freight house for the New Durham station. The track continues northerly from the traffic circle, behind what is now the Dunkin' Donuts, to the Alton Village Station which was located behind Alton Town Hall and the present Gilman Library.

(Image courtesy of the Henry Stevens Collection - Click for website )
Alton is now undertaking an effort to revitalize this old station and create a town park. Here is the charette that appeared in Alton's "Main Street" newspaper.



The station was located behind town hall on your right.

From the Alton Village Station the train proceeded across Main Street in the vicinity of Ginny Douglas Park, Old Wolfeboro Road, Karen's Restaurant and the former St. Joan Of Arc Church.

Remember this place? It burned down a few years ago. From here the rail line must have gone down a very steep incline on its' way to the Merrymeeting River and the bridge there.

(Image from the mahidable Collection) Merrymeeting River Bridge Postcard

from the mcdude collection


View of the Merrymeeting River and bridge today looking south. Taken December 27, 2004.

View of the bridge abuttments looking north. Photo - 12/27/04

View of the Merrymeeting Bridge from the JacksonB Collection.

After crossing the river the train approaches Alton Bay. It goes under a bridge on what would now be the beginning of Rand Hill Road, next to the Alton Bay Inn (now J.P. China's) and behind the Blue Jay Mini Golf at the busy corner.

(Image from the JacksonB Collection) In this postcard the bridge can be seen to the far right. Here we enter the Alton Bay Station.

(Photo by mcdude)

This card shows an older and a newer station eventually connected with a platform probably from circa. the 1870s. The steamship Mt. Washington is seen at the dock. This steamship was built in 1872 for the Boston and Maine Railroad. The previous steamer "Dover", later named "Cocheco" was not a side-wheeler. Both the station and the freight house had, at one time, "drive-through" service with the tracks leading all the way through the station, under the platform roof and out the freight house. As rolling stock and engines grew larger, it eventually became impossible for equipment to pass under the station and the tracks leading under the station's hood were 'stubbed' just jort of the station. Tracks to the freight house still allowed for equipment to enter the building from the north of the yard. The station was destroyed by fire on November 4, 1906.

(From the JacksonB Collection) View from the other side of the station.

(From the RattlesnakeGal Collection) View of the Station and pier from the Steamer.

There are too many excellent images of the Alton Bay Station to display on this thread. Here a just a few.....

(From the JacksonB Collection)

(From the JacksonB Collection)

(From the mcdude Collection) Old Alton Station from Water

(From the mcdude Collection) Tracks in relation to Campground

(From the mcdude Collection)

(From the mcdude Collection) Cottages on the Lakefront showing tracks

(From the mcdude Collection) Here is an image of the new station that replaced the one that burnt in 1906.

A third station was built just a couple of hundred feet down the tracks after the first two burned. Although rail service ended on this branch in 1936, and roadways now pave where the tracks used to be the replacement station still stands today. And just across the road from this station (at the entrance to the Alton Bay Campgrounds Association) you can still see the cement footings for where the water tower once stood. Pop's Clam Shell is in a close proximity to where there was a small 2-3 stall roundhouse stood complete with turntable.

Moving out of the Alton Bay Depot we head toward Back Bay.

(From the JacksonB Collection) Rather than go around the bay, a trestle was built to cross the mouth of the bay as depicted here.

(From the JacksonB Collection) View of Back bay from the trestle with trestle in lower left of photo. JacksonB recalls "The last cottage on the campground, when driving north toward Sandy Point, was where the land originally ended. The railroad created a causeway with fill and built the original wooden trestle shown here. My mother's generation would see who could be the last to jump off the trestle before the train came. I believe the stone bridge, that is there today, was built when the highway (Route 11)was constructed."


Moving along we head toward Loon Cove.

Loon Cove is somewhere in the vicinity of the intersection of (the new) Rt. 11 and the north end of Rand Hill Road/south end of 11D/and Jesus Valley Road.

When the new road was constructed the little bridge was altered and now only allows a small vessell into a little cove.
______

(From the mcdude Collection)

(From the JustSold Collection) The station still exists today and is found down a dirt road in the woods.

Here's a photo of the Buckley Whistlestop.....No date

Click below to enlarge
http://www.winnipesaukee.com/photopo...31/buckley.jpg
Next stop.....Mount Major Station

____

Click here for SUPER-SIZED image


(From the mcdude Collection)
_____
Click here for an additional postcard of the Mt. Major Station
____

(From the JacksonB Collection)




(Continued in response, below)
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Last edited by mcdude; 03-10-2021 at 08:41 AM.
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