Plymouth & Lincoln Railroad

Hobo Junction with Hobo Railroad scenic trains in Lincoln, New Hampshire
Plymouth & Lincoln Railroad
Reporting mark PLRR, HOBO
Locale New England
Dates of operation 1986–
Track gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Headquarters Lincoln, New Hampshire

The Plymouth & Lincoln Railroad is a railroad operating on the Concord-Lincoln rail line in central New Hampshire, United States. The railroad consists of two distinct passenger operations, the Hobo Railroad, which offers passenger excursion trains in the White Mountains, and the Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroad, which operates passenger excursion trains along the shore of Lake Winnipesaukee in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire. In addition to passenger operations, the railroad owns the Lincoln Shops, a railroad equipment maintenance and repair facility located in Lincoln, New Hampshire.

Plymouth & Lincoln Railroad
 Lincoln
 Ashland
 Meredith
 Weirs Beach
 Lakeport Siding
 Laconia
 Laconia Freight Depot
 US Route 3
 Silver Lake Siding
 Interstate 93
 Tilton(Merrimack Railroad Freight Station)

History

In 1986 the Plymouth and Lincoln Railroad was formed with the purpose of operating a theme park and railroad out of Lincoln, New Hampshire. Edward Clark and his wife Brenda Reynolds Clark were the owners. Trains have been operating since then between Lincoln and Woodstock, a distance of 7 miles (11 km).

After a few years of operating the railroad in Lincoln under the Hobo Railroad name, the railroad was invited to bid on the lease for the state-owned trackage from Tilton to Plymouth. They won the bid, and the Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroad was formed, with trains running from Meredith to Lakeport, with a stop in Weirs Beach.[1]

The railroad now holds the passenger rights on the entire State of NH-owned track running from Tilton to Lincoln, a total of 54 miles (87 km). This additional mileage allows the operation of many special excursion trains. The state owns another 19 miles (31 km) of track from Tilton to Concord, which is used by the New England Southern Railroad for freight customers.

Edward Clark, founder of the railroad, died in the summer of 1998. Benjamin, his only son, assumed the post of President and promoted the business heavily.[2]

The Lincoln Shops

From the mid-1990s, the Lincoln Shops have grown to be a major source of off-season revenue through its refurbishing and repair of numerous pieces of customer railroad equipment. Two Russell snowplows and some subway tampers were rebuilt for the MBTA. The privately owned ex-New Haven Railroad Roger Williams was in for major restoration to like-new condition, along with four or five caboose repaintings. The company's reputation increased the demand for the facility enough to make the business a 12-month operation. 2005 brought the three-car set of the Flying Yankee, under restoration, to the Lincoln Shops for completion.

Current activities

The railroad has some of the most diverse and scenic fall foliage trains in New England, whether lakeside or on a journey along the Pemigewasset River to the mountains. Since 2003 the railroad has promoted heavily this important season for tourism. It also benefits from its 1½ hour travel time from Boston. Bus groups, sometimes eight per day, converge in Meredith in the fall due to the town's location and to the offering of a full roast turkey dinner on the train catered by Hart's Turkey Farm Restaurant, also located in Meredith.

In winter 2005, the "Believe in Books Literacy Foundation" contracted with the railroad to provide a "Polar Express" out of Lincoln, to supplement the growing demand from the North Conway operation run by the Conway Scenic Railroad. The Tom Hanks movie of the same name was released in the 2004/2005 season, sparking even further interest.

Three ALCO S1 switchers (one from the Portland Terminal Company and two from the Maine Central Railroad), an ALCO S3 switcher from the Boston and Maine Railroad, and a former Rock Island Railroad EMD GP7 provide the motive power for the two railroads. Four former Erie Lackawanna Railroad cars and six former Budd RDCs from the MBTA in Boston comprise the railroad cars that they use for operations.

Service stations

The Plymouth & Lincoln Railroad provides passenger service to the following stations:

Plymouth & Lincoln Railroad Station Roster WSRR = Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroad; HRR = Hobo Railroad
Station Location Scheduled service? Milepost Operation Remarks
Laconia Station Laconia, New Hampshire No C 27.59 N/A Special events only
Lakeport Freight House Lakeport (Laconia), New Hampshire No C 29.04 N/A Special events and charters only
Lakeport Engine House Lakeport (Laconia), New Hampshire Yes C 29.33 WSRR Southern terminus for regular service (WSRR); no loading or unloading passengers; no station facilities
South Down Shores Laconia, New Hampshire No C 31.01 WSRR Flag stop for South Down Shores Housing Community (WSRR)
Weirs Beach Station Weirs Beach, New Hampshire Yes C 33.77 WSRR Regular service stop (WSRR)
Meredith Station Meredith, New Hampshire Yes C 37.65 WSRR Regular service stop; northern terminus for regular service (WSRR)
Ashland Station Ashland, New Hampshire Yes C 45.78 WSRR Limited service stop (WSRR); fall foliage tours only
Plymouth Station Plymouth, New Hampshire No C 51.26 N/A Special events and charters only
Common Man Inn Plymouth, New Hampshire Yes P 0.87 WSRR Limited service stop (WSRR); fall foliage tours only
Jack O'Lantern Resort Woodstock, New Hampshire Yes P 14.90 HRR Southern terminus for regular service (HRR); no loading or unloading passengers; no station facilities
Hobo Junction Lincoln, New Hampshire Yes P 21.21 HRR Regular service stop; northern terminus for regular service (HRR); Plymouth & Lincoln Railroad corporate headquarters

Locomotive roster

All of this information is as of October 2018.

  • S1 958: Currently main power for the Lincoln trains.
  • S1 959: Currently out of service in Lakeport, awaiting wheel set replacement.
  • S1 1008: Currently out of service in Lakeport, awaiting traction motor replacement.
  • S3 1186: Currently primary backup power for the Lincoln trains.
  • SW1000 1012: Currently main power for the northbound Winnipesaukee trains, on weekends only. All other times, main power for southbound trains.
  • SW1001 1590: Currently preferred backup power. As of October 2017, this is the only locomotive not in maroon. It is in the CEFX blue paint scheme.
  • GP9 1921: Currently primary backup power for the Winnipesaukee trains.
  • GP7 302: Currently main power for the southbound Winnipesaukee trains, on weekends only.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroad". www.hoborr.com. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
  2. ↑ Kenson, George (December 2017). "History of the Hobo & Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroads". www.hoborr.com. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
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