Suncook Valley Railroad
The Suncook Valley Railroad ( SV) is a former railway company in New Hampshire ( United States). It consisted 1849-1952 and ran a standard gauge branch line through the Suncook Valley east of Concord, the capital of the state.
Construction of the line
Already on January 4, 1849, the Suncook Valley Railroad was established. Originally the valley should be tethered to the north of the railway network and connect at Alton Bay on the route of Dover and Winnipiseogee Railroad. Another company was founded on July 6 of the same year the Suncook Valley Extension Railroad, which should hineinbauen into the valley the route further. Due to some protests and disputes over the pipeline route, however, the plan for a railway through the Suncook Valley failed initially, both companies were dissolved.
During and after the Civil War, the desire came to the web on again. On July 1, 1863, they founded a company again, renamed it again Suncook Valley Railroad and the line was now actually built. However, you threw the original plans to complete and led the train from the south in the valley, where they branched off in Suncook Village of the route of the Concord Railroad (CR). Due to the topography of the route could not be introduced directly into the Suncook station. Since 1862, the route of Suncook towards Portsmouth had been shut down, a track stump this route could be used as a hairpin. The 27.4 km long distance to Pittsfield was finally opened after twenty years of planning and construction on December 6, 1869.
Time of operation management by other railways
A few weeks later, on New Year's Day in 1870 leased the CR the small railway company, initially for 42 years. Later, the CR also took over the management. The trains ran through a rule to Concord. In 1889, a Suncook Valley Extension Railroad was established again that belonged to the same parts of the Concord and Montreal Railroad (C & M) and the Manchester and Lawrence Railroad (M & L). The C & M was formed on September 19, 1889 by the merger of the CR with other companies and had also taken over the lease agreement with the SV. That same year, the 8.6 km long extension line was opened to Center Barnstead.
On June 29, 1895, the management was taken over by the Boston and Maine Railroad, which took over the C & M on the same day. However, the lease remained with C & M. On 1 January 1912, the original lease contract expired and was then extended in two-year intervals. On January 1, 1916, the C & M extended the contract of unlimited duration, but with an exit clause. On an application filed 60 days before the SV was able to terminate the contract. It was only on April 1, 1921 on the Boston & Maine even took the lease of the C & M. Due to the economic situation and the loss-making operation, the Boston & Maine in 1924 was planning to shut down the branch line. As you saw in a disadvantage for the Valley, released the SV with effect from 28 September 1924 lease agreement with the Boston & Maine and operated the route were again under their direction.
The end of the web
Since the trains will no longer went to Concord, but the passengers had to change trains in Suncook Village, transport numbers declined in the following years. The carriage of postal and milk was the most profitable business of the railway, which meant that from 1925 to 1927 and 1929, the black could be written. Another very profitable train was transporting blueberries, nicknamed Blueberry Express brought the web into the season. On March 30, 1925, the SV, the Suncook Valley Extension Railroad acquired by the Boston & Maine, where she led the operation since the end of the lease.
After the world economic crisis, the transport volume but decreased further and the train made significant losses. After the beginning of 1935, the Boston & Maine passenger services on the Suncook Loop stopped, the track to which the SV in Suncook Village joined, the SV had to act and rented it, namely parallel to the main route Manchester - Concord leading section between Suncook and Bow Junction of the Boston & Maine. Furthermore, obtained a railway shared rights of way between Bow and Concord Junction. From 12 May 1936, the trains were running again by the SV to Concord.
1943, the traffic between Pittsfield and Barnstead Center has been set. The official closure of the Suncook Valley Extension Railroad was made on 31 March 1947. On April 22, 1949, the steam railway and a diesel locomotive ended took the train services. A second diesel locomotive nor was purchased in July 1951. After a bridge over the Suncook River had become dilapidated, the Boston & Maine imposed in April 1952, a transport embargo on the SV. The last train between Pittsfield and Concord went on 20 December 1952. The line was dismantled afterwards.
Accidents and natural disasters
The first significant spill occurred in November 1924, shortly after the independence of the railway, between and Barnstead Center Barnstead, as a mixed train derailed. They led the misfortune back to the poor maintenance of railway tracks at the time of the Boston & Maine.
On March 19 and April 2, 1936 severe floods destroyed bridges and facilities in Suncook. On July 24, 1937, the roundhouse burned down in Center Barnstead. Two freight cars were destroyed. A hurricane destroyed the track system of the Suncook Loop on July 5, 1938. Until August 5, was able to drive on this track no train.