The White Mountain Central Railroad is a short heritage railway at Clark's Bears in

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the nor ...

. It is notable as being one of the few places in

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the Can ...

with regular steam locomotive operation, as well as being a very rare example of a purpose-built tourist railroad (like those found in amusement parks and theme parks) that uses

standard-gauge A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), International gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge and European gauge in Europe, and SGR in Ea ...

track instead of

narrow-gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...

track.

Route

The entrance building to Clark's Bears (previously known as Clark's Trading Post) doubles as the train station. From there, the train leaves north through the park, and then past the small locomotive shop. The railroad crosses the

Pemigewasset River The Pemigewasset River , known locally as "The Pemi", is a river in the state of New Hampshire, the United States. It is in length and (with its tributaries) drains approximately . The name "Pemigewasset" comes from the Abenaki word ''bemijijoase ...

on a

covered bridge A covered bridge is a timber-truss bridge with a roof, decking, and siding, which in most covered bridges create an almost complete enclosure. The purpose of the covering is to protect the wooden structural members from the weather. Uncovered woo ...

and then heads into a wooded area. In this section of the railroad, an actor playing a wild prospector named "the Wolfman" chases the train in a primitive car. Finally, the railroad goes under a ramp for Interstate 93 and terminates.

Schedule and fare

The railroad operates whenever Clark's Bears is open, between late May and early October. There are several round trips per day, depending on the park's operating hours. Each trip is 30 minutes long, and the fare is included in the Clark's Bears admission price.

History

Construction on the railroad began in 1955. The first train ride was on July 30, 1958. The railroad includes a 1904

Howe truss A Howe truss is a truss bridge consisting of chords, verticals, and diagonals whose vertical members are in tension and whose diagonal members are in compression. The Howe truss was invented by William Howe in 1840, and was widely used as a bridg ...

that was originally located in East Montpelier, Vermont, where it spanned the

Winooski River The Winooski River (formerly the Onion River) is a tributary of Lake Champlain, approximately long, in the northern half of Vermont. Although not Vermont's longest river, it is one of the state's most significant, forming a major valley way from ...

and carried trains for the Montpelier and Barre Railroad. The bridge was purchased by the owners of Clark's Trading Post and dismantled in 1964, then moved and reassembled to span the Pemigewasset River near the Trading Post. During one weekend in September, Railroad Days are celebrated, with extra trains and special consists. That yearly event had stopped in 2014 and now operates every 5–10 years. A listing of covered bridges maintained by the state of New Hampshire notes that Clark's bridge "appears to be the only Howe railroad bridge left in the world."

Locomotive roster

Station

The Clark's Bears station came from Freedomland U.S.A., after that park closed in 1964.

References

External links

* * * {{coord, 44, 03, 00, N, 71, 41, 13, W, type:landmark, display=title Heritage railroads in New Hampshire Lincoln, New Hampshire Railroads of amusement parks in the United States Railway lines opened in 1958 Transportation in Grafton County, New Hampshire Tourist attractions in Grafton County, New Hampshire