High Green

Happy New Year! Online Committee member Andrew Riedl updates on upcoming Society events and meetings, and future episodes of High Green.

The Boston & Maine Railroad's Lexington Branch, today the world famous Minuteman Bikeway, was once one of the busiest and best known branchlines in the region. Author and historian Bill Deen of the Friends of Bedford Depot Park discusses the history of this fascinating line, and his recent book on the subject, "Minuteman Railroad".

Part of our mission statement here at the B&MRRHS is to preserve the history of the railroads in New England that did business with the Boston & Maine Railroad. One of the better known examples was the Rutland Railroad, operating primarily in Vermont and New York State until its closure in the early 1960s. The late Steve Mumley (November 8, 1946 — January 29, 2023) knew and loved the Rutland Railr...

In this episode of High Green, we continue with cassette tapes recorded and loaned by B&MRRHS member and modeler Jim Dufour. On September 10, 2005, Jim recorded Fitzwilliam, NH resident and former B&M employee Ladde Russell. Topics of conversation include the Cheshire Branch, milk trains, the last snowplow run on the Cheshire in 1971, local freights, and many colorful stories and memories from Mr....

In today’s episode of High Green, we continue our oral history series with a presentation given before the B&MRRHS on March 9, 1985 by former B&M employee Walter Dunn. Dunn recounts the hiring practices of the B&M, the difficulties of the steam to diesel transition of the 1950s, and many humorous stories from his 40-year career on the Fitchburg Division. This recording was captured by, and graciou...

n today’s episode of High Green, we continue the oral history memories of longtime employee Loyd MacNair, recorded October 1987. Additional topics of conversation include various incidents and wrecks, memories of firing steam locomotives and working with early diesels, railroad operations on the Connecticut River Line, and much more.

In today’s episode of High Green, we hear the oral history memories of longtime employee Loyd MacNair, recorded October 1987. MacNair describes the start of his B&M career as a fireman on the Conn River Line in the 1940s. Additional topics of conversation include firing stoker and hand-fired steam locomotives, the steam-to diesel-transition, the floods of 1955, recollections of various passenger a...

By 1982, the city of Keene, New Hampshire – once a rail major rail hub – had only one rail connection to the outside world left: the Boston & Maine's Ashuelot and Fort Hill Branches. Seeking to keep freight to the Elm City viable, the Boston & Maine leased these branches to the Green Mountain Railroad in 1982, who for just under two years provided the last gasp of revenue freight to the area. Join...

Have you ever noticed the granite and concrete mileposts lining rights of way on the Boston & Maine? As it turns out, these important artifacts have a fascinating story, as does their pursuit and documentation. Joining Andrew Riedl in this episode is teacher and Downeast Scenic Railroad volunteer Ken Jackman, who has made the documentation and research of railroad mileposts one of his railroad pur...

In this gem of an interview recorded by Brian Dame on September 6, 2001, we hear the story of Janet Shea (1928–2002). Janet worked as a freight agent for the Boston & Maine from 1945 to 1987 and talks of her career working nearly every station on the B&M’s Conway Branch, from Dover to North Conway.

In the conclusion of our interview with Jesse Mazzie. Topics of discussion include his work with the new England Southern Railroad on the former B&M White Mountain branch, the nature of freight rail today and the possibilities the former B&M might hold for future rail prospects, and the legacy of the B&M and its impacts, both for the railroad and railfan worlds.

For many younger people today, the Boston & Maine Railroad is "gone but not forgotten" — the railroad and its legacy influence our lives in many ways. Jesse Mazzie of Danvers, Massachusetts grew up alongside the former Boston & Maine Newburyport Branch, instilling in him a love for railroading. That love for railroading, and later the Boston & Maine, has followed him through his life, both as an e...

The ever-popular Suncook Valley Railroad was perhaps New Hampshire’s quintessential steam-era shortline railroad. Constructed between 1869 and 1889 (and operated by the Boston & Maine from 1895 to 1924) the Suncook Valley Railroad again became an independent entity in 1924. From then until its abandonment in 1952, the route of the “Blueberry Express” became famous for bucolic scenery, mixed freigh...

In Part 2 of our interview with Bruce Davison, we continue to follow his shortline railroading career with the Wolfeboro Railroad’s Central Division, operating 1976 and 1977 on the state of New Hampshire-owned White Mountain Branch between Concord and Lincoln. Bruce also discusses his time with the New England Southern Railroad (July 1985 to December 8, 1994) operating on the White Mountain Branch...

As the Boston & Maine Railroad sought to shed its lesser profitable lines, several shortline railroad companies were formed to pick up the slack. One such famed shortline was the Claremont & Concord Railway, whose territory included both the former B&M Claremont Branch and the Claremont Electric Railway's industrial trackage weaving through the streets of Claremont. We are joined by well-known rai...

In today’s episode of High Green we hear a taped interview from 1976 in which well-known railroad enthusiasts Dana D. Goodwin and H. Arnold Wilder speak with former Boston & Maine fireman Bill Fletcher. Fletcher hired on with the Boston & Maine in 1910, working with the railroad until 1927. Topics of conversation include the Vermont & Massachusetts Railroad, Alvah Crocker, the Cheshire Railroad, t...

In the early 1970s, Donald Hallock of the Strasburg Railroad endeavored to start a tourist and freight railroad on the 12-mile Wolfeboro Branch of the Boston & Maine Railroad. In doing so, he helped start a beloved institution wherein many railroaders cut their teeth. One such railroader was Brian Dame of Rochester, whose close affiliation with railroading began on the Wolfeboro; both at the opera...

Robert Willoughby Jones' three-volume series on the Boston & Maine, "Three Colorful Decades of New England Railroading" (1991), "City and Shore" (1999) and "Forest, River and Mountain" (2000) rank among the most informative, best illustrated and well-received books ever published on the B&M. In this episode we are joined by Mr. Jones as we discuss his own memories of the Boston & Maine, the story...

In this episode of High Green we interview longtime B&MRRHS member, former B&M employee and prolific railroad photographer Russell F. Munroe, Jr. Born on June 28, 1932, Russell was fascinated with trains at a young age and took his first photograph in and soon became one of the most recognized railroad photographers in New England. After serving in the U.S. Navy from 1953-1954 and working in a mac...

In this episode, Adam Brower and Gerard Jewels of the Twin Forks Chapter NRHS (Riverhead, NY) discuss the restoration of their former B&M Osgood-Bradley "American Flyer" coach, #4590, which was sold to the Long Island Railroad in the late 1950s.

In this episode we feature an interview from 1988 conducted by B&MRRHS member Richard W. Symmes with retired conductor Mager Greenough, who worked for the Boston & Maine for 43 years starting in 1941. His stories focus mostly on his experiences working the Eastern Route between Boston, Salem, Portsmouth and Portland. Along the way Mager describes in great detail the life, humor, and everyday exper...

In this episode of High Green, B&MRRHS member and Online Committee member Andrew Riedl interviews author Charles Martin, whose book “New Hampshire Rail Trails” is a comprehensive guide to the railroad history and modern aspects of some of the B&M’s former rail lines.

The Boston & Maine ceased to be an independent corporation nearly forty years ago - but that isn't stopping a new generation of avid railfans, preservationists, modelers and explorers from keeping its history alive. We introduce the members of our online committee, and discuss the ways that this younger group is doing just that.

In this episode we talk to Mike Bump, an engineer for Pan Am Railways who grew up in Claremont, NH along the busy Conn River Line in the 1970s and 1980s. As a young railfan, Mike chased and tape recorded the nearly constant action on the Conn River, allowing us to close our eyes and travel back in time. Listen along as the sounds of 100+ car Boston & Maine and Central Vermont freights come alive!

For the past 30 years, former Boston & Maine 1228 has been sitting in storage, owned by the Milford Bennington Railroad of New Hampshire. Now there is a plan - spearheaded by M-B employee Reuven Grehan - to restore the classic 1953 EMD SW-9 diesel locomotive for functional freight service on the M-B. Learn how that will become a reality, with a little help from volunteers like Zach Knutsen and Nei...