abandoned R&R's

[brianW]

I am wondering if there is a good source that shows abandoned rail roads right of ways of New England. There is a chance of me going up this summer and thought this may be a way to get in some long distance mt biking in. One area I am really interested in the old R&R going from Winchendon, MA to either Keene, NH or up to Peterbourgh, NH and further beyond these points. -thanks

 

[Andrew]

Check snowmobile club maps, trails often laid out on these old RR beds, and the Rindge through P'Bro is one.

 

[sardog1]

Unless a right-of-way is now maintained as a trail, it will become overgrown quite rapidly in many locations here in NH. The snowmobile clubs are indeed a good resource for info; it takes some digging to get to their maps. Remember also that NH has a lot of bogs and creeks that will provide frozen passage to snowmobiles but obstacles to a cyclist.

Some other resources:

• NH Bureau of Trails -- Recreational Rail Trails
• American Trails -- NH Trail Resources
• Rails-To-Trails Conservancy NH Trail & Trail Maps (might be a duplicate of Bureau of Trails list)

 

[NewHampshire]

I have this book:

http://www.amazon.com/Hampshire-Rai...7103/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319506567&sr=8-1

It is a pretty neat resource.

There is also this one I have looked at that seems decent:

http://www.amazon.com/New-England-T...5843/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1327195222&sr=8-3

And then one more I have not looked at, but which gets decent reviews on Amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/Rail-Trails-N...449X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1327195222&sr=8-2

Brian

 

[sardog1]

I have this book:

http://www.amazon.com/Hampshire-Rai...7103/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319506567&sr=8-1

It is a pretty neat resource.


Brian

Thanks for the tip -- I just ordered it.

 

[NewHampshire]

Thanks for the tip -- I just ordered it.

Glad to help! What is nice is it has a simple rating system for trail condition and for scenery based on 1 to 4 stars. All of course in addition to the other details you would expect to find.

Brian

 

[brianW]

Thanks for the info. 42 miles from Walpole to Fitzwilliam, NH and than further south into MA looks good. The old bed goes thru the center of Keene. Good place to stop for lunch. Main concern I have is getting to an area to find a bridge has been removed. I am pretty sure the rail road bed between Jaffery and Peterbourgh, NH has had one removed.

I believe I walked a portion of Fort Hill trail (across the rive from Brattleboro, VT) There is also a trail there that heads up and has a good view of downtown.

 

[MichaelJ]

Looking at the right-of-way using Google Earth's overhead views can help tell you if a bridge has been removed. Unfortunately it cannot tell you if a bridge still in place is actually passable or fenced-off.

I love looking at old RR routes in GE. It's remarkable how even in suburban and urban areas you can still see their traces here and there. It would be amazing if more of them became bicycle paths. We have one past our house that's now 13 years in the making. The lease was finally signed two years ago, but who knows when there will be money to do any actual work. Doesn't help that Weston objected and was a big part of that delay.

I dream that someday, before I'm dead, I can ride from Boston to Northampton on bike paths.

 

[brianW]

Found this http://members.fortunecity.com/railtrails/MA/BW/ about the Ware River Rail Trail going from Barre, MA up to Winchendon, MA with a few detours. From there you could connect to routes going north to Jaffery, NH (I believe this r&r bed goes all the way up to Hillsborough, NH ( I remember rt 202 followed close to one) also head north west toward Keene, NH and Walpole. I know that the r&r bed was been paved from Winchendon to Gardner, MA (besides a small portion in the middle)

I'll have to do some planning before I go visit my parents.

 

[RoySwkr]

There is a book "Lost Railroads of New England" that tells about a lot more old RR, of course many of them are not maintained as trails and some have reverted to private ownership

You can also look at old topo maps online if you are willing to explore

 

[peakbagger]

The Presidential rail trail in Northern NH is a lot longer than the trail description describes and the most interesting section isnt in the listing. The official route starts in Gorham and runs to Whitefield. I am not sure where the official endpoint is in Whitefiled but the the easterly section is on Rt 2 In gorham west of RT 16 in a designated parking lot (with no rail trail signage). The section of trail to the east and the North actually starts in Berlin and can be be followed from the Big Apple Gas Station parking lot, all the way down the undeveloped east side of the Androscoggin river to Gorham, where it crosses the river and goes over RT 16 on the high trestle before meeting up with the official route. The trail has some elevation heading down the river so if you want an easier ride start in Berlin. The ties have been taken out and the right of way if kept open but like the rest of the trail, the surface is old railroad ballast that is stable, but rough. Like the rest of the trail, wider tires with some give is the best option compared to a road bike.