My column usually is about lost tourist attractions, but how people got to the tourist attraction was just as important as the attraction itself. In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, vacationers depended on trains to get to the attractions I write about.

Originally built in 1822, the New Hampshire division of the Boston & Maine Railroad was intended to serve as a way to carry goods from Nashua to Lowell; it was called the N&L. The N&L had added different branches as it grew, some going to places like Wilton.

Before the Nashua and Lowell Railroad (N&L) was opened in 1838, a more southern line operated between Boston and Lowell. The Boston and Lowell Railroad (B&L) was built strictly for the purpose of transporting goods when the Middlesex Canal froze in winter. It was built three years before the N&L, and the two lines merged in 1857.

North of Nashua, the city of Manchester was growing as a textile city, and a new route of the B&M linked Lawrence, Mass., to Manchester, N.H. The B&M Competed with the Concord Railroad route to Boston, and as the B&M’s power grew, the Concord Railroad’s power shrank.

The B&M’s branch in Manchester not only ran through Bedford, but it connected with the Uncanoonuc Mountain railway that took summer vacationers to the top of Mount Uncanoonuc. A summer vacationer looking to stay at one of the many grand resorts that dotted New Hampshire could jump onto a train in Boston. From there, vacationers could get to any grand resort in the state, including resorts in the Great North Woods.

Some local tourist attractions they could reach include Shirley Hill house, Uncanoonuc Resort, the resorts of Mont Vernon, Pine Island Park, Baboosic Lake, and many others. Bedford’s station was located around the present-day location of the Bedford Commons.

The majority of the lines B&M controlled weren’t built by them but purchased. Slowly, after a vigorous competition with other railways, Boston & Maine railroad became the dominant railway in Northern New England. It not only provided vacationers a way to get to the hotels, it also sold cheap tickets that locals could easily purchase.

Backyard remnants

Cargo was also shipped on these lines. The lines that ran through Bedford still are largely intact, and many residents can see a large mound of dirt in their backyard or near their home, the remnants of the elevated ground that the train traveled on.

It has been over 100 years since these rails were traveled, and large trees, erosion, and developers have made some sections of the railway unrecognizable. In the 1890’s, the railway slowly lost business.

In the years to come, a revolutionary invention called the car would drive America into the next two centuries, and along with the grand resorts of southern New Hampshire, the railway slowly shut down. Some railways pushed into the 20th century, but the branch that ran through Bedford was shut down nearly 100 years ago.

At the end of 1970 B&M operated 1,515 route-miles, a very small portion of the once large empire. The company was purchased by Pan Am and technically, the B&M Corporation is still in operation under Pam-Am, and the land the abandoned tracks are on are still owned largely by the train company. Some branches still operate, but only for cargo in New Hampshire.

I recently walked the railway hike in Bedford. It’s a great hike, especially if you are looking for something that is flat, long, and full of nature. When I was there I saw a beaver, and many birds, including a hawk. It also offers a chance to see where the railway operated. It is located on the left side of the bridge on Jenkins Road after the junction with Beals Road.

Looking ahead

Will cars be victorious, or will the growth in commuter trains claim dominance over the car?

Antonio Pastor is a seventh-grade student at Ross A. Lurgio School.