White Mountain Central Railroad
# White Mountain Central Railroad

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Legend :

The White Mountain Central Railroad is a short heritage railway at Clark's Bears in Lincoln, New Hampshire. It is notable as being one of the few places in New England 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 track instead of narrow-gauge 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 on a covered bridge 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 covered bridge that was originally located in East Montpelier, Vermont, where it spanned the Winooski River 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

| Number | Type | Builder | Date | Heritage | Status | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 0-4-0T | H.K. Porter, Inc. | 1931 | Koppers # 1 | Operational | Smallest steam locomotive. Operated at railroad tie treatment plant, Nashua, New Hampshire. Retired from service in 1954. Operates during Railroad Days only. |
| 2 | Gasoline locomotive | Vulcan Iron Works | | Granite quarry, Barre, Vermont | Operational | Tiny locomotive, too small for revenue service. Operates occasionally for track maintenance. |
| 4 | Heisler locomotive | Heisler Locomotive Works | 1929 | International Shoe Company | Stored, unserviceable | First ran in 1961. Primary locomotive, 1964–1976, secondary locomotive 1977–1984. Not powerful enough to handle 5-car trains, so operated only sporadically 1984–2006. On display during Railroad Days only. |
| 5 | 2-4-2T | Baldwin Locomotive Works | Nov. 1906 | East Branch and Lincoln Railroad, 1966–1969. Loon Mountain Ski Resort (display). | Operational | Logging locomotive for 40 years, 1906–1946. Logging mill switcher for 23 years. WMCRR debut September 26, 1999. Operates during Railroad Days only. |
| 5 | Class B Shay locomotive | Lima Locomotive Works | Dec. 1917 | Woodstock Lumber Company, Franconia Paper Company | Display | 50-ton, builder no. 2958. Sold new in 1919, used as a switcher. Displayed during Railroad Days only. |
| 6 | Climax locomotive | Climax Locomotive Works | 1920 | Beebe River Lumber Company, East Branch and Lincoln Railroad | Operational | Bldr. number 1603. Restoration completed 1976. |
| 1943 | GE 65-ton switcher | GE Transportation | Aug. 1943 | Newport Dinner Train | Operational | Bldr. number 17886. Used for primary backup power. |
| B1 | Railbus | Sandy River and Rangeley Lakes Railroad | 1930 | Sandy River and Rangeley Lakes RR, 1930–1937. Starbird Lumber Company. | Operational | Once used for the shoulder season, but now even that is too much for the railbus to handle. Operates during Railroad Days only. |
| Unknown | Miniature steam locomotive | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Display | A miniature 15 in (381 mm) gauge steam locomotive that originally operated for a theme park. On static display inside the museum building. |

## Station

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

