The remaining six miles of the Northern Railroad is a resource that must not be written off or disposed of simply on the pretense that it would be better suited as a recreational trail.
Gary LeBlanc and Scenic RailRiders have done an exemplary job of maintaining and operating the historic line as a popular attraction garnering national attention. The eviction of his business and livelihood for trail development alone would be an affront to his family’s efforts. Moreover, it could serve as a demoralizing action towards any group operating, or seeking to operate, tourist rail in our state. There must exist a priority to encourage and develop both tourist rail use and trail use in New Hampshire, rather than a trend towards removal of one over the other.
The recent opening of a rail-bike operation in Laconia, operated by Hobo & Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroad, will allow for healthy competition with Scenic RailRiders. Concord will serve as an alternative location for those seeking that experience. If they come here for one, chances are they will want to try the other.
When Concord purchases the remainder of the Northern Railroad, revenue could be generated from a lease to Scenic RailRiders by extracting a portion of individual ticket sales. This is how New Hampshire generates revenue from leasing its state-owned lines to tourist railroads.
Casual rail-trail use, which may generate some revenue to surrounding businesses, will not generate direct usage revenue. This revenue could then be diverted back into maintenance and in time may nullify additional costs associated with building the trail alongside.
Rail-with-trail could allow for a “win-win” in which revenue can be generated on the railroad while trail users can enjoy a public trail alongside. This is happening right now in Laconia and working wonderfully. The Cotton Valley Rail Trail in Wolfeboro is an example of rail-with-trail, a rail trail in which the rails are left in place with a trail constructed either between or next to the tracks.
The Cotton Valley Rail Trail Club, a group of railroad enthusiasts, operates railroad motorcars safely on the corridor. They also maintain and repair both the rail and trail segments. Having a similar dynamic on the Northern Railroad with Scenic RailRiders could enrich the corridor’s opportunities tenfold while ensuring that no one group loses out in respect to the other.
Oftentimes the argument is made that rail-with-trail is too costly or not feasible. With close inspection of railroad infrastructure and engineering, you will find that there is often more than enough room to construct a trail effectively in the right way. The Northern Railroad was once a busy mainline. If rail-with-trail worked in Wolfeboro, it can work on the Northern Railroad.
Why not spend a little extra care to secure all possible options for the future? Our railroads in New Hampshire are a limited and diminishing resource. I might also remind you that they are a finite resource. There will never again be any new railroad lines constructed in our state. What we have left is what we have left — when it’s gone, it’s gone.
The municipal acquisition of a railroad corridor with the automatic intention of dismantling it for a recreational trail could create a harmful precedent and propagate the incorrect belief that once a rail line is no longer useful to a major railroad company, then it is no longer useful to any other rail entity, be it for business or tourist use.
Our rail-trails built on lines that were not being used in any form do provide great benefits. While I do believe that an extension of a rail-trail into Concord would be a great resource, it does not necessarily have to be at the expense of Scenic RailRiders or the Northern Railroad.
Concord would do well to expend every possible resource — mental, financial and logistical — to thoroughly contemplate the future of the Northern Railroad and not gravitate towards one popular outcome.
(Rick Kfoury lives in Manchester.)