Railroad

Intervale Station

BARTLETT HISTORIC SOCIETY PO Box 514 - 13 Church St.

Bartlett, NH 03812

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The Intervale Station is located on Intervale Crossroads. It was a popular stop for the hotels in this area such as The Intervale House, Pendexter Mansion and The Intervale Inn, to name just a few.

Undated Intervale Station photo with Mt Washington setting the tone.

The station as it appeared in the early 1970's Mt Washington in the background.

Intervale Station

researched and written by Scotty Mallett

Intervale Station, located 64.4 miles from Portland, Maine, was originally named Intervale Junction. It was a junction point between the Maine Central and Boston and Maine Railroads. The information on the beginning and operations of this depot are sparse to say the least.

However, what is known is that the Intervale Station was the crew change point for the famed “Mountaineer” that came up from Boston to Intervale. Once the train crews swapped, the B&M crew would stay in a caboose on a sidetrack waiting for the return of their equipment.

Here is some more information from Dwight Smith, former owner of Conway Scenic Railroad: "The railroad station at Intervale, NH was served by both the Maine Central and Boston & Maine Railroads.

The final Maine Central passenger train was on the date the MeC discontinued rail passenger service between Portland, ME and St. Johnsbury, VT. (1958)

I’m not sure when the B&M ended service to Intervale, but the final B&M passenger train from Boston to North Conway was a RPO/Express/Coach Budd-liner about 1960. (What's a Buddliner, you ask? Picture at right)

The MeC and B&M occasionally interchanged freight cars at Intervale, which included tank cars of petroleum products that originated in Portland, destined to Conway, NH.

With the establishment of Conway Scenic RR (1974) and until the end of Maine Central service to Intervale (1958) second-hand passenger and freight cars plus carloads of coal were interchanged from the MeC to the CSRR.

Today (2019) Passenger Trains of Conway Scenic Railroad running between North Conway and Bartlett, Crawford Notch, Fabyans, and the MeC bridge over the Saco are utilizing former Maine Central RR tracks that passes through Bartlett and makes connections to the former B&M tracks at “Mountain Junction” in Portland Maine."

The sidings at Intervale could hold a maximum of 41 cars. There was also a freight house next to the station. The freight house is now located at the Kearsarge Cemetery, functioning as an equipment shed. The station closed on August 17, 1958. It survived as a private dwelling and in the late 1980’s it was moved off site and incorporated into a 2 storied private home in the Intervale area.

P.S. We know that the Intervale Depot was located on the North Conway side of Intervale but as it was in throwing distance of the Bartlett town line and it was the first depot to be built after the year hiatus in building the line, we thought we would throw this in for free.

Additional Information: MOUNTAIN DIVISION RAIL STUDY REPORT ON POTENTIAL USES AND IMPLEMENTATION COSTS

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station

Mountain Division Rail Study

1897 Petition to the Board of Railroad Commissioners for a new crossing near the Intervale Depot.

B&M RR Historical Society Newsletter March - April 2008 - Memories By Ted Houghton

The Intervale Post Office back in the 50's was in a little building just north of the station. The B&M track was on the west side of the station, and ended at the NW corner of the station. The PO was in a direct line with the B&M tracks, with a paved parking parking between the two. Extending about 2/3 of the way northward across the parking lot was a deep set of grooves in the pavement, about 4' 8 1/2" apart.

Ted Drew, the old Postmaster, told me of their origin. One day a train didn't quite stop when it should have, and went off the end of the track, headed right for the Post Office. Ole Ted saw it coming and bailed out the side window of the PO. Fortunately the loco stopped before making it all the way across the parking lot.

My folks bought an inn in Intervale in 1950, when I was 6 years old. I remember picking up guests at the Intervale station in the very early 50's, and then the B&M cut passenger service back to North Conway, so we had to go down there. A little later, service on the Conway was totally curtailed, so then for a year or two, Dad would go to Berlin to pick up folks.

Several times I rode trains from Intervale or North Conway down to North Station, all by myself, to visit my grandparents who lived out in Dover MA.

And then there were the ski trains. What a sight it was when the train pulled into North Conway in the morning and hundreds of skiers, with their skis over their shoulders, would trudge up Kearsarge Street to Cranmore, where they would spend the day on the Skimobile.

I had some Snow Train paper (schedules, menus, etc.), which I sold on eBay a couple of years ago - went like hotcakes. It was interesting to watch the fortunes of the North Conway depot rise and fall. In the early 50's, it was fairly well kept up and was a dark green. After a paint conversion to the more modern tan and maroon, it fell into disrepair and was boarded up for several years. Then Dwight Smith, with the backing of some local businessmen, brought the Conway Scenic RR to life and beautifully restored the station. That's the extent of my recollections of B&M activity in Intervale/North Conway. My big regret is that I didn't start taking pictures much sooner. (Don't we all have that regret-ed).

memoriesintervalestation

Houghton