Railroading in Greenville, NH

February 07, 2022

GREENVILLE NEW HAMPSHIRE
RaiL-HISTORY-Road
Some historical information gathered about the activities of this railroad terminal. It was fully active from the time it was built around 1850 to 1950. It served the textile industry, chair industry, and wood turning industry, serving New Ipswich, N.H. Temple, NH, and Greenville farmers.
There were three round trips of the passenger trains per day, six days a week and one round trip on Sundays. The hours of departure at 6.45A.M., return at 10.15AM, next train departure 11.45 AM. return at 215P.M., last train departure at 4.45 P.M., return at 7.15 P.M. Sunday departure at 6.45 A.M., return at 4.00 P.M.
Mileage to Ayer Junction Mass. was about twenty miles going through Pratt Station, Mason N.H, West Townsend, Townsend Center, Townsend Harbor, West Groton and Ayer Mass. There was freight service six days a week, once every day. Ayer Junction terminal has served passengers and freight traffic coming from Boston on the Fitchburg Division, from Lowell Mass., from Worcester, Mass., to Portland, Maine via Nashua, N.H. and Rochester, N.H.. On the Greenville line, there was at Vose, a branch Line to Milford, N.H. spur
In 1940 some side tracks were removed and changed, and in 1943 more tracks were removed. In 1951 the
old freight house formerly the old depot and spur line running to the Chair Shop Ware house and to Taft's coal shed were removed. In 1960 and 1968 there was a general revision of physical features and lines, and in 1979 the line was abandoned.
The railroad trestle map is inserted on the lower left, corner of the map. The trestle's steel work was dismantled and junked in 1985. Only the granite pillars were left standing. The length of the trestle was 611feet and the height 97 feet. The original wooden trestle was built in 1851, and it burned in 1907 and was rebuilt in 1908 of all steel on the same granite pillars and four extra steel pillars.
The town of Greenville had prospered very much in the early years because the railroad had open way for the people to travel everywhere in this country and to Canada to there own needs and conveniences. It was also an adventure for young folks to walk along the tracks on Sunday afternoon way down to Pratt Station to gather Mayflowers and pussy willows, then get on the 4.00PM. train and back home. This is another era that has passed away. the gate
By: Emerick Lamontagne