New England Steam
Amazing and eclectic steam from the 1930s handled the unique terrain and transportation issues of New England.
New England Short Lines
New England Short Lines
The vibrancy of these short lines give us a picture of life in New England after the Great Depression.
These small lines, some only 7 or 8 miles long, were often built to serve a specific commodity such as milk, ice, limestone, iron ore or granite, and their survival was dependent on both Yankee ingenuity and the market for these items. In the 1930s these railroads operated independently, beyond the control of the major rail systems, and did business much as they had done when they were first built in the mid-1800s. Watch as an 0-4-0T chases a cow off the track! The lines appear in order on the DVD:
The Belfast and Moosehead Lake
The Knox
The Lake Champlain & Moriah
The Claremont
The Montpelier & Wells River
The Barre
The Saint Johnsbury & Lake Champlain
The Suncook Valley
Photographed by Albert Hale and L. Peter Cornwall. Sound by Preston S. Johnson and Sunday River.
Black and White, 38 minutes.