A couple of unique pieces of history. The White Mountain Central Railroad's 1929 REO Railbus emerges from the line's Howe Truss Covered Bridge with an afternoon excursion during the 2014 "Railroad Days" event.
This rare railbus was originally built as a city bus by the REO Motorcar Company and converted for rail-borne operations in 1930 at the shops of the Sandy River and Rangeley Lakes Railroad in Maine. She served several owners over the years before being acquired and restored by Clark's Trading Post for use on the White Mountain Central Railroad. She is typically stored away in the facility's engine house and is brought out for special occasions, the "Railroad Days" event being one of them. The Howe Truss Covered Bridge behind the bus was originally constructed in 1904 in East Montpelier, VT. This bridge was purchased, dismantled and moved by the Clark family to North Woodstock, NH in 1963. Now spanning the Pemigewasset River, the bridge serves as the gateway between the railroad yard and the wilderness excursion. The small red building to the left of the tracks houses firefighting equipment....an essential precaution, as all of the White Mountain Central's steam engines are wood-burners. All of the line's engineers take special precautions to reduce power and close firebox damper doors before crossing this bridge.
Beautiful mountain scenery has made this small state a draw for rail buffs to ride the Mount Washington Cog Railway and the Conway Scenic, among others.