Travel by Train

Above, an October, 2019 photo of the Route 3 railroad bridge at the entrance to Weirs Beach. In 1848, when the Boston, Concord and Montreal railroad reached Weirs Beach, a grade-separated crossing was needed where the railroad intersected with the main horse and carriage thoroughfare. A split granite abutment was built, with the train passing underneath the roadway just before its arrival at Weirs Steamboat Landing. In the early 20th century, the overpass carried increasing numbers of automobiles. US 3 was improved as the “Middle Road” of three north-south trunk lines, after the first state-aid highway law was passed in 1905. It was the most traveled road in the state when it was named in 1922 for famed lawyer and statesman Daniel Webster. During the Great Depression, a new bridge was funded in 1933 by the federal Reconstruction Finance Corporation. The old stone abutments were incorporated into a single-span concrete slab bridge, with cast concrete rails, lamp posts and a sidewalk offering pedestrians a scenic view of the lake. In 2020, shortly after the above photo was taken, the overpass was rebuilt while retaining the 1848 granite abutments. Now, a summer day sees more than 13,000 vehicles cross over the railroad tracks on US 3.

Below is an October, 2019 photo of the semaphore signal tower, just before the railroad bridge. Its use was to direct train movements and prevent train collisions. The tower featured two pivoting arms, colored lenses, and lamps to illuminate the lenses. The angle of the arms and color of the lenses would signal to trains to stop, proceed with caution, or the all-clear. The tower, manufactured by the Union Switch and Signal Co., of Swissvale, PA, was installed in 1910, and retired in 1961. The spectacles, which held the colored lenses and blades, were removed when retired, along with the lamps.

Below, in the early 1950s, the B&M Diesel Rail Car 1140 enters Weirs Beach from the Route 3 railroad bridge. Note the semaphore signal tower to the right of the train, which does not look like the signal tower in the modern color photo above. The older photo represents a bit of an optical illusion. Looking closely, there is a separate concrete post (and attached side facing sign) north of the semaphore which obscures nearly all of the signal tower base. These concrete posts were typical on the Boston and Maine Railroad for mounting signage relative to private crossings, no trespassing warnings and similar messages.

Self-propelled unit number 1140 was a special rail vehicle, as it featured Railway Post Office (RPO)/Baggage sections. It was rated to travel at speeds of up to 80 miles per hour and could easily handle 3-4 cars in tow. Built in 1934, the motor car was famously nicknamed “The Sacred Cow” and saw extensive service between Concord and Woodsville. It was reportedly scrapped in October of 1957, in favor of utilizing Budd Rail Diesel Cars (RDC) on the line.