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| | Windham Depot
Windham Depot holds a
prominent place in
New Hampshire
railroad history, and within the town itself. Constructed in 1849, the
Manchester & Lawrence Railroad established the first train service in
Windham, as the industrial revolution expanded to cities north of Boston.
 Using
hand tools and black powder to clear ledge along the bed, the construction was
considered an engineering challenge, and lead to the most expensive section of
the project. Walking along the trail today, you will observe predominant ledge
cuts, high areas of fill, and pits which material was extracted for the rail
bed. Legal controversy ensued as the project was believed delayed by the M&L
RR due to poor engineering and project management, leading to a legislative
investigative committee study in the New Hampshire House of Representatives. It
was the Big Dig before its time!
The
first train on the M&L operated on November 13, 1849.
In the early 1900’s the original Depot station was moved about 200 feet
east on Depot (near where it currently stands) with the existing Depot structure
built for $2,200. With the intersection of the
Nashua
and Rochester Railroad, two sets of signals were maintained, one higher than
the other both penetrating a corner portion of roof.
Other buildings in the Depot included the town’s first post office, a
general and grain store, and sawmill, The M&L leased the line to the
Boston
and
Maine
in 1887 until 1919 when it was eventually merged with the B&M. The Bar
Harbor Express passing through was a thrill for the neighbors to watch during
the summers of 1902 – 11, as well was a campaign stop by Teddy Roosevelt. The
last passenger train was operated on July 10, 1953, with freight pass through
occurring until the early 1970’s. What remains today are the Depot and freight
buildings.
From
To
Click here for more historic Windham Depot
Pictures!
Windham Depot Renovation Project
Click here for more
information on this exciting project.
 Copyright © 2013 Windham Rail Trail
Alliance
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