by Rick Kfoury/photos as noted
On a frigid day in February 1968, railroader Dwight A. Smith rode a fan-sponsored recreation of one of Boston & Maine’s famed “Snow Trains” from Boston North Station to North Conway, N.H. Little did he know, it would be a life-changing ride. Upon arrival in North Conway, Smith stepped off the train and looked around at the historic rail terminal in the heart of the Mount Washington Valley. While this once-busy branch line had fallen on hard times, Smith could see there was something special about the place.
“When I got off the train and looked at that station, and the roundhouse, and the turntable, and the views… I thought ‘Oh my God, what a great place for a tourist railroad,’” Smith said years later.
Within weeks, Smith was back in North Conway to lay the groundwork for that vision he had. It wouldn’t be easy, and it wouldn’t happen overnight. Six years later, Conway Scenic Railroad was born, and a half-century after that it has cemented itself as one of the premier tourist railroads in America, keeping alive the rich tradition of railroading in New Hampshire’s White Mountains.
Rails to the White Mountains
The Mount Washington Valley of New Hampshire, with its many grand hotels and resorts, became the target of extensive railroad-building begun in earnest before the American Civil War and resuming with gusto after its conclusion. Once accessible primarily by stagecoach, this region of lakes, mountains, rivers, and natural beauty attracted those seeking nature’s promise of adventure and solitude from war and life in crowded industrial cities. Accelerated by the need to get lumber and other freight to market, the 1870s saw a second boom of railroad-building come to the Granite State. Four companies would construct a patchwork of lines in the region — Atlantic & St. Lawrence; Boston, Concord & Montreal; Portland & Ogdensburg; and Portsmouth, Great Falls & Conway.

ABOVE: The Railroad Enthusiast-sponsored Snow Trains sought to recreate the glory of B&M’s winter sports trains from Boston, but its likely patronage in the 1960s was mostly railfans. One such excursion prepares to return to Boston on February 24, 1968. —Richard B. Sanborn photo, Rick Kfoury collection
Portsmouth, Great Falls & Conway Railroad was the last to reach New Hampshire’s White Mountains (Atlantic & St. Lawrence; Boston, Concord & Montreal; and Portland & Ogdensburg held first, second, and third place, respectively). P&O reached the village of North Conway before PGF&C, building a line that would later become Maine Central Railroad’s famous Mountain Division. PGF&C had begun construction before the Civil War, building from Portsmouth as far north as Union, N.H., by 1854. It was not until 1874 that the line was completed to North Conway and a connection was established with P&O at Intervale, one of the many villages of the town of Conway.
The crown jewel of PGF&C was undoubtedly the grand station at North Conway that, although located a few miles from the line’s terminus at Intervale, served as the northern passenger and locomotive terminal. The station, built in 1874 and designed by Boston architect Nathaniel J. Bradlee, was inspired by Muscovite designs and has become one of the most recognizable stations in all the U.S.
In 1878, PGF&C was absorbed into Eastern Railroad, which was itself rolled into the power-hungry Boston & Maine Railroad in 1890. Eventually, the southern outlet of the line was switched from a connection with the former Eastern Railroad at Portsmouth to a connection with B&M’s Western Route main line at Rollinsford. B&M operated the line as its Conway Branch, with a score of daily freight and passenger trains providing service from New Hampshire’s seacoast into the mountains.

ABOVE: On December 17, 1995, restored Boston & Maine F7 4266 prepares to depart North Conway with a holiday excursion after a winter storm covered the Mount Washington Valley with fresh powder. On the left are ex-Canadian National commuter coaches that were purchased for the railroad’s then-new Notch Train. —Justin Franz photo
As the 20th century progressed, the Conway Branch held prestige not often associated with Boston & Maine’s rural branch lines. Indeed, for many years it boasted a somewhat “main line” image, hosting not only local freight trains but also passenger trains bound for North Conway and its ski areas. In the diesel era, these trains were made up of heavyweight coaches and impressive EMD E7 passenger diesels. Prior to and following World War II, the line was host to B&M’s famous “Snow Trains” running from Boston to North Conway. On winter weekends, as many as three Snow Trains could be seen laying over in the small yard at North Conway. With the area rich in aggregate, thanks to the melting of ice age glaciers, a sand and gravel pit was established in the 1960s at Ossipee and became an important freight customer, providing Boston Sand & Gravel with a steady stream of product. Today, that pit is served by short line New Hampshire Northcoast between Ossipee and Dover.
Boston & Maine began to reevaluate service on many of its lines in the late 1950s and early 1960s, as passenger service far from the hub of Boston began to fade. Once Budd RDC passenger service ended on the Conway Branch in 1961, B&M began to study the possibility of cutting service back on the line from its northern terminus at Intervale to the larger concentration of freight customers on southern portions of the branch. Indeed, the northern end of the branch had begun to resemble many of the B&M rural branches; traffic was minimal and low in volume.

ABOVE: BELOW: Conway Scenic 573 leads the first Valley Train of the day back to North Conway on October 13, 2021. This unit retained its steam heating equipment long after MEC gave up passenger service so that it could be used on the business train, thus giving it the nickname “Mr. Miller’s Engine.” —Justin Winiarz photo
The freight economy in the immediate Conway area had declined significantly and only a small amount of freight business remained in the 1960s, primarily less-than-carload freight, oil dealers, and feed outlets. Little freight interchange was made with Maine Central’s busy Mountain Division at Intervale and only a local freight still plied the Conway Branch from Dover, although this was a highly sought-after job for employees due to its regular hours and overnight layover in North Conway. Power for these diminutive locals was usually an EMD SW9 or GP7, although at times newer GP9s made appearances…