By Railfan & Railroad Staff

Patriot Rail announced this week that it had acquired two New Hampshire tourist operations, the Hobo Railroad and the Winnipesaukee Scenic. 

The Hobo and Winnipesaukee Scenic (jointly known as the Plymouth & Lincoln Railroad) operate on 54 miles of former Boston & Maine trackage in the White Mountains. The operation was founded in 1987 by Ed and Brenda Clark. The family operated the Hobo Railroad out of Lincoln for a number of years before starting up the Winnipesaukee Scenic in 1991. For a number of years, the railroad used a fleet of Alco switchers, but today it uses EMDs. 

In a press release, the owners of the railroad — Brenda and Ben Clark and Jennifer Franz — said they were excited to pass on the operation to Patriot Rail, “which has the experience, commitment and ability to take this wonderful tourist operation to even greater heights.”

Patriot Rail owns more than two dozen short lines across the country. While most of its operations are freight-only, the Georgia Northeastern operates excursions under the banner of the Blue Ridge Scenic.