Alton Railroad Station circa 1850
The Cocheco Railroad was chartered on
July 2, 1847. It's original charter was to reach from
Dover, NH to Meredith, NH were it would connect to the
Boston, Concord and Montreal Railroad. On June of 1848
construct began. Tracks opened from Dover, NH to Farmington,
NH on September 21, 1849 and then opened as far as Alton
Bay, NH in September of 1951.
There is one photo at the Alton Historical Society that
shows a small "garden-shed" style railroad station
at Alton Bay from the 1850's era. This was the first station
built at Alton Bay. The Cocheco Railroad never reached
it's final destination of Meredith - with Alton Bay being
the end of the line. In April of 1863 the Cocheco Railroad
reorganized as the Dover and Winnipiseogee Railroad and
in November of that same year it was leased to the Boston
and Maine Railroad. In June of 1892 the Dover and Winnipiseogee
Railroad was absorbed into the Boston and Maine Railroad.
A 1859 photo shows the freight house as a "stand
alone" structure that was not connected to any other
building. The second station must have been built near
by and the covered platform, to connect the two structures,
The earliest photos I can find of the second station built
at this site shows a side wheel steam ship, presumably
the "Mount Washington", docked at the platform.
This steamship was built in 1872 for the Boston and Maine
Railroad. The previous steamer "Dover", later
named "Cocheco" was not a side wheel steamer.
While I can find no records of when this station was built
it is my guess that it was in the vicinity of the 1870's.
Both the station and the freight house had, at one time,
"drive through" service with the tracks leading
all the way through the station, under the platform roof
and out the freight house. As rolling stock and engines
grew larger, it eventually became impossible for equipment
to pass under the station and the tracks leading under
the station's hood were "stubbed" just short
of the station. Tracks to the freight house still allowed
for equipment to enter the building from the north end
of the yard. This second station is what this kit is modeled
The station was destroyed by fire on November 4, 1906.
A third station was built shortly there after just a couple
hundred feet down the tracks. Although rail service ended
on this branch in 1936, and roadways now pave where tracks
use to be the replacement station still stands. And just
across the road from this station (at the entrance to
the Alton Bay Campgrounds Association) you can still see
the cement footings for where the water tower once stood.
Pop's Clam Shell is in a close proximity to the were a
small 2-3 stall roundhouse stood complete with a turntable.