Cotton Valley Rail Trail Club, Inc.

(June 27, 2020)

MOW Report from James Chadbourne: We had a very successful morning on the Ossipee line today. Toby Lowry, Rick OBrien, Jon Miner, Norm Yeaton, and Hayden joined me as we went to town on the overgrown siding at Center Ossipee behind the Mountain View diner at 9:00 AM. With a good set of tools and a willing crew we made short work of it. It will need mowing and the dirt in the gauge near Mountain View will have to be removed by the tractor. We were all set off and safely on our way before 13:00. After the main work was complete the five of us rode the line to Pollys Crossing. There were 3 or 4 trees (photo) we had to stop and remove. Video link below from the return trip crossing the swamp south of MP B113/I26. Jon was stopping at each MP to record an accurate GPS fix on them. B115 seems to be missing. (J Chadbourne Photos)

James' Ossipee Video

(SPM)

(June 20, 2020)

After many delays and postponements caused by the global pandemic, the club was able to finally hold it's annual business meeting. Usually held every year in March (stated in club by-laws), it was strange to sit down for the first time as a group in 2020 in June! Elections were held, updates from the Trail Master, Membership Secretary and many other agenda topics discussed. Some trackcars headed east to the Miss Wakefield after the meeting. Some maintenance was performed on the 60" deck mower. (C. Sullaway Photo)

(SPM)

(June 14, 2020)

Jessie Mazzie Trip Report: After a well organized set on we had a brief safety meeting and headed out on the line for a safe 36 mile round-trip excursion. We had a nice lunch stop at the Harvester Market in Greenfield. They seemed very happy to have our business and the food was great. Once in Bennington at the turnaround point, we took a walk down to the falls at the dam. On the way back we stopped at Elmwood Junction where Boston and Maine Historical Society historian, Rick Kfoury, gave an informative talk about it's importance and activity in the remote section of New Hampshire. The group headed back to Wilton and set-off expeditiously. A big thank you to Jon Miner and David Maher for doing the over-the-road flagging. A very big thank you to all the members who turned out for this event. Both our railroad pilot and the owner of the railroad were present and very impressed with our professionalism and safety oriented attitude. (J. Mazzie Photo)

(SPM)

(June 6, 2020)

Jon Miner Trip Report: Thanks to James, Jesse, Sean, and Norm for a fun and safe day of operations at the Seashore Trolley Museum. We didn't keep track but since we pretty much ran hourly, we racked up about 20 miles. As a bonus, we never had to turn the cars around! The weather was almost perfect... with the exception of a downpour that occurred as we finished our final run. The Seashore staff had fun taking some motorcar rides too. The staff also provided lunch for the operators. We all look forward to doing this event in the future. (S. McInerney Photos)

(SPM)