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The Cheshire was an express passenger train on the Boston and Maine Railroad's Cheshire Branch, connecting Boston with White River Junction, VT. It connected with the Rutland Railroad and Central Vermont in Bellows Falls, VT. Starting at Boston North Station, it ran to Fitchburg, MA, diverging from the Fitchburg Division in South Ashburnham, MA, and then through to Keene, NH, Bellows Falls, VT and White River Junction, VT.

History

The train began service on December 10, 1944, replacing an unnamed train. It was named for the line it ran on, the Cheshire Branch, and that name came from the Cheshire Railroad which was acquired by a predecessor railroad to the Boston and Maine. In January 1945, the train derailed in Walpole, NH, striking a nearby building. The trainset was repaired and returned to service.

Travel time was approximately 3.5 hours in 1946. Initially, it used the Flying Yankee trainset although the service soon was suspended the following year until July 8. On August 28, 1945, the Flying Yankee was transferred to the Mountaineer but returned to the Cheshire Branch on October 15. In February 1951, a Budd Rail Diesel Car, dubbed Highliners by the B&M, performed a week-long test on the line and became a permanent fixture by December 1956 In October 1957, the Cheshire's route was curtailed to Bellows Falls and passengers bound for White River Junction had to transfer. On May 31, 1958, the Cheshire was discontinued along with all other passenger trains on the Cheshire Branch. The line was abandoned in the 1970 and has since been converted into the 42 mile long, Cheshire Rail Trail.

References

1. "Transportation" (PDF). Keene.
2. "Minuteman Moment">"Boston & Maine Railroad Historical Society".
3. "Boston and Maine Timetable">"1946 Timetable". Boston and Maine Railroad.
4. Holland, Kevin (2004). Passenger Trains of Northern New England. Lynchburg: TLC Publishing Inc. pp. 71–73. ISBN 1-883089-69-7.
5. "Schedule of Through Passenger Trains April 1959">"April 1959 Timetable" (PDF). Boston and Maine Railroad.

• Boston and Maine Railroad
• Passenger trains of the Boston and Maine Railroad
• Named passenger trains of the United States
• Passenger rail transportation in New Hampshire
• Passenger rail transportation in Vermont
• Railway services introduced in 1944
• Railway services discontinued in 1958