The story
On June 15, 1987, the Plymouth and Lincoln Railroad was formed with the purpose of operating a theme park and railroad out of Lincoln, New Hampshire. Edward Clark and his wife Brenda Reynolds Clark were the owners. Trains have been operating since then between Lincoln and Woodstock, a distance of 7 miles (11 km).
After a few years of operating the railroad in Lincoln under the "Hobo Railroad" name (which would later be renamed "Granite State Scenic Railway"), the railroad was invited to bid on the lease for the state-owned trackage from Tilton to Plymouth. They won the bid, and the Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroad was formed, with trains running from Meredith to Lakeport, with a stop in Weirs Beach.
The railroad now holds the passenger rights on the entire state of New Hampshire-owned track running from Lochmere to Lincoln, a total of 54 miles (87 km). This additional mileage allows the operation of many special excursion trains. The state owns another 19 miles (31 km) of track from Lochmere to Concord, which is used by the New England Southern Railroad for freight customers.
Edward Clark, founder of the railroad, died in the summer of 1998. Benjamin, his only son, assumed the post of President and promoted the business heavily.
The Patriot Rail Company assumed ownership of the two passenger services and the rail bike operations in August 2023.
In April 2024, the railroad was renamed as the Granite State Scenic Railway.
From Wikipedia’s article on Plymouth & Lincoln Railroad, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3