◀ Westbound to Bretton Woods | Crawford’s Station | Eastbound to The Gateway ▶
Early view of the Crawford House with the Portland & Ogdensburg Railroad in the foreground and the small lake that forms the headwaters of the Saco River. Photograph taken from Elephant’s Head. © Unknown
Crawford Notch station on the Maine Central’s Mountain Division in Hart’s Location, New Hampshire, circa 1930. The distinctive turreted depot stands beneath the steep walls of Crawford Notch, with the train order signals beside the platform controlling movements through one of the most demanding sections of the railroad.
Maine Central train 163 from St. Johnsbury, Vermont, to Portland, Maine, pauses at Crawford Notch station in Hart’s Location, New Hampshire, during the 1950s. A steam locomotive leads a head-end consist of Railway Post Office, baggage and milk cars past the station’s distinctive turreted roof beneath the dramatic walls of Crawford Notch in one of the final years of regular steam operation on the Mountain Division.
Crawford Notch during the 470 Railroad Club’s “Round the Mountains” excursion on 29 September 1968. The train, hauled by Maine Central GP7s 572 and 573 with Canadian National coaches, ran from Portland through Crawford Notch to Coos Junction on Maine Central rails, continued over the Boston & Maine to Groveton, and returned to Portland via the Grand Trunk. © Tom Murray
Canadian National coaches of the 470 Railroad Club’s “Round the Mountains” excursion stand at Crawford Notch on 29 September 1968. The train, headed by Maine Central GP7s 572 and 573, ran from Portland through Crawford Notch to Coos Junction on Maine Central rails, continued over the Boston & Maine to Groveton, and returned to Portland via the Grand Trunk. © Tom Murray
Boston & Maine RDC-2 No. 6212 stands at Crawford’s Station in August 1971, likely on a New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission inspection trip over the Maine Central’s Mountain Sub-Division. The Budd car was distinctive for its small kitchen and frequent use on business and excursion trains. By this time, the former Crawford’s passenger depot had been converted into an Esso service station, while the grand Crawford House hotel still dominated the hillside beyond before being destroyed by fire in 1977. © Collection of Houghton’s RailImages
Aerial view of the Crawford House showing the hotel, swimming pool, and motel below, with Ammonoosuc Lake behind. Near the lake was Merrill Spring, once celebrated by the hotel for producing the purest mountain water in the region. Distinguished guests included Presidents Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, James A. Garfield, and Warren G. Harding; authors Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and John P. Marquand; and socialites from the Astor, Vanderbilt, and Rockefeller families. In the far distance, the Mount Washington Hotel can be seen on the right. © Raymond Willard Evans, courtesy of Robert J. Girouard
On 17 September 1975, a Maine Central work extra led by GP7 No. 561 occupies the foreground at Crawford’s, New Hampshire, as YR-1 approaches in the distance. The Crawford House is visible in the background as the two trains meet near the summit, with freight cars stretching back along the line. © Gil Ford
Maine Central GP38 no. 252 leads YR-1 eastbound along the shore of Saco Lake beneath Elephant’s Head in Crawford Notch, New Hampshire, 5 June 1976. A six-unit lash-up in Harvest Gold and Pine Tree Green heads a long freight through one of the Mountain Division’s most iconic scenes, with the Crawford House visible in the background shortly before its destruction the following year. © Ronald Johnson
Maine Central GP38 no. 251 leads RY-2 into Crawford Notch in August 1978, with an Alco RS-11 801 and another GP38 in support, as the train pauses at Crawfords for the crew to sign the register. Set against the steep, forested slopes of the White Mountains, the scene captures the rugged character of the Mountain Division in its final years of regular through freight service. © Ken Patton
Maine Central GP38 no. 251 stands at Crawford Notch station in August 1978 while the crew attend to the train register, with eastbound RY-2 paused at the summit before continuing toward St. Johnsbury. The distinctive green depot and surrounding White Mountains frame a classic Mountain Division scene in the line’s final years of regular through freight operation. © Ken Patton
Maine Central RY-2, led by U18B no. 251, eases eastward from Crawford Notch after a brief stop to sign the train register in August 1978. The distinctive Crawford station stands to the left as the train gathers itself for the descent toward St. Johnsbury, where interchange traffic would be handed to Canadian Pacific and, in part, forwarded via the Lamoille Valley. © Ken Patton
Maine Central GP38 no. 254 leads YR-1 through Crawford Notch, New Hampshire, in March 1979, working through deep snow past the former station. Trailing power includes ALCO RS-11 no. 801 and GE U18B no. 403 General Peleg Wadsworth, the same consist seen earlier at Twin Mountain. The brick chimney in the background marks the site of the Crawford House, destroyed by fire on 20 November 1977. © Richard E. Samsel
Maine Central GP38 no. 254 leads YR-1 through Crawford Notch, New Hampshire, in March 1979, working through deep snow with ALCO RS-11 no. 801 and GE U18B no. 403 General Peleg Wadsworth trailing. This is the same train seen earlier at Twin Mountain. The site of the Crawford House complex lies in the background, though the hotel had been destroyed by fire on 20 November 1977. The scene captures the Mountain Division in winter, with heavy road power and a mixed consist typical of the era. © Richard Samsel
Freight YR-1 pauses at Crawford Notch station in the early months of 1979, led by a trio of Maine Central GP7s, an uncommon all–dynamic brake consist. The chimney of the former Crawford House still stands in the background following the hotel’s fire about 18 months earlier. © Ken Goslett
Maine Central GP38 No. 255 at Crawford Notch, New Hampshire, in the late 1970s. The Crawford station chimney smokes gently on a cold day in the mountains. © Ronald High
Photographed in September 1979, the Maine Central station at Crawford Notch stands above the summit of the Mountain Division. The building was later added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. © Michael Taylor
Maine Central GP38 No. 254 leads freight YR-1 through Crawford Notch, New Hampshire, in March 1980. Snow blankets the scene as a Camaro RS waits nearby. © Richard Samsel
Maine Central U18B 400 General Henry Knox leads eastbound Mountain Job YR-1 over the summit at Crawford Notch, New Hampshire, on the Mountain Subdivision in June 1980. © Robert Kaplan
In May 1981, Maine Central U18B No. 407 pauses at Crawford Notch, New Hampshire, while the crew sign the register and inspects the train as it rolls past. © Bob Zimmermann
Maine Central EMD GP38 no. 256 leads eastbound freight YR-1 past the Crawford Notch depot, New Hampshire, on 6 May 1981, followed by no. 260, no. 257 and GE U18B no. 406 Colonel John Allan. The train passes the former summit station of the Mountain Division, long a focal point for rail traffic through the White Mountains. © Chuck Schwesinger
On 16 April 1983, Maine Central YR-1 stands at Crawford’s, New Hampshire, led by GP7 No. 561 with No. 565 and No. 591, followed by GP38 No. 253. A blue Jeep Commando is parked beside the station, adding a period touch to the scene. © Gil Ford
Extra 252 hauls the Ohio Central coaches south through Crawford towards the Gateway on 21 June 2024. © Sawyer Pedersen
The historic Crawford Notch depot, nestled in the heart of New Hampshire’s White Mountains. Date unknown. © Bob Innella
On 17 February 2025 Conway Scenic’s plow extra pauses beneath the Elephant’s Head rock formation at MP 85, with ex-Lamoille Valley Russell plow 4211 ahead of GP38s 255 and 252. Part of the 1891 Queen Anne style Crawford’s depot is visible on the left at the 1900 ft summit of the Mountain Sub. © Dave Blaze
On 17 February 2025 Conway Scenic’s plow extra grinds up the Mountain Sub to reach Crawford Depot, with ex-Lamoille Valley Russell plow 4211 ahead of GP38s 255 and 252. The 1891 Queen Anne depot, built to serve the long-vanished Crawford House Hotel, stands at the 1900 ft summit and now operates as an AMC visitor centre. © Dave Blaze
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