◀ Westbound to Crawford’s Station | The Gateway | Eastbound to The Great Fill ▶
The Great Cut, also known as the Gateway to Crawford Notch, in 1927. Trains passed through this narrow rock cutting on the Maine Central’s Mountain Division with sheer granite walls on either side, making it one of the most dramatic sections of railway in New England. © Robert J. Girouard Collection
A photo run-by at Crawford Notch during the 470 Railroad Club’s “Round the Mountains” excursion on 29 September 1968. The train, headed by Maine Central GP7s 572 and 573 and formed of 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
Maine Central Railroad derailment at the Great Cut, also known as the Gateway to Crawford Notch, on 14 November 1976. The site, between the Great Fill and the entrance to the Notch, was the scene of several accidents over the years. © Raymond Willard Evans, courtesy of Robert J. Girouard
Maine Central GP38 No. 254 leads a westbound freight approaching the Gateway to Crawford Notch on a bleak winter day. Snow and ice cling to the rock faces as the train climbs through the Great Cut on the Mountain Division, where crews had to stay alert for rock and ice falls along the ledges. © Raymond Willard Evans, courtesy of Robert J. Girouard
Maine Central GE U18B No. 407 Unity at Crawford Notch, New Hampshire. © Dwight Mitchell
Maine Central GP38 no. 257 leads an eastbound freight through Crawford Notch, New Hampshire, in June 1980, running tight against the rock face alongside US Route 302. The train is working upgrade toward Bartlett and Portland, a reminder of the Mountain Division’s demanding profile even in its final years of regular through service. Traffic had already thinned by this point, and within a few years the line would fall silent, ending daily freight operations over one of New England’s most striking railroad routes. © Walter Schopp
Maine Central EMD GP38 no. 256 leads freight YR-1 through Crawford Notch, New Hampshire, on 6 May 1981, followed by no. 260, no. 257 and GE U18B no. 406 Colonel John Allan. The 36-car train hugs the mountainside along U.S. Route 302, a hallmark of Mountain Division railroading where highway and railroad run side by side through the White Mountains. © Chuck Schwesinger
Conway Scenic Railroad GP35 No. 216 leads the 470 Railroad Club Special through the Gateway in Crawford Notch on 23 October 2021, returning from Quebec Junction. The deep rock cut is one of the most dramatic and recognisable locations on the former Maine Central Mountain Subdivision, where the line squeezes between towering granite walls high in the White Mountains. © Vincent Colombo
Long-hood-leading Conway Scenic Railroad GP38 No. 255 passes through the Gateway en route to Crawford’s, Crawford Notch, New Hampshire. in October 2025 © Bob Innella
Photographed on 1 November 2025 as the 470 Club excursion passed through the Gateway into Crawford’s station, heading west under GP9 1741’s lead. © Stephen Quill-Schuffels
◀ Westbound to Crawford’s Station | The Gateway | Eastbound to The Great Fill ▶