June 27, 2010
Searching for Concord Rails
I’d never been down on Commercial Street in Concord, but I’d seen the train tracks from Rte 393. As I needed some supplies at Staples, I figured to take the opportunity to take some photos. I was surprised to find there was more to this section of Concord than I originally thought. As I came down from the highway, I first went to where I could see lots of tracks. Nothing grabbed my attention, so I went the other way past the Courtyard Marriott.
I avoided the new-looking, fancy buildings although I wondered what these structures replaced. Taking a right, I explored the area along Horseshoe Pond. At an intersection was a sign saying, “Discovery Center.” What a minute. I always thought Fort Eddy Road was a dead end. Straight ahead, Commercial Street was a dead end. Hmmm.
I decided to see where that road ended as my goal was train tracks. The road narrowed as I passed through a residential section and on the right were tracks and then an interesting old wooden bridge. The tracks were built up and I was intrigued. The end of the road was Brochu Nursery.
Parking off to the side, I climbed the embankment to the rails. The track ran through the nursery on raised dike-like beds. Seemed funny but I guess it’s because of river flooding. I noticed a trestle in the distance and after taking a couple photos from this vantage point, I decided to ask permission to drive out to the trestle. The man gave his okay then added that over the weekend old trains from Tilton had come down for a show. That would have been interesting.
I drove to the end of the nursery but did not drive up to the trestle as I did not want my vehicle in the way. This was a lovely structure stretching across the Merrimac River. I took quite a few pictures but did not venture out onto the bridge as there were no trespassing signs… plus I didn’t dare.
Leaving the nursery, I decided to take the road towards the Discovery Center. I found that this way meandered through a college campus eventually connecting to Fort Eddy Road. I had learned something new about Concord while taking the opportunity to get some fabulous pictures. It was a happy day.