Scenic Train Ride

Climax Steam Locomotive Back On The Track

Passengers greet the arrival of the Climax steam train at Clark’s Trading Post.

The White Mountain Central Railroad, based at Clark’s Trading Post in Lincoln, offers 25-minute scenic train rides that cover two and a half miles and pass through a 1904 covered bridge over the Pemigewasset River.

This year’s trips will bring back the 50-ton Climax steam locomotive, built in 1920, that was taken out of service last year so the crew could replace the drive shaft and rebuild the gears on the front truck. The railroad plans to operate the steam train throughout July and most of August. The rest of the time, the railroad will operate its 65-ton General Electric diesel locomotive which was built in 1948.

The history of the railroad began in the early 1950s when the Clark brothers, owners of the trading post, became fascinated by steam power. At that time, steam locomotives were being taken out of service and replaced by diesel engines. In order to save the steam locomotives from the cutting torch which would relegate them to the scrap heap, the Clarks wanted to create “green pastures for iron horses” and they began purchasing the old locomotives, built by Climax, Heisler, and Shay and Porter.

The Climax is a geared steam locomotive, built in Corry, Pennsylvania, by the Climax Manufacturing Company. Patented on February 25, 1890, the Clarks’ model was built in 1920 and given the number 1603. The Beebe River Lumber Company of Campton purchased it new for use in hauling lumber out of Waterville Valley. Beebe River eventually sold the Climax to the East Branch and Lincoln Railroad where it continued hauling lumber until it was put into storage.

It came into the Clarks’ possession in 1951 and, although they planned to restore it someday, it was not until the early 1970s that they put the trucks back together.