Cotton Valley Rail Trail Club, Inc.

LEGAL NOTICE: Operation of railway equipment, including motorcars, is governed by Federal, State and Railroad authorities. All rail property is owned by someone.  Operation of any equipment on or around railroad property is only permitted with permission of the property owner or leasor.  CVRTC will assist local, State, and Federal authorities in prosecuting illegal operators of railway equipment.  Railway motorcar organizations now exist in most parts of the world.  Please contact one of your local organizations.  They have access to rail property, equipment information and SAFETY information.  They are always looking to promote the hobby/sport and would love to have your help.

(May 2, 2008) Ron Mitchell reports that he attended TRACK meeting in Wolfeboro last night and discussed the repair work to the Fernald Brook Bridge. It looks like fall before the work is done. In the mean time the snowmobile club constructed a bridge over ours, which needs to be removed before we have access beyond 109. Talking to the President of the snowmobile club, it looks like two weeks. They may need our help in removing the big timbers. If they can do it on a Thursday, we can help with our tractor. They are going to let Ron know what date. More of the banking has washed away, so we will have to extend the temporary bridge to make it safe. Check back on the websites for updates. (JWM)

(May 1, 2008) Ian MacMillan has three members joining him at Wakefield Pride Days. To date, he has three cars signed up to give rides to the public from the old turntable to Rt. 16 and back. He is looking for one or two additional members who can work the booth to talk about the club and help get waivers signed. He has fliers to hand out and Bill made us a nice "flag" with the clubs diamond logo on it. The event should run from 8AM - 5PM. Please contact Ian if you can assist (see Events Page). (SPM)

(April 8, 2008) Ron reports that April's meeting will be held at Fernald Station. He returned the club tractor today and removed about 3 feet of snow from the east end of the engine house, so one set of doors can be opened on Sunday. There was about a foot of snow in the parking lot, but with these temperatures it should be all gone by Sunday. There is bare ground north of the station and out to the coal bins. We should have plenty of room to park. There isn't any clear rail, so don't bring any rail cars.

Hookset Lions Club has their 13th annual model railroad show on Sunday April 20, 2008, 10am - 3pm at the Hookset Middle School on Route 27 (Whitehall Rd) 1 mile off Rte 3. They are looking for several of our members to display their cars. Contact person is Robert Schroeder at (603)485-5021[h] or (603)533-0046[c]. (JWM)

(Mar 20, 2008) It is with much saddness that we mourn the passing of Glenna Newton, who passed away last night losing her battle with cancer. Our prayers are with Myril and her family.

(Mar 6, 2008) Why is Frank in such a hurry? He doesn't want to be late to the Annual Meeting! The meeting is being held at 10am in Belmont at the Corner Meetinghouse this Sunday, and the agenda contains the following:

(Feb 28, 2008) Dave provided pictures of some of the new CVRTC Clothing. You will be able to see the clothing and order anything you want at the March meeting. At present Dave has made up 18 hats. COST: Hats $7.00, Denim Shirt $18.00, Polo Shirt $18.00, Jacket $34.00 (JWM)

(Feb 28, 2008) Ron took these pictures to show how much snow has fallen in Wolfeboro. A lot of the deep snow has slid off of the roof, except for the north east end. As you can se the from the photo, it has started to move, so I think we are safe. All we need is some warm weather. There is 4 to 5' of snow in front of the doors. Inside the engine house looks good. There is 5 to 6' of ice and snow on the tool room roof. In our area we have a lot of roof collapses. (JWM)

(Feb 13, 2008) Ian obtained these pictures showing Fernald in the 1970's. The pictures were taken by Bruce Davison, and used on the CVRTC website with his permission. Compare these pictures with the current condition of the enginehouse, and be proud of the hard work that club members have done to preserve history. (JWM)

(Feb 13, 2008) There's still a bunch of snow covering the railhead, but some members have been hard at work with their winter projects. Ian has been working on newly designed booklet with all the Club rules, State and Federal laws, and trackcharts. This will be published in the same style as the old railroad timetables.

Bill and Harvey, (well, mostly Bill) have been working on the diesel powered MT14s. They have them stripped down, and ready for sandblasting. The frames have been straightened and welded, and the fuel injectors are being rebuilt for top performance. The picture to the left, shows the Kubota motors mounted to the Fairmont transmissions. The second MT14 is owned by Bill and Shelly Catansse.

Jon, on the other hand, was totally caught off guard by the early snow fall in December, and never got the tarps over TC-42. So it sits neglected, buried in snow, awaiting a spring thaw!

The Club's annual meeting is coming up in March. Check back for meeting location and time. We'll be electing Officers and Directors. Membership applications should have been sent out to all current members; contact Roy if you didn't get yours, or click on the "Membership" link and download the forms. (JWM)