North Conway Depot and Railroad Yard

The North Conway Depot and Railroad Yard is a rail depot and yard located in North Conway, New Hampshire. Built in 1874, the depot was designed by Nathaniel J. Bradlee in an eclectic Russian Victorian style. The station is also the terminus for the Conway Scenic Railroad. Northwest of the station stands a roundhouse, which now houses the Scenic Railroad's rolling stock; it was built around the same time as the station.The yard and depot were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.HistoryThe North Conway Depot was built by the Portsmouth, Great Falls & Conway Railroad in 1874, two years after the Conway Branch was completed. The Portsmouth, Great Falls & Conway was absorbed by the Boston and Maine Railroad in 1890. The station served the village of North Conway for 87 years. With the exception of the small hamlet of Intervale just to the north, North Conway was the northern terminus of the Conway Branch (the southern terminus being Boston), and saw heavy use in the summer, North Conway being a popular resort destination. Beginning in 1932, downhill skiing made North Conway an increasingly popular destination, and dedicated skier trains unloaded their passengers at the depot.In the mid-20th century, passenger rail travel declined due to competition with automobile transport. In the later years of passenger service, the Boston & Maine stopped operating traditional locomotive-and-coaches trains, and switched to Budd Rail Diesel Cars. Finally, on 3 December 1961 passenger service to North Conway was abandoned. Just over 10 years later, on 30 October 1972, freight service was also discontinued, and the station, yard, and rail line were abandoned.