Plymouth & Lincoln Railroad

On June 15, 1987, the Plymouth and Lincoln Railroad was formed with the purpose of operating a theme park and railroad out of Lincoln, New Hampshire. The railroad now holds the passenger rights on the entire state of New Hampshire-owned track running from Lochmere to Lincoln, a total of . This additional mileage allows the operation of many special excursion trains. The state owns another of track from Lochmere to Concord, which is used by the New England Southern Railroad for freight customers. Edward Clark, founder of the railroad, died in the summer of 1998. Benjamin, his only son, assumed the post of President and promoted the business heavily. The Patriot Rail Company assumed ownership of the two passenger services and the rail bike operations in August 2023. In April 2024, the railroad was renamed as the Granite State Scenic Railway. ==The Lincoln Shops==

From the mid-1990s, the Lincoln Shops have grown to be a major source of off-season revenue through its refurbishing and repair of numerous pieces of customer railroad equipment. Two Russell snowplows and some subway tampers were rebuilt for the MBTA. The privately owned ex-New Haven Railroad Roger Williams was in for major restoration to like-new condition, along with four or five caboose repaintings. The company's reputation increased the demand for the facility enough to make the business a 12-month operation. In 2005, they brought the three-car set of the Flying Yankee, under restoration, to the Lincoln Shops for completion. In 2021, 2 major locomotive repaints to SW1000 105 and SW1001 1590 were done as well as an interior upgrade on both locomotives. ==Current activities==

The railroad has some of the most diverse and scenic fall foliage trains in New England, whether lakeside or on a journey along the Pemigewasset River to the mountains. Since 2003 the railroad has promoted heavily this important season for tourism. It also benefits from its -hour travel time from Boston. Bus groups, sometimes eight per day, converge in Meredith in the fall due to the town's location and to the offering of a full roast turkey dinner on the train catered by Hart's Turkey Farm Restaurant, also located in Meredith. In winter 2005, the "Believe in Books Literacy Foundation" contracted with the railroad to provide a "Polar Express" out of Lincoln, to supplement the growing demand from the North Conway operation run by the Conway Scenic Railroad. The Tom Hanks movie of the same name was released in the 2004-2005 season, sparking even further interest. In June 2021, Rail Bike Adventures began offering 2-hour tours out of Laconia Station along the shores of Lake Winnisquam. Three ALCO S1 switchers (two of them are currently out of service; one switcher is from the Portland Terminal Company and two are from the Maine Central Railroad), an ALCO S3 switcher from the Boston and Maine Railroad, 2 EMD SW1000's, 1 EMD SW1001, 1 EMD GP9, and a former Rock Island Railroad EMD GP7 provide the motive power for the two railroads. Four former Erie Lackawanna Railroad cars and six former Budd RDCs from the MBTA in Boston comprise the railroad cars that they use for operations. ==See also==