New Book about the WK&S

Tom Gears · **Posted:** Wed Aug 06, 2003 10:25 am

Here is a link to a story about a new book written about the WK&S. Everybody who has ever ridden the WK&S will say it is one of the nicest tourist railroads around.

Tom

WK&S railroad and book a labor of love

Bob Yarger · **Posted:** Wed Aug 06, 2003 10:56 am

WK&S 2-6-2 250 (originally Bonhomie & Hattiesburg Southern in Mississippi) went from Pa. to New Hampshire and ran on the Wolfeboro RR, a neat ex-B&M branch. The latter line is now owned by the state and still used by a motorcar club, though the last couple of miles on the west end were removed for a trail. Some photos below. No. 250 is now at Edaville RR in Mass..

http://photos.nerail.org/show/?byrail:1:Wolfeboro_Rail_Road
ryarger@rypn.org

Jim Robinson · **Posted:** Wed Aug 06, 2003 1:07 pm

The WK&S book is bit unique in that it documents the tourist line's history in a question and answer format. The questions--reportedly posed by visitors--were complied over the line's four decades of life and include the book's title "Does This Train Go Up Hawk Mountain?" [You have the visit the WK&S and buy the book to find out!]

One nice feature about the book is that it not only documents the equipment and the ROW, but it documents the people (past and present) that make this little railroad go. A nice touch is a listing of every volunteer who ever worked for the line with a notation of those who have passed away. Sometimes the folks that make railway preservation happen are overlooked in such writings, not so here. The book conveys the friendly "family" feeling surrounding the railroad, which IMO is a major factor in the line's success over the last 40 years.

BTW, if you never have visited the WK&S RR and you're in (or visiting) the northeast, by all means do. There are places with longer rides and larger locomotives, but you'll be hard pressed to find a nicer operation! Their website is at www.kemptontrain.com

As for the Wolfeboro Railroad photographes... wow!! A nice collection. I always enjoy shots of ex-B&HS 2-6-2 250 in action--a neat chooch. One minor correction to the series of photos (of 250) by Ralph Cunningham. They're dated August 1970... can't be, 250 was then still stored at Kempton and the WRR wasn't even open yet.

Regards,
Jim Robinson