Once again, the portion of the railway running through Wilton could be in jeopardy, as line owners have indicated their intent to file to seek discontinuance of operations by Milford-Bennington Railroad on the line.
At the end of February, the Boston and Main Corporation and Springfield Terminal Railway Company – collectively known as “Pan Am” – filed with the Surface Transportation Board notifying of their intent to file, and seeking a waiver of certain requirements of the regulations.
The Milford-Bennington Railroad, owned by Peter Leishman of Peterborough, has operated on that line since 1992, trucking loads from Granite State Concrete to a facility in Milford. While a portion of the line is owned by the state, the piece running from Wilton to Milford is owned by Pan Am.
Discontinuing the Milford-Bennington Railroad’s rights to the track would put the railroad out of business, and could have larger implications for downtown Wilton, if Granite State had to return to moving their stone by truck.
Leishman’s business and Pan Am have a contentious history, and this is not the first time that the company has tried to have the Milford-Bennington stop operating on the line.
During Town Meeting last week, voters took a resounding straw vote that was in favor of the town supporting the continuation of the line.
There are two main arguments, Selectman Kermit Williams told the town. The first is the impact to traffic going through downtown Wilton if Granite State has to rely on trucking their gravel to Milford instead of sending it by rail.
Each rail car carries the equivalent of three trailer dump loads of stone, said Leishman in an interview on Tuesday. The railroad often moved up to three trains of ten cars a day, which would represent 180 round-trip trucks going through town.
The second main argument for preserving the track is bringing back what once was an economic boon for the town: The tourist train.
In the early 2000s, the passenger train, run by Stewart Draper, ran from Wilton to Greenfield, terminating a few miles past Greenfield State Park, near Spring Pond Farm, an alpaca farm, both of which benefited from the train visitors, said Leishman. When Draper died, the passenger train business fell to the wayside.
Since its formation, bringing back the passenger train has been a point of interest for the Wilton Economic Development Committee. And Leishman said that he is currently looking at equipment and into insurance that could bring it back, perhaps as early as this year.
“If I could do it yesterday, people would love it,” said Leishman. “I’m seriously looking at it. We used to pooh-pooh it, but there’s been a lot more interest in the last few years.”
A passenger line is only feasible in conjunction with his freight business, said Leishman, and if it gets off the ground, it would likely only run on the weekends.
“If we can bring back the tourist train, it’s a game changer for the town,” said Jennifer Beck, the Chair of the Economic Development Committee. “It’s the single most important thing we could do to create an anchor attraction that would bring in foot traffic to our downtown.”
Beck said in a survey of 500 residents, when asked for a priority project, nearly a quarter of those asked identified the tourist train.
That foot traffic could become part of a compelling argument to attract additional businesses, said Beck, particularly if Wilton can continue to cultivate other “experiences” downtown. During Town Meeting, voters approved funds for the next phase of a river walk, which could start to create that atmosphere, said Beck.
Because of the feasibility and cost, said Beck, the tourist train hasn’t been high on the committee’s list of priorities, said Beck, but the committee has been talking with Leishman about his interest in reviving it, which has quickly moved it up the list. The committee has compiled its research on interest in reviving the tourist train as part of a package for the town to send to the Surface Transportation Board as part of their objection to Pan Am’s filing.