State
Removing Rails from Colebrook to Beecher Falls
September 28, 2011
By Jake Mardin
Colebrook News and Sentinel
Work has begun to remove rails from the nine-mile corridor trail between Colebrook and Beecher Falls, and N.H. Bureau of Trails chief Chris Gamache said the work should be completed by the first week of November.
"Rail has to be removed by a professional rail contractor so there is no damage to the rails and connector plates," he said. "They use specialized rail equipment to pull spikes, cut joint bars and lift rail."
The railbed is currently used as a snowmobile trail, and Mr. Gamache and Colebrook Ski-Bees trailmaster Arthur Beauchemin said the rails' removal will allow for grooming to start earlier and continue later in the season. Mr. Beauchemin said the trail has been difficult to groom because they had to wait for enough snowpack to keep the groomer's steel cleats from catching the rails.
He also said as soon as the snow starts melting, the rails begin to show and snowmobilers can get their skis caught on them. The steel also acts as a radiator when the sun is out and melts the snow faster. Mr. Gamache said removing the rails "should improve the riders' experience on this trail and have a dramatic economic benefit to businesses in Colebrook, Stewartstown and Canaan."
The removal may also lead to other uses of the trail, such as walking, biking, horseback riding and ATV use, because it will be cheaper and quicker to install an improved aggregate surface. Mr. Gamache said depending on funding availability, the Bureau of Trails anticipates one to two years to complete the upgrade process.