Hand Car and Crew at the West Windham Station

Hand cars like the one shown here were used by railroad crews to travel from station to station in order to perform maintenance such as the removal of fallen trees, debris, or minor repairs to the tracks and the right of way. These vehicles were called hand cars because they were propelled by the hands, and muscles, of the people riding on them.

This crew and hand car were likely used to maintain the tracks between the West Windham station and the station in Hudson Center. The Hudson Center station was located just off of Greeley Street and behind the Town Hall (now Wattannick Hall). The station at West Windham was located on your left just beyond the intersection of Route 111 (Windham Road) with Route 128 (Mammoth road) in West Windham. The West Windham station has been destroyed by fire several years ago but it was located on the site of the present Kiddie Academy, an educational day care.

The single track line through Hudson crossed the river from Nashua just south of the Taylor Falls Bridge and then proceeded toward Hudson Center in a north easterly direction. After crossing over Lowell Road near Hammond Park the tracks crossed Central Street at “Long Crossing” and then continued to the Hudson Center station. From Hudson Center the tracks continued along or near the route of the present 111 into West Windham. “Long Crossing” was a street level intersection of the railroad line with Central Street. The name “Long Crossing” refers to the angle at which the two right of ways intersected;that is an angle greater than 90 degrees.

This undated photo of the handcar at the West Windham station is a part of the collection of the Hudson Historical Society.The identity of the crew members in this picture are not known.