The Northern Rail Trail is a multi-use rail trail in western New Hampshire, currently 23 miles (37 km) in length from Lebanon to Grafton. Another section runs from Franklin to Andover, and construction on the Andover-Grafton section was underway in 2010.[1] It uses the right of way of Boston & Maine's former Northern Line that was acquired by the State of New Hampshire in 1996. The trail is managed by NH Bureau of Trails.
The Northern Railroad built this line from Concord to White River Junction, Vermont, in 1847. In 1887, the company was acquired by B&M. Trains ran from Boston north into Canada, with just one train to Montreal still running in the 1960s. Passenger service ceased in 1965, and freight traffic in the early 1970s. The line was used by the Freedom Train in 1975 and one last time in 1982 when the B&M line along the Connecticut River was blocked after a derailment in Brattleboro.[2]