In operation from 1893–1948, the East Branch & Lincoln (EB&L) was a standard gauge railroad. But in 1901 J.E. Henry and Sons attempted to use a narrow-gauge railroad to harvest timber from the Whaleback Mountain (Mt Osseo) area. With the exception of a May 1902 article by Albert W. Cooper and T.S. Woolsey, Jr. in Forestry & Irrigation, little is known about this short-lived railroad.

The difference between standard-gauge and narrow-gauge railroads is the spacing between the rails. The spacing on standard-gauge railroads is 4 feet, 8 1⁄2 inches, while the spacing on narrow-gauge railroads is 3 feet, 6 inches (this can range some). Narrow-gauge railroads usually cost less to build and operate, but the major drawback is they can’t handle heavy loads. The logging railroads in the White Mountains preferred the heavy standard-gauge lines for hauling timber.

The narrow-gauge railroad operated only for a couple of years and was discontinued after a brakeman was killed when a loaded log car ran out of control down the track. According to the 1902 article by Albert W. Cooper and T.S. Woolsey, Jr., J.E. Henry & Sons planned on trying a Baldwin logging engine instead of horses to pull the empty log cars up the narrow-gauge railroad. It is unknown if this was ever attempted.

Surprisingly most of the railroad beds can still be identified. Only a short section southwest of the first crossing of Osseo Brook is unverifiable.

For more information and photos, go to www.scenicNH.com/blog/2018/06/ebl-railroad-narrow-gauge-line, from which this information came. You can view the EB&L Railroad map, researched by Erin Paul Donovan, a professional photographer, and owner of ScenicNH Photography. He specializes in environmental conservation and historic preservation photography in the New Hampshire White Mountains.