Our 19th century railway is getting a new 21st century maintenance facility!

Stepping into our Marshfield engine shop, built in 1896, is like stepping into a time capsule. The problem is, these days you really have to step carefully! As we’ve mostly transitioned away from steam engines toward much larger and more complex biodiesel locomotives, the already cramped and dated space has become more and more challenging to do the work necessary to keep our growing fleet in tip top shape.

Which is why, in the spring of 2020, ground was broken for a new, 35000sf state-of-the-art shop facility, located just below our current century-old engine shop. Once the building is complete in early 2021, our entire fleet, 7 biodiesel locomotives, 2 steamers, 8 (soon to be 9) passenger coaches and track maintenance equipment will be safely housed and serviced indoors, on-site, over the long winter. Dual overhead cranes will facilitate heavy repair and fabrication work, and locomotives will be pushed around the shop floor by hand on air casters, maximizing floor space and eliminating the need for fixed tracks inside the building!

We'll continue post updates here and on social media as the progress continues on what has to be one of the most scenic and impressive construction sites in New Hampshire!

The shop facilities below Marshfield Station have remained largely unchanged for over a century, but soon the industrial landscape familiar to so many generations of Coggers will look very different! — The shop facilities below Marshfield Station have remained largely unchanged for over a century, but soon the industrial landscape familiar to so many generations of Coggers will look very different!

Old and new stand in stark contrast at the Marshfield shop. A boiler from a decommissioned steam locomotive sits behind the shop building, as the new facility grows in the background

Our oldest locomotive, MW2 (originally built at Manchester Locomotive Works in 1875) seen here in the current engine shop tucked in pretty snugly alongside M7, our newest biodiesel locomotive completed in 2019.

MW9 (built in 1908 also in Manchester) is parked in an adjacent bay, surrounded by some very old but still very useful machine tools. They don't make stuff like this anymore!

Throughout the spring and early summer of 2020, all structures below the engine shop were demolished, and initial grading of of the site began.

In July, forms were built, rebar installed and concrete was poured to form the foundation for the exterior walls, and for pilings that will support an interior mezzanine level.

Once the concrete foundation had cured, the process of grading, backfilling and compacting continued to further prepare the ground for the finished floor surface. The floor won’t be poured until the building is buttoned up with the exterior walls an… — Once the concrete foundation had cured, the process of grading, backfilling and compacting continued to further prepare the ground for the finished floor surface. The floor won’t be poured until the building is buttoned up with the exterior walls and roof in place. Steel girders and trusses were staged nearby. The original engine and coach shops and the transfer table will remain, but will see limited use once the new building is up and running.

First steel went up on September 3. Things are going to start looking very different down there!

Engineer Josh Bishop demonstrates the scale of the new building, as the walls begin to take shape

By January 2021, the new building was buttoned up and preparations were being made for pouring the final reinforced concrete floor

A pair of heavy duty overhead cranes were delivered, each having a lift capacity of 10 tons. Airborne Cog Railway locomotives will soon be a reality!

In mid-January, the process of pouring the reinforced concrete floor began, beginning with the mezzanine level. When all is said and done, 600 cubic yards of concrete will be poured, delivered in 60 truck loads.

And here’s the picture we’ve all been waiting so long to see– in February 2021, President and General Manager Wayne Presby stood inside the new shop flanked by three locomotives, two coaches and a snowblower. And somewhere back there is a 65’ re-railing car, all with plenty of room to spare. Locomotives and coaches are pushed by hand around the shop on air casters, with two overhead 10-ton cranes to help with the heavy lifting. Wayne says "Our goal is to turn the new shop into a technological tour de force. We hope to establish relationships with local technical schools and offer classes in the use of some of the more advanced technologies available."And that's just the beginning. There’s still plenty of work left to do, including mezzanine partitions for offices, a conference/class room and storage, a central tool cage, a new machine shop and other work stations, and so much more. We’ll continue to update this page as our mountain climbing railway continues its incredible journey into the future! — And here’s the picture we’ve all been waiting so long to see– in February 2021, President and General Manager Wayne Presby stood inside the new shop flanked by three locomotives, two coaches and a snowblower. And somewhere back there is a 65’ re-railing car, all with plenty of room to spare. Locomotives and coaches are pushed by hand around the shop on air casters, with two overhead 10-ton cranes to help with the heavy lifting. Wayne says "Our goal is to turn the new shop into a technological tour de force. We hope to establish relationships with local technical schools and offer classes in the use of some of the more advanced technologies available."
And that's just the beginning. There’s still plenty of work left to do, including mezzanine partitions for offices, a conference/class room and storage, a central tool cage, a new machine shop and other work stations, and so much more. We’ll continue to update this page as our mountain climbing railway continues its incredible journey into the future!

At a special employee-only event in June 2021, our new maintenance shop at Marshfield was officially dedicated to a man who was instrumental in guiding its creation. Shop foreman Johnny Suitor oversaw the design and construction of the new 35,000sf facility while somehow making sure that our fleet of diesel and steam locomotives remained ready for action at all times. President and GM Wayne Presby recognized Johnny's extraordinary leadership with the shop's official new name and sign: Suitor's Service Station. The sign is a nod to Johnny's father's garage that served Whitefield for many years.

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