Two weeks ago when I wrote about my adventures on the rail-trail in Mason, NH, I mentioned there were signs of life from when a railroad had used this path instead of walkers and cyclists. As I set out last week to explore the Cheshire Recreational Trail, I decided to look for signs of the life that was once here. I could not have picked a better trail.
The most obvious sign is the trail iteslf. The rails and tracks are gone but the railbed is still here. You can see in the photo above that rock had to be blasted out to allow the railbed to pass through granite outcroppings. In other areas, you can see bridges or the railbed built up to pass thjrough low lying land.
And then there were old buildings that still existed.
There were also smaller and subtler signs of the former people who lived here along the trail.
There were smaller and more well-hidden things. I often saw granite foundations for buildings that have disappeared. There were some piles of railroad ties and even a rail or two off the side of the trail. They just don’t make for pretty pictures because they blend in too much with the local greenery.
I’ve been on a lot of rail-trails. You don’t often see this much evidence of what was here before. It all gets “cleaned up”. For me, I enjoyed seeing these relics and wondering what their use was and who came here before me. Thanks for coming along on the ride with me.
Milford Street 
Interesting note on finding the relics of that earlier time. You make a good point that usually those things get picked up when the trail is converted. Love that shot of the old work building.
Those buildings were cool. I’d love a peek inside. Have a great day.
Thank you for taking us along, Chris! I enjoy finding signs of former farms and towns in reclaimed forest.
My pleasure. Thank you.
You’re welcome, Chris.
What a fun ride! Beautiful pictures. Makes you wonder how some places thrive and pull through while others are abandoned and fall away. Thanks for sharing your adventure, Chris!
I agree. It is intersting how some places continue to thrive and others not. I think it’s a combination of luck and ability to adapt. Thank you, Sandra. I’m glad you enjoyed the ride.
I found this so fascinating, signs of lives existed now how beautiful is that.Thank you for taking us along also beautiful pictures.
Thank you. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Wonderful ride…have a joyful day Chris 💫☀️ smiles Hedy
It was a great ride. Thanks, Hedy. You too.
What gorgeous photos. I live the black and white work house and the old train station building. The old train station building reminds me of the above ground rail system in Australia. The stations, when I was last there, were still housed in wooden buildings. Very nostalgic.
Incidentally, this week, I was able to borrow a friend’s copy of a limited edition retrospective of Capa’s work in a large size magazine, which was published by Asahi Shimbun. It is astonishing how close he got to people and how widely he travelled to cover the lives of ordinary people during the war.
Thank you. I really liked finding these old building. It’s unusual on one of these trails.
Capa was amazing. I read his autobiography. He reinvented himself and tried to set his work apart from others. I really like his work. Take care.
Apologies for the typo .. . I *love the photos. ❤️🌺💐
That’s okay. I understood
Some of these you’ve posted as single images I think, but together they are even more impactful… Lovely shots, Chris, the green in that first photo is just plain gorgeous…
Thank you, Alex. It gets really green here in late spring.
Love the way you’ve captured the sense of a past life. The B&W work building is beautiful — straight out of the 1930s WPA!
Thank you. Yes, those buildings are so recognizable. Classic.
These relics definitely make for a nice adventure and interesting photo shoot, Chris! I can’t help thinking of ‘Stand by me’ whenever I see rails, or their remains. 😂
I think the same. It was really cool finding these hints of the past.