New Hampshire FELA Attorneys 

The first railroad in New Hampshire was chartered in 1835 as the Nashua and Lowell Railway. It completed laying tracks between the two cities in 1838. Eventually the railroad became part of the Baltimore and Maine system (B&M). Today, the railway is still used and is owned by Pan Am Railways.

The B&M grew rapidly thanks to industry in the Northeast, until it slowly began to decline during World War II. While carrying mostly freight, it did have passenger lines. Some of the most well-known names of passenger lines include:

  • Ambassador (running from Concord, New Hampshire, to White River Junction, Vermont)
  • Alouette (Boston, Massachusetts, and Wells River, Vermont)
  • Green Mountain Flyer (Bellows Falls, Vermont, to Montreal, Quebec, Canada)
  • Flying Yankee (Portland, Boston, and Bangor, Maine)

The B&M railroad business came to near collapse after World War II, both because traffic was declining, and because it was operated by a president who didn’t know how to run a railroad in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s. One of the biggest problems was letting the equipment deteriorate to a near critical situation. The company went bankrupt in early 1970, like many of the other nearby railroads that were having trouble competing with the ever-expanding system of highways and air traffic.

A new company president created a successful business from the collapsed railroad, however, and brought it out of bankruptcy. It is now a successful regional railroad, having been bought by Timothy Mellon, founder of Guilford Transportation Industries.

Additional Railroads in New Hampshire

Beside Pan Am railroads, other railroads running in New Hampshire include:

  • St. Lawrence & Atlantic Railway
  • Claremont & Concord Railroad
  • New England Central Railroad
  • New Hampshire Northcoast Corporation

These tracks run for about 400 miles in the state. At the height of railroad success in New Hampshire, in 1920, there were 1,252 miles of track.

Dangers of Railroad Jobs Pose Risk to Workers

Building the railroads was a difficult, dangerous line of work for railroad workers across the country. Much of the work like pounding spikes and laying track, was done by hand. The equipment was heavy. The hours were long.

Accidents and injuries were common. They increased at an alarming rate around the turn of the century. After much pressure by the public and the railroad workers labor unions, Congress passed a law to protect railroad employees. Called the Federal Employer’s Liability Act (FELA), the new set of laws allowed workers to sue the railroad companies to recover damages for their injuries. Families were also allowed to seek compensation for the deaths of loved ones.

Railroad work is still a danger profession today, but thanks to FELA, employees and their families have access to compensation. If you have been impacted by a railroad occupation, you can turn to our New Hampshire FELA lawyers for assistance. We will evaluate your case for free and help you get the financial relief owed to you by law.