We've long been intrigued by the Milford and Manchester Railroad that was only in use for a few short years. This is the fourth cache that was placed in our Ghost Train series.
As I was looking for a place for the cache I heard a train horn in the distance. It wasn't a whistle from a steam engine but it was a train...pretty cool! :)
This is a puzzle cache. Do NOT try to find the cache at the posted co-ordinates because it is not there and it is the middle of a very busy intersection! Note that the train once went over the posted co-ordinates but you'll have to do some history research to find the cache location. It is NOT at the posted co-ordinates!
To find the cache co-ordinates you will need to take a look at the History of Bedford,N.H. 1737-1971 published by the Bedford Historical Society in 1972. The Bedford Public Library has both reference copies as well as copies that can be checked out. The Amherst, Merrimack, Manchester, Hooksett, and Goffstown Public Libraries all have copies. Here is a link to the copies at the Bedford Public Library: History of Bedford, N.H. 1737-1971. If you click on the above link and then click on the link on the library page entitled "Click here to see items from all branches..." you can see copies at other local libraries.
To find the cache co-ordinates you'll need to answer some history questions about the Milford and Manchester Railroad. All answers are from the edition of the book cited above and not from any other sources (which may disagree slightly with the book).
- The page number (xyz) in the book that has the picture of the Bedford train station that looks towards Bell Hill and the present-day location of Route 101. y-z = A
- Take the $/mile it cost to build the line and multiply by the number of hours worked in a day by a laborer. Count the number of digits in the resulting number for B.
- The month and day of the first passenger train: 1900 mm dd. Add all four month and day digits together to get C, i.e. m + m + d + d - 7 = C
- The last digit of the number of years Martha Wiggin said that the railroad carried out lumber and hauled in grain, so D = xy years, so y = D
- "Finally the Boston and Maine was given a charter in : 18E9".
- The count of the letter "O" in the first word of the second line of the warning sign over New Boston Road as a result of the sign painter's mistake. # of "O"s - 2 = F
Add to the posted north co-ordinates: .ABC
Add to the posted west co-ordinates: .DEF
You can check your answers for this puzzle on GeoChecker.com.
This cache is on a section of the old railroad bed in Bedford.
This is the third location for the final. The first two locations were on the railroad bed, but one turned out to be private property. The second was on land for whom the town did not have a listed owner when I placed the cache, but in the four years since the Town subsequently updated ownership to reflect a private owner. This final location should be okay. I've updated the geochecker to reflect the current final location.
If you solved the puzzle for any of the earlier locations and did not make it to the final GZ to sign the log before I moved it, please provide me with your solution and I'll provide you with the final coords so you don't have to re-solve.
If you're interested in more Ghost Train caches along the route of the Milford to Manchester Railroad check out the bookmark: Ghost Train Series
A bit more information (but you'll need the book to solve this puzzle cache :) )on the railroad (owned by the Boston and Maine Railroad) can be found here:
Manchester and Milford Railroad links
Congrats to Grandpa Cardigan and Team Skywalker on the co-FTF!