Suncook Valley Branch
The Suncook Valley Branch of the Southern Division passed though five New Hampshire towns after breaking off from the Suncook Loop. They were Allenstown, Epsom, Chichester, Pittsfield, and Barnstead. In October of 1908, nine train stops were located along this line in New Hampshire, as can be seen on this section of timetable.
This branch line started out as the Suncook Valley Railroad. Construction of the route, which connected to the Suncook Loop via a switchback just south of Suncook Station and ran up to Pittsfield, was finished in 1869. The line opened under the control of the Concord Railroad, the company which had backed its development. After the railroad had been in operation for several years, plans were made to lengthen the line to Alton. The Suncook Valley Extension never made it past Center Barnstead though as the circumstances around the project changed and the new line was no longer needed. In 1889, the small section of track that was able to be completed before construction halted was opened for use. The Boston & Maine Railroad eventually absorbed the SV in 1895 when it took over control of the Concord & Montreal Railroad (of which the Concord Railroad had been merged into).
Unlike most lines which the Boston & Maine Railroad gained control of, the Suncook Valley Railroad was actually handed back over to local management. This happened on September 28, 1924, and the railroad managed to survive for another quarter-century before being abandoned. The first length of track let go was from Pittsfield to Center Barnstead, and this happened in 1947. The rest of the line, from Suncook to Pittsfield, was abandoned six years later in 1953.