By Steve Whipple
MethuenLife Writer

Out with the rails; in with the bikers and hikers.
That’s the goal of 20 local people interested in converting an abandoned 2.4-mile Methuen stretch of railroad into a leveled bike and walking path. The section runs from near the Walnut Grove Cemetery to a point about 100 feet from Hampshire Road that snakes along the Methuen/Salem, N.H., border.
The section is just one piece of Boston & Maine Railroad’s “Manchester & Lawrence” line that was active from 1859 to the early 1980s. The last passenger run was around 1959.
What inspired the group’s leader, Joyce Godsey, to begin this crusade?
“Laziness,” explained the self-employed book seller. “I got tired of trying to find somewhere to ride my bike. It's annoying to have to load your bike in a car and drive someplace like Windham to use their trail, when ours could be just as nice. I want to ride my bike somewhere, not drive my car.”
Godsey noticed that the 2.4-mile section of the former B&M railroad that passes through the Nevins Wildlife Sanctuary would be a fine path for riding, especially as it connects to railroad lines in Lawrence and Salem.
She has spent months photographing the area and researching the best way to proceed and updating the Web site www.methuenrailtrail.blogspot.com.
But before Godsey and her group can clear brush, grade, pave and put the mettle to the pedals, a handful of obstacles must be cleared
Matt Kraunelis, Mayor William Manzi’s chief of staff, noted, “The MBTA owns the line through Methuen. We’d have to execute a lease with them for $1 a year. They don’t seem to think it will ever be a rail line again.”
The MBTA has sent a lease to the city, which solicitor Peter McQuillan is reviewing for any legal issues. Meanwhile, Kraunelis has contacted the city’s conservation officer, Joe Giarrusso, who said the project is feasible.
Kraunelis said, “The MBTA said we can improve it by doing whatever we need to do. What we need to do is have a group in place to look for funding and be willing to maintain the path.“
Godsey’s Wednesday night meetings at Nevins Memorial Library have attracted the attention of 20 active and another 30 people who are interested in the project.
One such active member is Jason Campbell of Methuen, who has bicycled off-road for the past 15 years.
“I would like to see the railbed converted into a mixed-use trail, so that walkers, joggers, bikers, bladers and boarders could use the trail for recreation and transportation,” he said. “Currently, the trail is a fun adventure. Since the rails are still there, you experience some of the history of the rail corridor. But more importantly, you get to experience a quiet piece of nature, within the confines of the city, which will be preserved as the trail is built.”
Godsey has been researching uses for the rail and the thick wooden railroad ties beneath the high-carbon steel. One company is currently paying $100 a ton, but was paying $400 a ton last year. Landscapers often use railroad ties for decorative purposes and at least one company burns them.
Methuen native Dave Topham is the co-founder of the Bike-Walk Alliance of New Hampshire and founder of the Granite State Wheel Men bicycle club. The Salem resident has joined forces with Godsey to get a Methuen stretch of rail line linked to Salem’s 5.1-mile stretch.
“If we get this whole corridor built from Methuen to Concord, it serves many purposes, not just fun and recreation. People will want it for (bike) commuting to get off the busy streets. Some of the areas we go through are really beautiful, like the marsh game preserve there in Methuen.”