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The Portsmouth & Dover Branch of the Eastern Division passed through three New Hampshire towns and cities. They were Portsmouth, Newington, and Dover. Back in 1908 there were seven train stops located along this line in New Hampshire, as can be seen on this section of timetable.
This branch line began as the Portsmouth & Dover Railroad, which linked the two cities it was named after. Construction of the railroad did not take long, only lasting from 1873 to 1874. When the line opened it was immediately leased by the Eastern Railroad, the company which had backed its formation. The Boston & Maine Railroad later absorbed the P&D when it leased the Eastern Railroad in 1885.
Nearly all of the Portsmouth & Dover Branch has been abandoned. The section from Newington to Dover Point was abandoned in 1934, and the stretch from Dover Point to Sawyers followed in 1941. The small part of the line between Sawyers and Dover survived for quite some time, but was finally let go in 1986. A short length of this line which stems off from the freight yard in Portsmouth is still used today by Pan Am Railways.
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