Military Vehicles on Trains in Concord

Editor's Note: This post has been updated with more information about the equipment. 

Speculation in Concord has been running high this week as to why there was a collection of Department of Defense train cars about a mile long, loaded up with military trucks and armored vehicles. 

According to the New Hampshire National Guard, the department is shipping its equipment to Michigan as part of a training exercise. 

The flat bed train cars, with military markings, appeared more than two weeks ago along the tracks behind the Capital Plaza Shopping Center on Storrs Street and got people scratching their heads a bit since, more often than not, the only trains on the tracks are Ciment Quebec trains and the occasional empty cargo train used by homeless folks for shelter.

Earlier this week, residents in Canterbury began reporting that the train cars were now in that town and military vehicles were being placed on the cars at the old depot. During the course of more than two days, the vehicles were loaded onto the cars.

On June 27, the cars made their way back down to Concord parking in the city’s North End neighborhood. The train cars ran from past Horseshoe Pond to behind The Concord Center on Ferry Street, or about a mile in length.

The sight of all the military vehicles led to a number of double takes on Saturday morning while people were enjoying the trails and out walking their dogs on Horseshoe Pond. There were also at least two military buffs that pulled into the Fairpoint parking lot on Commercial Street to check out the rigs.

It was unknown at post time where the military vehicles were going or what they were doing in Canterbury in the first place but some suggested that they could be used for future training or may be part of a redeployment of troops to Iraq, considering the latest chaos in that country.

The Department of Defense press office did not return an email requesting comment about the trains and military vehicles on Wednesday.