Calais Branch

Last updated
Calais Branch
Map

The Calais Branch is a mothballed railroad line in Maine that was operated by the Maine Central Railroad Company (MEC).

Contents

The Calais Branch is 127 miles (204 km) long and connects Brewer to Calais. It was constructed in 1898 and carried freight and passengers over the years. Passenger service was discontinued in 1957 and freight service was discontinued over the majority of the western end of the line in 1984. The line also includes a spur to Eastport which joins the Calais Branch at Ayers Junction.

History

The Calais Railway was chartered in 1832 as one of the first railway charters granted by the state of Maine. Construction started in 1835. The company was reorganized as the Calais Railroad in 1838 and opened a 2 miles (3.2 km) railway from Calais to Salmon Falls in 1839. Horses pulled cars over the railway until it was abandoned in 1841. The railway was re-activated and extended to Baring in 1852 as the Calais & Baring Railroad. Lewy's Island Railroad was chartered in 1854, [1] and extended the railway from Baring through New Brunswick to Princeton in 1857. The railway was reorganized as the Saint Croix & Penobscot Railroad (StC&P) in 1870. The Washington County Railroad was chartered in 1893 to take control of StC&P and connect it to MEC's Bar Harbor branch at Washington Junction. The Washington County Railroad was completed in 1898, and became the Calais branch in 1911 after MEC gained controlling stock interest in 1904. [2]

The Calais Branch was the longest of three MEC Eastern Division branches converging near Bangor. Trains leaving Bangor for Calais first traveled 31.5 miles (50.7 km) over the Bar Harbor branch. The Calais branch was considered to include the Bar Harbor branch after passenger service to Mount Desert Ferry was discontinued in 1937, and the first 1.2 miles (1.9 km) from Bangor to Brewer Junction have recently been considered part of the Bucksport branch. [3]

Route

Decline

The last passenger train from Bangor to Calais operated on 25 November 1957. [4] Diesel-era freight service often used ALCO RS-2s, RS-3s and RS-11s between Bangor and Calais. A GE 44-ton switcher working out of Calais over the light rail of the Eastport branch was believed to be the last use of that model locomotive in regularly scheduled freight service on a class I railroad until the Eastport branch was abandoned in 1978. [5] The paper mill at Woodland provided most of the traffic in the later years of operation. The mill originated or terminated over 6,000 carloads in 1973, while cumulative pulpwood and lumber loading at Ellsworth, Franklin, Cherryfield, Columbia Falls, Whitneyville, Machias, and Dennysville contributed less half that volume. [6]

Current

The Brewer–St. Croix Junction segment was abandoned in 1987 and later acquired by the Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT).

The Downeast Scenic Railroad leased the 30 mi (48 km) Brewer–Washington Junction segment in 2006 for operation as a heritage railway between Ellsworth and Green Lake. The Washington Junction–Ayers Junction segment was dismantled in 2011; its right of way is used for an interim rail trail, the Down East Sunrise Trail.

An isolated eastern section of the Calais Branch is in operation between St. Croix Junction and Milltown, where there is a connection with the New Brunswick Southern Railway at the Milltown Railway Bridge into Canada. At St. Croix Junction, the Woodland Spur continues northwest to Woodland, running through New Brunswick, Canada for several miles along the way. Together, these operable sections of the Calais Branch and the Woodland Spur measure 11.83 mi (19.04 km) in length.

The Woodland Spur is the only MEC trackage that crossed into New Brunswick. The spur was owned and operated by Pan Am Railways until being sold in 2012 to Woodland Rail; Woodland Rail has now contracted operation to New Brunswick Southern Railway.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calais, Maine</span> City in Maine, United States

Calais is a city in Washington County, Maine, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 3,079, making Calais the largest municipality by population in Washington County, but the third least-populous city in Maine. The city has three Canada–US border crossings over the St. Croix River connecting to St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington County, Maine</span> County in Maine, United States

Washington County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. As of the 2020 census, its population was 31,095, making it the third-least populous county in Maine. Its county seat is Machias. The county was established on June 25, 1789. It borders the Canadian province of New Brunswick. It is sometimes referred to as "Sunrise County" because it includes the easternmost point in the 48 contiguous United States. Claims have been made that Washington County is where the sun first rises on the 48 contiguous states. Many small seaside communities have small-scale fishing-based economies. Tourism is also important along the county's shoreline, but it is not as important as elsewhere in the state. The blueberry crop plays a major role in the county's economy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Croix River (Maine–New Brunswick)</span> River forming part of the US–Canada border

The St. Croix River is a river in northeastern North America, 71 miles (114 km) in length, that forms part of the Canada–United States border between Maine (U.S.) and New Brunswick (Canada). The river rises in the Chiputneticook Lakes and flows south and southeast, between Calais and St. Stephen. It discharges into Passamaquoddy Bay, in the Bay of Fundy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maine Central Railroad</span> Defunct American Class I railway

The Maine Central Railroad was a U. S. class 1 railroad in central and southern Maine. It was chartered in 1856 and began operations in 1862. By 1884, Maine Central was the longest railroad in New England. Maine Central had expanded to 1,358 miles (2,185 km) when the United States Railroad Administration assumed control in 1917. The main line extended from South Portland, Maine, east to the Canada–United States border with New Brunswick, and a Mountain Division extended west from Portland to St. Johnsbury, Vermont, and north into Quebec. The main line was double track from South Portland to Royal Junction, where it split into a "lower road" through Brunswick and Augusta and a "back road" through Lewiston, which converged at Waterville into single track to Bangor and points east. Branch lines served the industrial center of Rumford, a resort hotel on Moosehead Lake and coastal communities from Bath to Eastport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Railway of Maine</span>

The International Railway of Maine was a historic railroad constructed by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) between Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, and Mattawamkeag, Maine, closing a key gap in the railway's transcontinental main line to the port of Saint John, New Brunswick.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Brunswick Southern Railway</span> Canadian short line railway

The New Brunswick Southern Railway Company Limited is a 131.7 mi (212.0 km) Canadian short line railway owned by the New Brunswick Railway Company Limited, a holding company that is part of "Irving Transportation Services", a division within the industrial conglomerate J. D. Irving.

The European and North American Railway (E&NA) is the name for three historic Canadian and American railways which were built in New Brunswick and Maine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belfast and Moosehead Lake Railroad (1871–2007)</span>

The Belfast & Moosehead Lake Railroad was a standard-gauge shortline railroad that operated from 1871 to 2007 over a single-track grade from Belfast to Burnham Junction in Maine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Railroad history of Portland, Maine</span>

The railroad history of Portland, Maine, began in 1842 with the arrival of the Portland, Saco & Portsmouth Railroad (PS&P). Most of the rail activity in Portland concerned agricultural goods bound for export and European import freight. But Maine's largest city also enjoyed 125 years of continuous passenger rail service from 1842 until 1967, and has been served by Amtrak since 2001. For most of Portland's history, passenger train schedules were designed with intercity travel—to Boston, Montreal, Nova Scotia, and points west—rather than daily commuting.

The Maine Department of Transportation, also known as MaineDOT, is the office of state government charged with the regulation and maintenance of roads, rail, ferries, and other public transport infrastructure in the state of Maine. An exception is the Maine Turnpike, which is maintained by the Maine Turnpike Authority. MaineDOT reports on the adequacy of roads, highways, and bridges in Maine. It also monitors environmental factors that affect the motor public such as stormwater, ice/snow buildup on roads, and crashes with moose. MaineDOT was founded in 1972 and replaced the former Maine State Highway Commission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. Route 1 in Maine</span> State highway in eastern Maine, US

U.S. Route 1 (US 1) in the U.S. state of Maine is a major north–south section of the United States Numbered Highway System, serving the eastern part of the state. It parallels the Atlantic Ocean from New Hampshire north through Portland, Brunswick, and Belfast to Calais, and then the St. Croix River and the rest of the Canada–United States border via Houlton to Fort Kent. The portion along the ocean, known as the Coastal Route, provides a scenic alternate to Interstate 95 (I-95).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mountain Division</span> Former railroad line owned and operated by the Maine Central Railroad

The Mountain Division is a railroad line that was once owned and operated by the Maine Central Railroad (MEC). It stretches from Portland, Maine on the Atlantic Ocean, through the Western Maine Mountains and White Mountains of New Hampshire, ending at St. Johnsbury, Vermont in the Northeast Kingdom. The line was abandoned in 1983 by MEC's successor, Guilford Transportation Industries (GTI). Guilford retained a stub between Portland and Westbrook. A section in New Hampshire remains in use by heritage railway Conway Scenic Railroad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rumford Branch</span> Railroad line in Maine, US

The Maine Central Railroad Rumford Branch is a railroad line in Maine now operated as part of the CSX Transportation system. The Rumford Branch leaves the mainline at Leeds Junction and continues northwest up the Androscoggin River valley, passing through Livermore Falls and terminating at Rumford. The branch comprises the remaining trackage of three earlier branches:

The Bucksport Branch is a railroad line in Maine that was operated by the Maine Central Railroad. It is now part of the Pan Am Railways system.

The Eastern Maine Railway Company Limited is a 99.5 mi (160.1 km) U.S. short line railroad owned by the New Brunswick Railway Company, a holding company that is part of "Irving Transportation Services", a division within the industrial conglomerate J.D. Irving Limited.

The Downeast Scenic Railroad is a heritage railway in Ellsworth, Maine which is owned and operated by the Downeast Rail Heritage Trust, which is a 501(c)3 charitable organization founded in the fall of 2005. The railroad operates over the historic Calais Branch which was once part of the Maine Central Railroad. Operations are out of Washington Junction and runs west towards Brewer. The railroad inaugural run was Saturday, 24 July 2010, with invited guests on board. The first 4 miles (6.4 km) to Ellsworth Falls have been completed, but work continues on the line west of Ellsworth Falls from Ellsworth to Green Lake where the railroad plans to run excursion trains in the near future.

The Maine Northern Railway Company Limited is a 258 mi (415 km) U.S. and Canadian short line railroad owned by the New Brunswick Railway Company, a holding company that is part of "Irving Transportation Services", a division within the industrial conglomerate J.D. Irving Limited.

The lines of the Canadian Pacific Railway operated in the State of Maine were set up as a separate company to comply with Interstate Commerce Commission regulations and were considered a Class I U.S. railroad. The company operated 234 miles in Maine.

Woodland Rail, LLC is a non-carrier railroad company that owns an 11.83 mi (19.04 km) rail line located in the state of Maine and province of New Brunswick. It was formed in 2012 as a subsidiary company of Woodland Pulp, LLC, which owns and operates a pulp mill in the Woodland neighborhood of the town of Baileyville, Maine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maine Central Railroad main line</span> Railway line in the United States of America

The Maine Central Railroad Company main line extended from Portland, Maine, east to the Canada–US border with New Brunswick at the Saint Croix–Vanceboro Railway Bridge. It is the transportation artery linking Maine cities to the national railway network. Sections of the main line had been built by predecessor railroads consolidated as the Maine Central in 1862 and extended to the Canada–US border in 1882. Through the early 20th century, the main line was double track from South Portland to Royal Junction, where it split into a lower road through Brunswick and Augusta and a back road through Lewiston which converged at Waterville into single track to Bangor and points east. Westbound trains typically used the lower road with lighter grades, while eastbound trains of empty cars used the back road. This historical description does not include changes following purchase of the Maine Central Railroad by Guilford Transportation Industries in 1981 and subsequent operation as part of Pan Am Railways.

References

  1. ↑ Mielewczik, Michael; Jowett, Kelly; Moll, Janine (2019). "Beehives, Booze and Suffragettes: The "Sad Case" of Ellen S. Tupper (1822–1888), the "Bee Woman" and "Iowa Queen Bee"". Entomologie Heute. 31: 113–227. doi:10.13140/RG.2.2.34657.04962.
  2. ↑ Peters, Bradley L. (1976). Maine Central Railroad Company. Maine Central Railroad.
  3. 1 2 Maine Central Railroad (1917). Hand-Book of Officers, Agents, Stations and Sidings. Edwin B. Robertson.
  4. ↑ Johnson, Ron (1985). The Best of Maine Railroads. Portland Litho.
  5. ↑ The 470 Railroad Club (1981). Meet the Maine Central. KJ Printing.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. ↑ United States Department of Transportation (1974). Rail Service in the Midwest and Northeast Region. United States Government Printing Office.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.