Portland Terminal Company

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Portland Terminal Company
PortlandTerminalCompanyMap.png
Map of the Portland Terminal Company and connecting lines, circa 1960
Overview
Headquarters Portland, Maine
Reporting mark PTM
Locale Maine
Dates of operation1911–1981
Successor Guilford Transportation Industries
Technical
Track gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge

The Portland Terminal Company( reporting mark PTM) was a terminal railroad notable for its control of switching (shunting) activity for the Maine Central Railroad (MEC) and Boston & Maine (B&M) railroads in the Maine cities of Portland, South Portland, and Westbrook.

Contents

History

The Maine Central Railroad (MEC) came under the control of the Boston & Maine Railroad (B&M) in 1884. The New Haven Railroad secured control of the B&M in 1907, and the Portland Terminal Company was formed in 1911 as part of the New Haven's consolidation of New England transportation facilities. Portland Terminal Company became a subsidiary of MEC while B&M was in financial difficulty in 1914. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

PTM's activities were vital to Portland's role as a winter seaport receiving Canadian products from the Grand Trunk Railway for export to Europe. Shipping from Portland declined sharply as Canadian exports were routed via the Maritime ports of Saint John, New Brunswick and Halifax, Nova Scotia following nationalization of the Grand Trunk in 1923. Exports from Portland declined from 600,000 short tons (536,000 long tons ; 544,000  t ) per year in the early 1920s to 21,000 short tons (18,700 long tons; 19,100 t) per year during the worst year of the following depression. In the decade following World War II, PTM operated on 40 miles (64 km) of main lines and branch tracks, 84 miles (135 km) of yard tracks, and 18 miles (29 km) of industry-owned tracks. PTM was acquired by Guilford Transportation Industries in 1981, [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] and continues as CSX Corporation

Geography

Portland occupies an Atlantic coast peninsula between Back Cove to the north and the Fore River estuary to the south. The peninsula is protected from North Atlantic swells by the islands of Casco Bay. Back Cove was too shallow for 20th century ocean commerce. Portland Harbor is the seaward portion of the Fore River estuary. [15]

South Portland occupies the southern shore of the Fore River estuary.

Westbrook is inland of Portland where the pre-railroad Cumberland and Oxford Canal provided transportation for mills using water power of the Presumpscot River.

Grand Trunk Railway from Montreal entered Portland from the north via a long trestle over the mouth of Back Cove. The Grand Trunk yard and wharves occupied the seaward end of the Portland Harbor waterfront along the north shore of the Fore River estuary. This line became the Berlin Subdivision of the Canadian National Railway when the Grand Trunk was nationalized in 1923. Access to the Portland waterfront ended when the Back Cove trestle burned in 1984; and the line to Montreal was sold to a short line operator in 1989. [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21]

Maine Central Railroad Portland Division from Bangor, Maine, entered Portland from the north inland of Back Cove. [22]

Maine Central Railroad Mountain Division from St. Johnsbury, Vermont, entered Westbrook from the northwest paralleling the old canal along the Presumpscot River. The Mountain Division was abandoned in 1983. [8] [12] [23] [24]

Boston and Maine Railroad Worcester, Nashua and Portland Division from Rochester, New Hampshire, entered Westbrook from the west. The Boston & Maine discontinued passenger service in 1932 and through-freight service in 1934. The line operated as the Sanford and Eastern Railroad from 1949 until abandonment in 1961. [25] [26] [27] [28]

Boston and Maine Railroad Portland Division Eastern Route from Boston entered South Portland from the south, and was dismantled in 1945. [29]

Boston and Maine Railroad Portland Division Western Route from Boston entered South Portland from the south.

PTM HH600 #1004 working in Yard 5 during the summer of 1968. PTM1004.jpg
PTM HH600 #1004 working in Yard 5 during the summer of 1968.

Union Station had eastern and western yards along the Boston to Bangor main line between Rigby Yard and Yard 11. The PTM assembled trains in these yards and added mail and express cars to through trains. Following a 1933 joint operating agreement between the Maine Central and the Boston & Maine, passenger trains from Bangor and points east to Boston or Worcester, Massachusetts, and points south ran through Union Station with pooled equipment like the Gull and the Flying Yankee . Other Maine Central and Boston & Maine passenger trains originated or terminated at Union Station. Grand Trunk trains originated or terminated about 2 miles (3.2 km) east of Union Station without using Union Station. Union Station was razed in 1961. [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] [37] [38] [39] [40] [41] [42] [43] [44] [45] [46] [ excessive citations ]

Portland Terminal Company working on Commercial Street (Yard 2) in the summer of 1968. The recently applied yellow nose was the third paint scheme for high-hood switcher #1003. The white triangle peeking out from behind the yellow is a remnant of the second paint scheme -- horizontal white and red nose stripes on the pattern of ALCO RS-2 demonstrator #1500. Boston and Maine Railroad bought the demonstrator, kept the number, and adopted the paint scheme (shared with Maine Central Railroad and PTM) for yard locomotives. PTM1003.jpg
Portland Terminal Company working on Commercial Street (Yard 2) in the summer of 1968. The recently applied yellow nose was the third paint scheme for high-hood switcher #1003. The white triangle peeking out from behind the yellow is a remnant of the second paint scheme -- horizontal white and red nose stripes on the pattern of ALCO RS-2 demonstrator #1500. Boston and Maine Railroad bought the demonstrator, kept the number, and adopted the paint scheme (shared with Maine Central Railroad and PTM) for yard locomotives.

Yard 1 served PTM Wharf 1 on the Portland Harbor waterfront along the north shore of the Fore River estuary upstream of Yard 2 and downstream of yard 8. Wharf 1 had water frontage of 1,000 feet (300 m) and included a 100,000-square-foot (9,300 m2) warehouse for handling package cargo interchanged with ships of up to 30-foot (9.1 m) draught. [6]

Yard 2 served Portland Harbor waterfront wharves along the north shore of the Fore River estuary upstream of the Grand Trunk wharves and downstream of Wharf 1. Yard 2 became the local interchange with the Grand Trunk Railway after 1947. [54] [55] [56] [57] [58] [59] [ excessive citations ]

Yard 3 along the original Boston & Maine eastern route served the South Portland waterfront of the Fore River estuary including PTM Wharf 4, the New England Shipbuilding Corporation and the Portland-Montreal Pipe Line terminal. [60]

Yard 4 team tracks and less-than-carload (LCL) transfer facilities inland of Yard 1 and Yard 2. [61]

Yard 5 car storage inland of Yard 8. [61]

Yard 6 served petroleum bulk plants in South Portland north of Rigby Yard. [37] [62]

Yard 7 served distribution warehouses and light industries along the south shore of Back Cove. Yard 7 was the interchange with the Grand Trunk Railway until the Portland Junction connection was severed during construction of a highway bridge over the mouth of Back Cove in 1947. [29] [56]

Portland Terminal Company boxcar #51 in china clay service at Portland, Maine Yard 8 in the summer of 1968 Ptm51.jpg
Portland Terminal Company boxcar #51 in china clay service at Portland, Maine Yard 8 in the summer of 1968

Yard 8 served PTM Wharf 3 on the Portland Harbor waterfront along the north shore of the Fore River estuary upstream of Yard 1. Wharf 3 had water frontage of 1,500 feet (460 m) designed for handling bulk commodities from ships and barges of up to 30-foot (9.1 m) draught. PTM #1601-1800 30-foot USRA hopper cars carried coal from this wharf to local industries. The wharf included a storage shed for 4000 tons of china clay transported to the Westbrook paper mill in PTM box cars. Maine Central 35000-series USRA 50-ton, 40-foot (12 m), single-sheathed box cars were repainted PTM #2001-2150 in 1956. Maine Central 4000-series 40-foot (12 m) steel box cars were repainted PTM #50-54 in 1966. Wharf 3 was closed about 1970. Yard 8 included the first piggyback ramp served by the Maine Central Railroad. [6] [47] [63] [64] [65]

Yard 9 was the old Fore River Yard on the Mountain Division adjacent to the north shore of the Fore River estuary upstream of the dredged channel. Rigby Yard was enlarged to eliminate most activity in Yard 9. [66]

Yard 10 served PTM's Thompson Point shops adjacent to the Mountain Division upstream of Yard 9. Thompson Point shops built 49 flat cars, 40 box cars, 3 cabooses, a baggage-RPO and a RPO-smoking car for the 2-foot (0.61 m) gauge Bridgton and Saco River Railroad and Sandy River and Rangeley Lakes Railroad between 1912 and 1917. [67] [68] [69] [70] [71]

Yard 11 served large grocery distribution warehouses at Deering Junction where the Boston & Maine WN&P division joined the Maine Central main line to Bangor. [72]

Yard 12 served the city of Westbrook including the S. D. Warren Paper Mill. 7,500 carloads originated or terminated in Westbrook in 1973. [73]

Rigby Yard (Yard 13) was built in 1922 on the former site of Rigby Park at the South Portland junction of the eastern and western routes of Boston & Maine's Portland division. Rigby became the busiest New England rail yard north of Boston as car storage and locomotive servicing facilities were eliminated from older yards in Portland. Maine Central and Boston & Maine freight trains originated or terminated in Rigby Yard. Yard 12 became the interchange point for Sanford and Eastern trains. [11] [25] [60] [74] [75] [76] [77] [78] [ excessive citations ]

Blue Rock Quarry was on the Mountain Division between Westbrook and Portland. Bethlehem Steel delivered 70-ton, 40-foot PTM hopper cars #101-150 in 1956 to replace the old USRA hoppers for coal loading. These cars were used for ballast service as heating oil minimized coal demand. Cars #101-122 were fitted with side extensions for off-line wood-chip loading on the Maine Central Railroad. [79]

Locomotives

NumberBuilderTypeDateWorks numberNotes
702 Baldwin Locomotive Works 4-6-4193061371ex-Maine Central Railroad #702 acquired 1950 for use as a snow-melter [80] Scrap 1955
801 ALCO Manchester 0-6-0190226346ex-Maine Central Railroad #180 [81] Scrap 1923
802 ALCO Manchester 0-6-0190226347ex-Maine Central Railroad #181 [81] Scrap 1924
803 Schenectady Locomotive Works 0-6-019005565ex-Maine Central Railroad #175 [81] Scrap 1929
804 Manchester Locomotive Works 0-6-018991712ex-Boston and Maine Railroad #161 [81] Scrap 1929
805 Baldwin Locomotive Works 0-6-0190321454ex-Boston and Maine Railroad #192 [81] Scrap 1929
806 Baldwin Locomotive Works 0-6-0190321515ex-Boston and Maine Railroad #194 [81] Scrap 1929
807 ALCO Brooks 0-6-0190430327ex-Maine Central Railroad #183 [82] Scrap 1939
808 ALCO Brooks 0-6-0190430328ex-Maine Central Railroad #184 [81] [83] Scrap 1936
809 ALCO Manchester 0-6-0190640580ex-Maine Central Railroad #185 [81] Scrap 1936
810 ALCO Manchester 0-6-0190640581ex-Maine Central Railroad #186 [81] Scrap 1937
811 ALCO Manchester 0-6-0190640582ex-Maine Central Railroad #187 [81] Scrap 1939
820 ALCO Manchester 0-6-0190946340ex-Boston and Maine Railroad #288 [84] Scrap 1936
821 ALCO Schenectady 0-6-0191049203ex-Maine Central Railroad #165 [84] Scrap 1945
822 ALCO Schenectady 0-6-0191049204ex-Maine Central Railroad #166 [84] Sold 1943 to Todd-Bath Shipyard
824 ALCO Manchester 0-6-0191250737Scrap 1944
825 ALCO Manchester 0-6-0191250738Scrap 1947
826 ALCO Manchester 0-6-0191250739Scrap 1946
827 ALCO Manchester 0-6-0191250740Scrap 1945
828 [85] ALCO Schenectady 0-6-0191352987Scrap 1950
829 [86] ALCO Schenectady 0-6-0191352988Scrap 1950
830 ALCO Schenectady 0-6-0191757579sold to Boston and Maine Railroad [86] in 1951
831 ALCO Schenectady 0-6-0191757580sold to Boston and Maine Railroad [2] [86] in 1951
832 ALCO Schenectady 0-6-0191859867sold to Boston and Maine Railroad [86] [87] in 1951
833 ALCO Schenectady 0-6-0191859868Scrap 1951
834 ALCO Schenectady 0-6-0192062202sold to Boston and Maine Railroad [86] [87] in 1951
835 [88] ALCO Schenectady 0-6-0192062203Scrap 1950
850 Portland Company 4-4-01887545ex-Maine Central Railroad #64 Scrap 1917
850 Rhode Island Locomotive Works 4-4-018851546ex-Maine Central Railroad #55 [89] Purchased 1917. Scrap 1928
851 ALCO Schenectady 0-8-0191656566ex-Boston and Maine Railroad #600 [90] Scrap 1951
852 ALCO Schenectady 0-8-0191656567ex-Boston and Maine Railroad #601 [90] Scrap 1951
1001 ALCO HH600 193668730scrapped 1961 [15] [52] [91] [92] [93] [94] [95]
1002 ALCO HH600 193668731scrapped 1967 [52] [91] [96] [97] [98]
1003 ALCO HH600 193668732scrapped 1969 [49] [52] [91] [92] [99] [100] [101] [102]
1004 ALCO HH600 193869071scrapped 1973 [52] [91] [92] [95] [97] [103] [104] [105] [106]
1005 ALCO S-1 194169494scrapped 1977 [52] [61] [91] [92] [97]
1006 ALCO S-1 194573083sold 1976 to GE [91] [92] [107] [108]
1007 ALCO S-1 194977111scrapped 1984 [53] [56] [91] [109] [110] [111]
1008 ALCO S-1 194977112sold 1981 to North Stratford Railroad [53] [59] [91] [111] [112] [113] [114]
1051 ALCO S-2 194169565scrapped 1982 [26] [91] [103] [115] [116]
1052 ALCO S-2 194370244sold 1982 to Bay Colony Railroad [60] [91] [115] [117]
1053 ALCO S-2 194673902retired 1980 [91] [115]
1054 ALCO S-2 194976596scrapped 1984 [91] [111] [118]
1055 ALCO S-4 195078416sold 1981 to Conway Scenic Railroad, and sold in 2010 to the Downeast Scenic Railroad [91] [111] [119] [120] [121] [122] [123] [72]
1056 ALCO S-4 195078417retired 1982 [111] [124]
1057 ALCO S-4 195078418scrapped 1982 [91] [111] [125]
1058 ALCO S-4 195078419sold 1982 to Bay Colony Railroad [91] [111] [123] [126]
1061 ALCO S-4 195078235ex-Delaware and Hudson Railroad #3041 purchased 1967 sold 1983 to Bay Colony Railroad [91] [127] [128] [129] [130]
1062 ALCO S-4 195078239ex-Delaware and Hudson Railroad #3045 purchased 1967 sold 1981 to Fore River Railroad [91] [129] [131] [132]
1063 ALCO S-4 195078406ex-Delaware and Hudson Railroad #3047 purchased 1968 sold 1983 to Bay Colony Railroad [91] [122] [126] [129] [130] [131]
1081 EMD GP7 195013533Used as a Boston and Maine Railroad mileage equalizer on Boston commuter trains until renumbered Maine Central Railroad #581 in 1956 [129] [133] [134] [135] [136] [137]
1082 ALCO RS-11 195681917renumbered Maine Central Railroad #802 in 1956 [129] [138] [139] [140] [141] [142] [143] [144]
1101 ALCO S-3 195078393ex-Greater Portland Public Development Commission #661 acquired in 1958 and was the last locomotive to wear PTM paint when sold in 1988. [56] [87] [136] [137] [145] [146] [147]

References

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Johnson 1985 p.89
  2. 1 2 Johnson undated p.65
  3. ↑ Plant & Melvin 1998 p.3
  4. ↑ Plant & Melvin 1999 pp.3 & 50
  5. ↑ Marson & Jennison 1999 pp.20 & 22
  6. 1 2 3 C.S.Hammond & Co. Map
  7. ↑ Hastings 1978 p.4
  8. 1 2 Johnson 1985 p.113
  9. ↑ Holt 1986 p.12
  10. ↑ Hartley 1989 p.26
  11. 1 2 Plant & Melvin 1998 p.4
  12. 1 2 Plant & Melvin 1999 p.5
  13. ↑ Marson & Jennison 1999 p.31
  14. ↑ Sweetland 2000 pp.68-70
  15. 1 2 Sweetland 1989 p.87
  16. ↑ Holt 1986 pp.8,12,38-39,64-65,72-73,87,89,95,100 & 140-141
  17. ↑ Melvin 2007 pp.8 & 12-22
  18. ↑ Marson & Jennison 1999 pp.31-35
  19. ↑ Sweetland 1989 p.86 & 90
  20. ↑ Johnson 1985 pp.12-13 & 115
  21. ↑ Albert & Melvin 1975 p.56
  22. ↑ Marson & Jennison 1999 p.9
  23. ↑ Hartley 1989 p.33
  24. ↑ Plant & Melvin 1998 pp.3-4
  25. 1 2 Albert & Melvin 1975 p.63
  26. 1 2 Plant & Melvin 1998 p.15
  27. ↑ Johnson 1985 pp.111-112
  28. ↑ Marson & Jennison 1999 pp.7 & 36-37
  29. 1 2 Johnson 1985 p.112
  30. ↑ Albert & Melvin 1975 pp.6,40,56-58,61 & 153
  31. ↑ Plant & Melvin 1999 pp.4,8-11,24-25,29,56-58 & 60
  32. ↑ Melvin 2007 pp.10-11
  33. ↑ Robertson 1977 pp.48-49 & 85
  34. ↑ Robertson 1978 pp.64-65 & 92
  35. ↑ Robertson 1980 pp.4,11,29,35,53,60 & 63
  36. ↑ Hastings 1978 p.5
  37. 1 2 470 Railroad Club 1981 p.1
  38. ↑ Hartley 1984 p.31
  39. ↑ Johnson 1985 pp.12,111-112,125,127 & 134
  40. ↑ Johnson undated p.267
  41. ↑ Holt 1986 pp.102-103,108 & 123
  42. ↑ Sweetland 1989 pp.1,3,79,91-92,108-111 & 116-117
  43. ↑ Sweetland & Horsley 1994 pp.77,79 & 83
  44. ↑ Sweetland 2000 pp.11 & 75
  45. ↑ Jones 1991 pp.82-84 & 89
  46. ↑ Marson & Jennison 1999 pp.48-49,75 & 77
  47. 1 2 Albert & Melvin 1975 p.58
  48. ↑ Robertson 1978 p.82
  49. 1 2 Robertson 1980 p.5
  50. ↑ Hartley 1984 pp.25 & 33
  51. ↑ Sweetland 1989 pp.6 & 77
  52. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Sweetland 2000 p.76
  53. 1 2 3 Marson & Jennison 1999 p.48
  54. ↑ Hartley 1984 p.50
  55. ↑ Cook 1988 p.108
  56. 1 2 3 4 Plant & Melvin 1998 p.14
  57. ↑ Plant & Melvin 1999 p.54
  58. ↑ Marson & Jennison 1999 pp.32 & 48
  59. 1 2 470 Railroad Club 1981 p.10
  60. 1 2 3 Plant & Melvin 1999 p.50
  61. 1 2 3 Plant & Melvin 1999 p.55
  62. ↑ Plant & Melvin 1999 pp.52 & 54
  63. ↑ Plant & Melvin 1999 p.53
  64. ↑ Hartley 1984 p.28
  65. ↑ Sweetland & Horsley 1994 pp.7 & 42
  66. ↑ Johnson undated p.269
  67. ↑ Crittenden 1966 pp.199 & 201
  68. ↑ Meade 1968 p.56
  69. ↑ Jones 1980 pp.355,363,375 & 387
  70. ↑ Jones 1993 pp.83 & 222-223
  71. ↑ Plant & Melvin 1999 p.56
  72. 1 2 470 Railroad Club 1981 p.9
  73. ↑ The Secretary of Transportation 1974.
  74. ↑ Marson & Jennison 1999 pp.1,7,19-21 & 37
  75. ↑ Robertson 1980 pp.28 & 38-39
  76. ↑ 470 Railroad Club 1981 pp.5-8
  77. ↑ Hartley 1984 pp.32 & 34
  78. ↑ Johnson 1985 p.125
  79. ↑ Sweetland & Horsley 1994 pp.47 & 52
  80. ↑ Robertson 1977 pp.57,64 & 65
  81. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Robertson 1977 p.61
  82. ↑ Robertson 1977 pp.60 & 61
  83. ↑ Robertson 1980 p.49
  84. 1 2 3 Robertson 1977 p.63
  85. ↑ Robertson 1977 p.92
  86. 1 2 3 4 5 Plant & Melvin 1999 p.11
  87. 1 2 3 Johnson 1985 p.126
  88. ↑ Robertson 1977 p.62
  89. ↑ Robertson 1977 pp.6 & 65
  90. 1 2 Robertson 1977 p.65
  91. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Cheney, et al. p.23
  92. 1 2 3 4 5 Robertson 1978 p.81
  93. ↑ Albert & Melvin 1975 pp.6 & 59
  94. ↑ Plant & Melvin 1999 pp.8 & 51
  95. 1 2 Marson & Jennison 1999 p.49
  96. ↑ Robertson 1978 pp.81 & 82
  97. 1 2 3 Albert & Melvin 1975 p.6
  98. ↑ Plant & Melvin 1999 pp.8 & 54
  99. ↑ Albert & Melvin 1975 pp.6 & 58
  100. ↑ Plant & Melvin 1998 p.11
  101. ↑ Plant & Melvin 1999 pp.8 & 53
  102. ↑ 470 Railroad Club 1981 p.7
  103. 1 2 Hartley 1984 p.5
  104. ↑ Plant & Melvin 1999 pp.8-9
  105. ↑ Jones 1991 p.91
  106. ↑ Cook 1988 p.106
  107. ↑ Albert & Melvin 1975 pp.7 & 61
  108. ↑ Plant & Melvin 1999 pp.53 & 56
  109. ↑ Robertson 1978 pp.81 & 83
  110. ↑ Hartley 1984 p.35
  111. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Albert & Melvin 1975 p.8
  112. ↑ Robertson 1980 p.23
  113. ↑ Hartley 1984 pp.28,34 & 67
  114. ↑ Plant & Melvin 1999 pp.50 & 55
  115. 1 2 3 Albert & Melvin 1975 p.7
  116. ↑ Sweetland 1989 p.92
  117. ↑ Hartley 1984 pp.35 & 66
  118. ↑ Robertson 1978 p.86
  119. ↑ Robertson 1978 p.87
  120. ↑ Hartley 1984 pp.34,64 & 67
  121. ↑ Plant & Melvin 1998 pp.15-16
  122. 1 2 Marson & Jennison 1999 p.22
  123. 1 2 Cook 1988 p.107
  124. ↑ Plant & Melvin 1999 p.51
  125. ↑ Hartley 1984 p.34
  126. 1 2 Hartley 1984 p.66
  127. ↑ Robertson 1978 pp.85 & 89
  128. ↑ Hartley 1984 pp.32,35,64 & 66
  129. 1 2 3 4 5 Plant & Melvin 1998 p.5
  130. 1 2 Johnson undated p.191
  131. 1 2 Robertson 1978 pp.85 & 88-89
  132. ↑ Hartley 1984 p.67
  133. ↑ Sweetland 1989 p.84 & 94-95
  134. ↑ Albert & Melvin 1975 pp.8,60 & 133
  135. ↑ Robertson 1978 pp.49 & 52
  136. 1 2 Hartley 1984 p.33
  137. 1 2 Cook 1988 p.127
  138. ↑ Robertson 1978 pp.66 & 69
  139. ↑ Hartley 1984 pp.31 & 33
  140. ↑ Albert & Melvin 1975 pp.9 & 60
  141. ↑ Sweetland 1989 p.93
  142. ↑ Sweetland 2000 p.83
  143. ↑ Plant & Melvin 1999 p.74
  144. ↑ Cook 1988 pp.87 & 127
  145. ↑ Hartley 1989 pp.100 & 108
  146. ↑ Robertson 1978 pp.85 & 90-91
  147. ↑ Cook 1988 pp.108-109
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