Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Maine Narrow Gauge Railroads
    Maine Narrow Gauge Railroads
    Maine Narrow Gauge Railroads
    Ebook169 pages41 minutes

    Maine Narrow Gauge Railroads

    By Robert L. MacDonald

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    The narrow gauge railroad arrived in the United States in the late nineteenth century. Based on the Welsh two-foot gauge, the American narrow gauge was expanded by railroad engineers to a three-foot gauge that became the standard track width for narrow gauge railroads in the United States. Maine, however, adopted the two-foot gauge that was developed by George E. Mansfield in Massachusetts. The narrow track width was ideally suited to the mountainous terrain, and the maneuverability of the trains proved highly beneficial to companies and passengers traveling to remote locations. The narrow gauge railroad served Maine for over fifty years until the early 1940s.

    Maine Narrow Gauge Railroads is a comprehensive pictorial record of the history of the narrow gauge railroad in Maine. From the one-hundred-twelve-mile Sandy River and Rangeley Lakes Railroad to the five-mile Kennebec Central, Maine Narrow Gauge Railroads features the toylike miniature trains of Maine as they appeared at different stages in their history. The Bridgton and Harrison Railroad, the Monson Railroad, and the Wiscasset, Waterville and Farmington Railway lines are documented within, as well as the current restoration projects that are under way.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateMay 7, 2003
    ISBN9781439628676
    Maine Narrow Gauge Railroads
    Author

    Robert L. MacDonald

    Robert L. MacDonald is a founding member and historian of the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Company and Museum and is a member of the collections committee. He is a retired sales representative for the Canadian National Railways in northern New England and a longtime member of the 470 Railroad Club. He has authored two books on narrow gauge railroads and is a feature writer for a publication on short-line railroads.

    Related to Maine Narrow Gauge Railroads

    Related ebooks

    Photography For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Rolling Stock

      May 18, 2023

      Rolling Stock
      1 min read

    • Article

      Castle Quay

      Jun 17, 2021

      Castle Quay
      7 min read

    • Article

      Hornby 'Turbomotives'

      Nov 2, 2023

      Hornby 'Turbomotives'
      5 min read

    • Article

      Mantles Wood

      Aug 11, 2022

      Mantles Wood
      8 min read

    • Article

      Haskell Narrow Gauge wagons

      Jun 15, 2023

      Haskell Narrow Gauge wagons
      2 min read

    • Article

      Detailing The New Hornby P2

      Nov 2, 2023

      Detailing The New Hornby P2
      1 min read

    • Article

      How To… Model Overgrowth

      Oct 7, 2021

      How To… Model Overgrowth
      8 min read

    • Article

      Modelling Weeds

      Jun 15, 2023

      Modelling Weeds
      2 min read

    • Article

      Camel Quay

      Dec 30, 2021

      Camel Quay
      6 min read

    • Article

      The Calder Vale Mineral Railway

      Feb 24, 2022

      The Calder Vale Mineral Railway
      11 min read

    • Article

      Main Line Diesel Pioneers

      Nov 12, 2019

      Main Line Diesel Pioneers
      7 min read

    • Article

      Cann River

      Jul 20, 2021

      Cann River
      8 min read

    • Article

      The DOBLE Dynasty

      Jul 9, 2021

      The DOBLE Dynasty
      3 min read

    • Article

      New Zealand Bush Tractors

      Jun 7, 2022

      New Zealand Bush Tractors
      11 min read

    • Article

      Newton Heath

      May 18, 2023

      Newton Heath
      5 min read

    • Article

      A-z Of Steam Vehicles

      Feb 24, 2023

      A-z Of Steam Vehicles
      6 min read

    • Article

      Bsa M20

      Nov 26, 2018

      Bsa M20
      9 min read

    • Article

      The Age Of Electricity

      Aug 4, 2021

      The Age Of Electricity
      3 min read

    • Article

      The Ideas Man

      Sep 1, 2021

      The Ideas Man
      10 min read

    • Article

      Modelling Water

      Sep 7, 2023

      Modelling Water
      1 min read

    • Article

      1966 Bsa Lightning

      Nov 25, 2019

      1966 Bsa Lightning
      3 min read

    • Article

      History Of Steam Shovels

      Jan 15, 2021

      History Of Steam Shovels
      8 min read

    • Article

      Wiring A Layout For Dcc

      Feb 23, 2023

      In my January 2023 article, we looked at how to wire turnouts for DCC, but what about the rest of the layout? DCC is 'two wires', right? Yes, in its simplest form and for smaller layouts, this might be all that is needed. Connect the Command Station/

      6 min read

    • Article

      Book Review

      Nov 3, 2021

      Second edition Author: Barry M. Jones Published by: Barry M. Jones, Unit 2, Rustic Crafts Workshop, Bixley Lane, Beckley, Rye, East Sussex TN3 6TH (First published by Panther Publishing Ltd.) Email: bjrustic@aol.com www.brenelltape.co.uk Softback,1

      2 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Maine Narrow Gauge Railroads

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Maine Narrow Gauge Railroads - Robert L. MacDonald

      heritage.

      INTRODUCTION

      Track gauges (the distance between rails), established for the movement of railway equipment over various track routes, may be as varied as their geographical locations. As to what may be recognized as standard, between broad and narrow, is relative to what is most commonly used in a particular locality. In North America, the earliest railroads were usually patterned after those in the United Kingdom. Especially in Wales, the necessity to move minerals in wagons from mines to ports for reshipment by water resulted in the application of iron tracks for ease of movement in the early years of the 19th century. Prior to this, the wagons followed ruts in the roads, reputed to have been established centuries earlier by Roman chariots. These rut-spaced wheels ultimately became the standard for most railroad construction in Great Britain. Since the earliest locomotives used in North America were of British manufacture, the gauge of four feet eight and one-half inches also became an American standard.

      Because of the exceptionally rugged terrain in the western part of Wales, where slate mining flourished, a greater flexibility was needed, which was provided by a much smaller gauge of a mere 60 centimeters (approximately two feet). One such pioneer narrow gauge was the Festiniog Railway between Portmadoc and Blaenau Festiniog. Originally, wagons were gravity propelled downhill with outbound ladings and were horse drawn light on the return upward movement to the mines. After the Festiniog became steam operated in the late 1860s, passenger service was introduced. At that time, the efficiencies realized of using narrow gauge on the Festiniog gained worldwide attention from potential builders of short lines in areas that larger systems had bypassed. After the American Civil War, the explosion of railroad construction in America excluded many isolated localities, which led to widespread interest in use of narrower gauges.

      Most American railroad promoters and engineers, after visiting the Festiniog and observing the advantages of narrow gauge over standard, adopted a three-foot gauge as most practical, rather than the two-foot gauge. One such American promoter, George E. Mansfield, from Massachusetts, thought otherwise. He was the first to develop a two-foot-gauge system for American railroads. With his pioneer Billerica & Bedford Railroad of Massachusetts was introduced an entirely new concept of narrowness for common carrier railroad use. The standards developed for his two-foot-gauge experiment were found practical for the times and continued to be used for over 50 years at several locations in the state of Maine. Not until the spread of highway motor carriers in the 1920s and 1930s was the narrow gauge rendered virtually obsolete. However, the failure of his Billerica & Bedford Railroad came in just six months (between 1877 and 1878) as the result of impatient creditors not allowing enough time for business to develop. Its proven efficiencies, nevertheless, were not lost to interested visitors from Franklin County.

      The equipment became the initial rolling stock for a narrow-gauge Sandy River Railroad between Farmington and Phillips in 1879. This Sandy River was the first of nearly a dozen such lines in various parts of Maine—plus scores of others proposed. These were not just industrial operations (there were many of these) but were recognized common carriers, which conducted their business subject to the same supervision and regulations of their wider counterparts. They transported passengers, mail, express, and freight of all kinds.

      Between 1979 and 1943, the various Maine two-footers gradually succumbed to highway competition and were abandoned and dismantled. Unfortunately, they ended their days during the Great Depression, and little survived in way of equipment and rolling stock for the interest of posterity. However, thanks to a wealthy cranberry grower in South Carver, Massachusetts, Ellis D. Atwood, the preservation of remaining surviving Maine two-foot-gauge equipment became a possibility after 1941. Even while the salvage company was dismantling the 16-mile Bridgton & Harrison Railway in September 1941, Atwood made his move to purchase all the rolling stock for use on his cranberry plantation. Unfortunately, World War II prevented him from having his narrow-gauge treasures being transported. With the ending of hostilities in late 1945, Atwood began moving not only the Bridgton & Harrison equipment but also any other surviving two-foot-gauge relics he could acquire from different parts of Maine. Tragically, he died after an oil burner explosion in late 1950. His Edaville Railroad continued under different managements for many years until late 1991, when bankruptcy closed it down.

      The home-grown genre of Maine narrow-gauge preservationists had already been established long before the closing of the popular Edaville Railroad (which has since been revived and expanded as a continuing popular theme park). The Sandy River narrow gauge at Phillips and the Wiscasset & Quebec at Alna had already been revived on a section of their original roadbeds. Museums of Maine two-foot-gauge railroads were established for public inspection at Boothbay, Bridgton, and Monson. The most ambitious program for two-foot-gauge revival in Maine began in October 1992, when the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Company and Museum was formed. The initial inspiration came

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1