Info on Portland (Maine) Terminal Railroad

Model Railroader Prototype information for the modeler
1

I’m researching the Portland Terminal Railroad and am finding only a small amount of information via Google and the web. Does anyone know of sources of information about it? I’m particularly interested in it’s operations on Commercial Street and nearby during and after World War II.

I’m going to be in Boston in Oct. 2006 and might be able to make a side trip to Portland. In the meantime, Utah is a long way from Maine.

Thanks,
Mark

2

Hi Mark,

First let me say, welcome to the forum!

I can help a little bit, but you’re right, information on ops in Maine is kind of scetchy. There is a site that is really dedicated to the Grand Trunk RR that has some decent old maps of the portland area on line. They don’t say a lot about ops (they do have some timetables though), but the maps can be helpful. The site is;

http://www.sullboat.com/GT.htm#Plans

Hope this helps at least a little.

Maybe somebody else can piece some of the rest of this together for you.

3

Hi Mark - I am the creator of the above website…the best map I have is at http://www.sullboat.com/Portland%20rail%20map.jpg . This is a Portland Terminal map - the pink ROW is the PT. The folks at the 470 Club would be your best resource (and they have an online forum): http://www.470rrclub.org/
Tim

4

And there you have it.

5

Thanks for the suggestions. I had not come across either of the sites.

Mark

6

A very good article about the locomotives of the Portland Terminal Railroad is in the May/June 2004 issue of Diesel Era magazine.

Chris

7

Mark, I would be happy to help you piece it the info together. I grew up in Portland in the late 70’s and early 80’s. Both my grandfather and father worked for the MEC in the HQ on St. John St. I was in Portland on Saturday and was down on Commercial street, about 1/3 of the track is still visable under the first part of Commerical St.

Josh in NH
Modeling the MEC mountain division cir 1976