Maine Central Questions

Model Railroader Prototype information for the modeler
1

Hi, Most Maine Central 4-6-0s looked fairly hefty, but I see that they inherited two small 4-6-0s with 54" driving wheels built by Burnham Williams in 1905 for the Somerset Railroad, Somerset #20 and #21, later MEC class G #106 and 107. I am wondering if anyone can point me to photos of either of these. Alternately, there were a pair with 55" drivers built for the Somerset in 1907 by ALCo Manchester, Somerset #22 + 23, later MEC #108 + 109. Basically I am wondering how close these were to the Spectrum Baldwin 52" driver 4-6-0.

I would also like to know where the MEC got its loco coal from, as I don’t see any coalfields in Maine and I am wondering what RR’s coal wagons might have turned up on MEC rails in the early 1900s.

I am thinking of doing a small layout based on Eastport, which I have just discovered and which I think was the easternmost railroad outpost in the US, as I have the Spectrum 4-4-0 pair for the MEC, #83 + 84, which look quite like their sisters’ photos http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=4360155, http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2501146 though I don’t know if they ever showed up at Eastport!

Grateful for any help,

Thanks,

Bill.

2

Most of the coal came via steamships and barges to the various ports in Maine. Loaded onto company cars for distribution to the railroad and to other customers.

3

https://sites.google.com/site/mainecentralrailroad/

Has pictures of 107, 109, 113 and 114.

Excellent source for MEC steam. He also has several sister sites that cover almost all of new england.

They arent even close (all of those had inside valve gear). The closest match to the Bachmann Low boiler/driver 4-6-0 is number 113 and 114. Both built for the Washington County RR. 114 lasted until 1947. The drivers are slightly different, so its a trade off between valve gear and drive wheels…

Swapping the 4 wheel pilot truck for a 2 wheel pilot truck might yield a plausible stand in for M class Mogul 247, which lasted until September 1946.

4

I personally have both the high and low driver versions. I was planning on using the low driver as a plausible 114 and the high driver version for an O-3 or O-4 class.

N class, because the model has slide valves. I wish Bachmann would produce the 2-6-0 with slide valves (most photos I have found showed slide valves on moguls) and the 4-6-0 with piston valves (many railroads had both slide valve and piston valve ten wheelers).

5

If your interested I have MEC Employee Timetable #17 effective 1201Am Sunday April 30, 1939.

Eastport Branch Stations: no scheduled trains listed in ETT (all trains run as extras):

Eastbound

Ayers Junction (MP 117.36 on Calais Branch) (MP 0) X,W,D

Pembroke (MP 3.45)

Perry (MP 8.69)

Pleasant Point (MP 11.03)

Quoddy (MP 13.06)

Eastport (MP 15.71) X,W,D

X= Yard limits

W= Water Station

D= Day Train order office

Westward trains superior to Eastward Trains.

Speed Restictions

Maximum (Both directions) Passneger/Freight 30mph/20mph

All Bridges (both directions) 15mph/15mph

Eastport: Middle, Key, High and Washington Streets 4mph/4mph

Heaviest Engines permitted: Class 60

Class 60 (O)359-390

Class 60 (K) 161-166

Class 45 (M) 246-248

Class 40 (N) 285 and 288

Class 35 (G) 114

Class 35 (H) 144-147 and 150

Reason for limitation: 60ft turtable at Eastport (per ETT largest engines permitted where small class O with short water tanks).

Tonnage rating by class (class 35 not listed on ETT in this section)

Class 60: 600 Tons

Class 45: 450 Tons

Class 40: 400 Tons

The class number correlating to the tonnage rating is a coincidence (example: class 40 is rated 1050 tons Bangor to Enfield).

Special Instructions:

All trains and engines in both directions must come to a full stop before crossing Middle, High, Key and Washington Streets, Eastport, and these crossings must be protec

6

A September 24, 1922 copy of the MEC Eastern Division ETT 30 showing scheduled 1st class trains is available here:

http://www.bmrrhs.org/on-lines-archives/

At bottom of page is Maine Central.

7

Thanks very much for that link, which has photos of both the Somerset 4-6-0 classes and the Washington County class you mention. I think i might go for the latter, as they lived on the Calais Branch and so are more likely to have turned up at Eastport.

8

Thanks very much for your info, especially about the 60-ft turntable at Eastport. That is 8.27 inches in HO. The Spectrum MEC Richmond 4-4-0s are 8-inches long with a 7-inch wheelbase, and the Baldwin low-boiler 4-6-0 is 8.5 inches long with a 7.5-inch wheelbase, so they are a good fit.

Best Regards,

Bill.

9

No problem

10

Steam Locomotive dot com has more some more info about the MEC Ten Wheelers.