One more fallen flag?

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

As of this week the main yard of the Belfast & Moosehead Lake RR has been dismantled. The yard tracks are comming up as you read this and the Armstrong turntable (vintage 1870) has been removed and the pit filled in. This WAS one of the oldest operating railroads in the country, until recently.

In June, 2005, the venerable 125-old short line was evicted after defaulting on its lease on the City owned waterfront property which had been continuously occupied by the railroad’s main yard since construction began on the line in 1868. The road’s 33-mile grade across Mid-Coast Maine’s Waldo County from Belfast to the Maine Central’s main line at Burnham Junction was originally tracked during construction (1868-70) with 56lb iron “pear” rail imported by ship from Wales to Belfast harbor. That was eventually upgraded by the MEC (which operated the B&ML under lease as its Belfast Branch from1871 to December 31, 1925) with 67lb rail and finally with the 75lb steel rails being hauled away here all of which are branded as having been rolled by Lackawanna Iron & Steel Co. between 1890 and 1906.

Some parts of the railroad survive, but this was the main yard at the end of the line and the main reason for it’s being.

The road has currently 1 operating steam loco (BML 4-6-0 #1149), 1 diesel (BML#52, a General Electric B-B 140/140, 600HP Cooper-Bessemer powered 70-ton yard switcher purchased new by the B&ML in May, 1951), about a dozen vintage heavyweight passenger cars (all operable), some MOW equipment (including a Russel plow), and various vintage boxcars and the like.

As my grandfather was a conductor on this road, combined with the fact that I visit it regularly, and it’s the road that I modeled my fictional line after, this is indeed a sad time.

Please add one more name to the list of fallen flags. [:(][:(][:(][:(][:(]

2

And thus, another great railroad is to disappear into the history books.[:(]

~[8]~ TrainFreak409 ~[8]~

3

That is just plain sad.

4

One would think that it would have been saved for its historical value alone, let alone the fact that it was operational!

5

I agree! It is amazing how long it was operating.

6

That casts a shadow over an otherwise bright day. I do hope you were able to photographically document the line while the track was still in place. We have let so much get away from us by waiting until it’s too late. It is only through the photographic record that we can revisit these treasures. There is a video of a milk run on the B&ML that is classic shortline steam era railroading, snow and all.
Keep a stiff upper lip.
Ernie C

7

Well,sort lines needs customers to survive apparently this road had very few customers.Still its sad to hear of a old short line shutting down operations.

8

[V][xx(]
To bad it wasn’t saved like the Sumpter Valley or the Cass Scenic Railroad. It just takes money; somebody should start a charity to try to save old roads for historical purposes. Buy the land and equipment from the railroad and restore it as a tourist railroad.
James[C):-)]

9

Fortunately there are a lot of pics on the web because of its historical significance.

The B & ML has survived since the late 80’s as a tourist road mostly. It was saved from the brink of death by a fellow railfan. He revitalized the line and ran it until Feb. of this year. The new owners are the ones who defaulted on the payments and sent it into foreclosure.

Too bad.

I’ll post a good link tommorrow for anyone interested.

Gotta go now.

10

Another brick of America’s foundation crumbles away.
SAD. [:(]

REX

11

This is from the Associated Press;

City terminates lease with Belfast & Moosehead Lake Railroad
February 2, 2005

BELFAST, Maine --The Belfast & Moosehead Lake Railroad excursion line will continue operating despite having its lease on the city waterfront terminated for failing to make rental payments on time, the line’s operations manager said.

The City Council voted 4-0 Tuesday night to end its lease with Railstar Corp., the operator of the excursion railroad.

Operations manager Paul Hallett implored the council to let the railroad keep operating. He said the late payments were the result of a technical glitch, and that the railroad is an important tourism draw to the region.

Holding up a plastic bag full of ticket stubs, Hallett told council members that the railroad last year had 3,873 ticketed passengers come through Belfast.

“I want to be clear that these tickets were sold here in Belfast,” he said. “These are the people who came to this city because of the railroad, but they ate in the restaurants, bought gifts in the gift shops, pumped gas at the gas stations and stayed at the motels.”

On Wednesday, Hallett said the the council’s action will take away the station and the final leg of track. Still, he said, the railroad will continue to operate out of Unity this spring and make other arrangements in Belfast.

“What they’ve done is take the last two-tenths of a miles of track away from us,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean we’re out of business.”

Mayor Michael Hurley said Wednesday that the late lease payments were the “last straw” that led to the council’s vote to terminate the lease. He said city officials have been patient as railroad ridership plunged and the owners failed to show they had a long-term plan to right the business.

More important, he said, is that the railroad occupies prime waterfront property. As the city tries to reinvigorate its waterfront, the land could

12

Here’s one link;

http://cprr.org/Museum/BMLRR/

13

Well crumb. I had just discovered the railroad last summer and had planned to stop by on a trip to Canada this year and photograph it. I guess that is a side trip I won’t need to make. To much history to save, not enough money, and really not enough time.

Their web site is gone too… But the link from the “Central Pacific” site is still there:
http://www.cprr.org/Museum/BMLRR/

Edited- [:I] Oops! while I was fishing around for the references the previous poster beat me to it… [#ditto]

More edit-
I just wrote a note to the Mayor, Chamber of Commerce, and City Manager that I would now NOT be visiting their city - EVER.

14

You can stiil go to Unity, ME and see almost all of the rolling stock, including the steam loco, and the other turntable. It’s still there as far as I know.

I might have my uncle stop by to make sure. He lives near there.

15

If you want to express an opinion to those who should really hear about it, here is a link to the Belfast, ME Chamber of Commerce: http://www.belfastmaine.org/

I just did…[;)]

16

bejeebeers, we buy model locos around those prices now, what the tarnation is wrong here…

I coulda shot some money there and take up a collection and saved the day…

what a bunch of crock…

647 bucks…

17

That’s really to bad, it just goes to show that the contracter who got the job for the waterfront rehabilitation, was obviously greesing some palms. Rob

18

More important, he said, is that the railroad occupies prime waterfront property. As the city tries to reinvigorate its waterfront, the land could be better used for other purposes, he said.
Why am I not surprised, if you follow the news the constitution breaking land grab was waterfront property; here we have the money is an easy excuse to take the land and use it to generate more tax revenue. At least that what I think.
James[C):-)]

19

mmm, more shops, more tax money, more money to city, more money to vote us a raise…

pad pockets indeed…

anyone up to voting the current council out?

20

Unfortunately by then it will be to late.