The other day, for the first time in a long while, I stopped in Yarmouth ME, and decided to walk over by the track and the lovely historic depot building (now a bank branch, but retaining its character very nicely).
Right away I noticed that the tracks looked abandoned; they’re still there, but no sign that a train had been by anytime remotely recently. But the road crossing right there does still have signals and gates, and there is no Exempted sign for school buses.
I went to their website. You can see how the track map illustrates the route differently from Danville Junction (small yard and Pan AM interchange) south to Portland. Graphically that part looks kinda like just crossties. There is no map key.
Does that graphic representation mean “tracks are still there, but out of service?” Does it mean abandoned (I doubt this, because why would they put an abandoned line on their map?) Is this type of graphic a universally-accepted thing in the industry to denote whatever it in fact does mean?
I am wondering if it may mean “we could still go there, but it would require some repairs first, a special train, and a big bill.” I am virtually certain that all the track is intact all the way to Portland; but the bridge which crosses Back Cove inlet to get on to the more urban Portland peninsula is almost certainly not up to snuff.
(1) STB Discontinuance of Service FD-1117 (Since 2015, traces back to 2008)
(2) The line is owned by the state of Maine, SLR just operates it. (23-24 miles)
(3) There is only one shipper on the line B&G Foods (bean processor (baked beans[+o(], near Portland), and they have an OFA on record to assist with operating costs, but it appears they are not not shipping. Not on Gennessee & Wyoming’s current SDM pruning list.
NOT ABANDONED Waiting on better days (previously CN-Grand Trunk, currently Gennessee & Wyoming) or paper mills online to come back from the dead. Because of the Discontinuance, it is not embargoed in the conventional sense.
Really! What are they teaching kids in schools nowadays? I learned about maps and how to read them in grade school! We even had map drawing exercises in geography class!
Of course, that was back in the Pleistocene Era. [;)]
If you select “interactive map” at the page you have linked to, you will get a map that does not include the dotted portion.
Pan and zoom your view to the southern most tip of the remaining path solid line, and then switch to “satellite” view.
Notice there are tracks still in place…follow them south a short way to Danville, and you will notice the tracks you are following terminate abruptly, but there is one remaining switchleg that connects to an opposed line that has traffic visible still on it.
You can follow that line all the way to Portland and not see much railroad worthy business until you get to Deering Junction.
Curiously, you will find a couple stretches along the way where railroad ties have been set along the track.
I have no idea if these are new ties for replacement, or older “store in place” removals from a bygone removal of the second main.
I am very familiar with the line from Portland to Danville Junction. In the greater Portland area, I cross the SLR tracks every few days somewhere. I just didn’t notice until this recent Yarmouth stop that the rails were so rusty. I was surprised, particularly because our boat is moored pretty close to that line, and from the mooring I’m used to occasionally hearing a train blow for crossings. I am virtually certain I heard at least one train in 2019. (If not, then 2018 at the latest.) I think I may have heard one this past summer, even. I’m wondering if those could have been special trains of some type. A work train gathering up usable stuff? For many, many years, there was one train each way coming by there. The chances of me being on the boat, on the mooring, at the right time are pretty slim, because usually going to the mooring means we are soon away and sailing. So when I do hear one it gets my attention.
I am almost certain the tracks are still intact down to the B&M bean plant mentioned above. Just nearby is the old roundhouse, now a half-round office building; the DMV is there, and I recently got my license renewed there. I also used to use a photo lab in the roundhouse.
But after that is the bridge I mentioned above, going to the urban peninsula. I don’t know for absolute sure that the bridge is not servicable, but it looks like hell, and in practical terms it’s a bridge to nowhere. Where that bridge lands is now all the Maine Narrow Gauge. The MNG follows the old Grand Trunk ROW down to the Portland waterfront. There used to be a small yard at the Grand Trunk HQ building there (it still stands: https://www.portlandlandmarks.org/grand-trunk-railroad-office-building).
The tracks are now gone, but they used to run right down the center of Commercial St. Interchange used to happen in Portland between GT and MEC. I have a pic or two of the street running, which I’ll try
Maybe that means tackage rights over Pan Am to Portland. Dunno. That map is not detailed enough to know for sure whether that part represents SLR’s inactive stretch, or if it means Pan Am. (both go through or (Pan Am) very near Yarmouth, and both go to Portland.
Not sure why they’d need trackage rights to Portland on Pan Am, though, because they can interchange at Danville Junction. Once you get to Portland, the only RR you can intechange with there is Pan Am. But maybe it’s related to how the money is split up.
The more I look at that map, the more I now think zug is right about trackage rights.
If you look at the stretch between Yarmouth and Portland, the route arcs inland somewhat, instead of paralleling I-295. That looks more like Pan Am (formerly MEC). The SLR (formerly GT) runs almost exactly parallel to I-295. That’s why I can/could hear trains from our mooring, which is pretty much halfway between Yarmouth and Portland, in Falmouth Foreside.
Can someone explain to me why SLR would use trackage rights over SLR. While in Portland, I have seen lots of Pan Am trains heading north and south, between Rigby Yard and points north. I have never once seen SLR units leading a train, or anywhere in the engine consist.
Until this discussion, I have thought that all SLR-PAR interchange happened at Danville Junction, period.
Bizarre - FRA record shows PanAm/Springfield Terminal/Portland Terminal is sole user of the operating track (No trackage rights to SLR) and SLR’s track is listed as unknown (UNK) ownership…STB website is silent on any trackage rights for SLR (G&W) over ST/PanAm/PT…nothing mentioned about trackage rights in CN/GTW sale to Emons/SLR 1989-1998
Well, that “detailed map” does show it as trackage rights, according to the legend. But that came as a big surprise to me.
There is a small yard at Danville Junction. I’m wondering if, say, SLR had a unit train, or a very large block of cars for interchange, maybe there are physical constraints making it very awkward and time consuming to interchange there. Maybe it’s easier on everyone to just have the SLR train continue on to Rigby.
Now, why the FRA wouldn’t be aware of this … I know nothing about such things.
Don’t know the realities of the locations you are describing.
Back in the day - Chessie System (B&O) interchanged with ConRail (former PRR & PC) at Bayview in Baltimore. In the middle 1970’s coal started to move to Curtis Bay Coal Pier from origins on ConRail. The loads were actually given to the B&O at CR’s Mount Vernon yard near the B&O’s North Avenue Tower. The empties were taken from Curtis Bay and placed on the B&O/CR connection at East Aikin - Mt.Vernon and E.Aikin could handle intact trains - the actual interchange tracks at Bayview could not. Bayview remained the Official Interchange location
Just being honest, but I looked at the “detailed map” even before I posted my comment about the interactive map…and suspected pretty much the same thing as you.
But, realizing that there always seems to be a clique around here just waiting for someone to stick their neck out, so they can step on it…I kept my suspicion to myself.
Then, when you posted the same observation, I was more than happy to give you the spotlight, as well as the attendant crosshairs on your back that come along with it. [:o)]
Does it? I think the “dashed line” refers to that part of the SLQ in Canada where it shows them using the CN. Those dashes are different from the SLR portion.
I think that part of the SLR as mentioned before means out of service.