Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-08-09
A QUAINT RAILROAD.
The Monson Narrow Gauge Road is
Appreciated By All.
Only Eight Miles Long, But Is Valuable
as Connecting Link.

The cutest little railroad in Maine is
| that which connects the town of Mon
| son, Piscataquis county, with the out
| side world. 1t is but eight miles long,
and is a constant grade from one sta
ton to the other. there being but two,
and they at terminal points. The road
runs from Monson to Monsoon Junction
| on the Bangor & Aroostook railroad
and it's trains, which are always wait
| ing at the last named point on the ar
| rival of the trains of the B. & A., never
fail to attract the attention of the
passengers bound to and from Ban
gor.
The Monson railroad is narrow
gauge road, the width of the track be-
ing exactly "a inches from rail to rail
and it is equipped with tiny locomo-
tives and freight cars and one combi-
| nation passenger and baggage car that
is scarcely larger than the ordinary
closed car of a street railroad, is decid-
edly unique.
1t was in 1888 that the road was con-
structed and since then, while it has
never paid a dividend, it has been of
the greatest benefit to the town of
Monson and the trips that it has
missed have been very few, indeed.
In the town of Monsoon are located
some of the best slate euarries to be
found anywhere. and the product Of
them has worldwide reputation. Pre-
vious to the building of the road this
slate had to be carted down to one of
the stations on the, then, Bangor G
Piscataquis railroad with horse and OK
ffN-,f 1T
method of transportation. When the
road was completed this was changed.
the slate could be loaded upon the cars
of the railroad, hustling, busting lit
tie "bulgine,' as some of the natives
now call it, would hook on and drag
them down to Monsoon junction, where
the slate would be transferred to one
of the bigger cars of the 3. &, p. and
the cost would be less than half what
the old way was.
But the benefits to the quarries did
mt stop here. They wanted to use coal
in the donkey engines, used for hoist
ing and under the boilers that furnish
ed steam for other purposes, and to
haul it up the great Piscataquis hills
and mountains with horses and oxen
was altogether too expensive a job.
The railroad, however, made it possible
for coal to be transported in this way
at q very small cost per ton, and SO,
though the road has not proven
money-maker itself it has been great
help to the business interests of the
town.
AS already stated, the road is eight
miles from terminal to terminal, and is
4 10 oil ha ha f,cf
miles out of Monson Junction the track
rises 313 feet, or more than 100 feet to
the mile. The rest of the way is not so
steep a grade, but still there is a climb
all the way up to Monson. Coming
back, of course, tine grade is all favor
able. but this makes it necessary for
the trainmen to keep a careful lookout
upon the brakes of the train and see
that the movements of the train are
under absolute control all the time.
The equipment of the road consists
of two locomotives. one a wood burner
the other coal burner. Neither of
| them has a tender. the fuel being stored
| in the rear of the cab, while the water
tank forms the back wall of that part
| of the machine. The engineer and fire
man have no seat in the cab, being
ICfceu 10 Stdiu up WHeil ellSdSeu
| running. 1t has 16 freight cars, box
and flats, and the aforementioned
combination baggage and passenger
| car.
| The officers Of the company owning
| the road are H. A. Whiting, president:
j. F. Kimball, treasurer and general
manager and w. l.. Estabrooke, SUI
perintendent.
| Mr. Estabrooke is also general
freight and passenger agent, train dis
| pateher general baggage master, road
master, superintendent of construction,
station agent at Monson, conductor.
baggage master, express messenger
and mail clerk on the train. He is
! good-nat ured and accommodating,
| and bears his honOrS with becoming
modesty, and is a man who has the alb
solute confidence of the people of Mon
son, who have been having dealings
with him for the past IS years and
have never yet found him wanting in
enc single thing that goes to make the
honest, reliable man, so much liked
and priced in every community.