Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-06-03


lows:
Name. Miles.
Androscoggin r. r. &c
Androscoggin & Kennebec, --.., So
Atlantic & st. Lawrence, 149
Bangor, Oldtown & Milford, ~
Boston & Maine, "a 2G-10O
Calais & Barring. 6
kennebec & Portland, 1874
Machiasport. 7,a
PenobscOt & Kennebec, "a 2-10
Portland, SacO e Portsmouth 81 I-3
Portland 6 oxford Central, 18
Somerset & Kennebcc. 80
Great Falls & South Berwick, G
OF these the last named was discon-
tinued in 1856, though it's rails We're
still down and the commissioners in
cluded it in their report. The PenOb-
scot & Kennebec, Kennebec & Port
land, AndrOscoggin & Kennebec and
the AndrOscOggin are all now q part
and parcel of the great Maine Central
system and have lost their original
names. though occasionally one of the
old PenobscOt < Kennebec baggage
checks will be seen along the line of
the road, but this is very infrequent
The Calais & Barring is now known as
the Princeton branch of the Washing
ton County Railroad. !"
The Bangor, Oldtown & Milford Ions
since went out of existence, although
its road bed is still in existence and is
used to 4 considerablesextent, especial
ly between Bangor and OldtOwn as q
n 10Th, It'll
utilized as bicycle path by the Nj
ben club. of Bangor, when it erected
its fine club house on the shores Of
Pushaw lake Il few years ago and con-
structed path to it. This road was
the first one built in Maine, being con-
Structed in 1886. The original rails
We're heavy timbers upon which iron
straps We're placed. In; those days TIE
trains were all equipped with heavy
hammers and spikes for mailing down
these straps, which frequently worked
loose. Track walkers, too. were
equipped in the same manner. The
first locomotive used on this road was
brought from England and it was used
with great care. 1t is related by old
residents of Bangor that so careful was
cars of lumber or other freight which
had to be moved about the railroad
yard horses or men We're used But it
may have been that one of the reasons
Tor using horses for switching pur-
poses was the fact that at that time To-
comotives were not equipped with re-
versing apparatus.
This road was generally known as the
Veazie Railroad, because General
Veazie. Of Bangor, was the promoter
and largest owner
The Machiasport railroad carried no
passengers, being used for the trans
portation of lumber.
By comparing certain figures from the
report of 1857 with those taken from the
report for 1908 a very comprehensive
idea of the great change which has
taken place in Maine railrOading in the
past half century can be obtained. At
that time the heaviest rail used in the
State was 60 pounds to the yard and the
lightest sc pounds, rails of today will
average about IS pounds to the yard,
while along the main lines of the Maine
Central and the Bangor & Aroostook a
90 pound rail is used.
In all the Maine railroads owned a
total of 126 locomotives and 1889 cars of
all descriptions. Last year the Maine
Central railroad alone owned 172
locomotives and 1854 cars. Then the
speed of the passenger trains was from
% to 26 miles an hour and that of
freights from IL to II. Nowadays the
passenger trains that do less than 80
miles are slow and most freights run at
a speed Of 20 miles, including stops.
By the returns made to the railroad
commissioners for the year ending
June GOTH, 1908 the Maine Central
carried for the twelve months which
had elapsed. 3.0S3.604 passengers and
the railroads of the State had carried
6,993, 046 at an average rate of fare of
2.O5 cents mile. The passengers
carried in 1857 by the roads of the
State. as shown by the commissioners
report for that year was much smaller
the total being 522179. Of these the
Portland, Saco & Portsmouth carried
233 $50. The fare on the different roads
ranged from 1 1-3 to 312 cents per mile.
During the year 1857 there were three
persons killed and II injured on the
railroads. OF these five were employees
of the road.
It was only for few years that the
annual reports of the commissioners
took the form of single sheet printed
on one side, then they We're made up in
phamplet form and contained much
more matter. 1t was not until 1891 that
the report became of size ANYTHING
like what II now Is.