Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-05-10
STATE HOUSE
Dexter's Train Service.

The Public Utilities Commission
Wednesday rendered decision in the
matter Of the complaints made by the
Dexter Chamber of Commerce and
others and the Corinna Manufacturing
Company and others against the Maine
Central Railroad Company, ordering
that the Maine Central Railroad Com
pany cancel its present winter sched-
ule for train No. SS, Dover and Fox
croft, to Newport Junction and oper-
ate said train on a schedule leaving
Dover and Foxcroft not earlier than
2.55 p. NJ, said change to become eff
fective May Is, 1917, and notice
thereof posted in all stations on the
Foxcroft branch not later than May
10. 1917.
The decision of the Public Utilities
Commission covering the matter says
in part:
These two complaints were docket
ed and heard as one. The former is
supported by business and profess
sional men of Dexter and the latter by
those of Corinna. They allege that
the passenger express and mail SER
vice of the Maine Central Railroad
! Company on the Dexter or Foxcroft,
| III duClI, DetWecH NS"pOTt dHO
Foxcroft. is inadequate.
specifically, the Dexter COM
piainants state that no western mail,
nor express, nor passenger service can
| be had on any day after the 1875 af-
ternoon train out of Dexter, that our
morning mail is frequently not dis
tributed until 10 o'clock or 1890
O'clock, making but a few brief hours
that besides our local banks, many
local manufactures, our five wooden
mills, the Fay & Scott plant and other
lines our rural service and ice cream
and milk shipments from our several
creameries along the line, and meat
and poultry shipments, are all grossly
handicapped and delayed by the pres
ent wretchedly inadequate and inef-
| ficient service.
THE Corinna complaint differs only
in minor details of local application.
THE complaints contain this specific
prayer fer relief:
That they ask an additional train
on said branch as in former years, not
recent, leaving FoXcroft at about s
O'clock connecting at Newport with
No. % from Boston, and No. 2, the
regular night train out of Bangor
But if this late train should be
deemed inexpedient by the honorable
commission, they ask for the former
three trains a-day arrangement. run
on this line for years until about a year
ago.
| Twenty five or more years ago and
for some years before that, an evening
! train similar to that now asked for was
run over this branch. This service
was discontinued at least 25 years ago
and for some years during a later
| perIod-the evidence is not full as to
| dates-three passenger trains per day
were run out and in over the branch,
summer and winter. These trains
| made connection with the early morn
ing trains over the main line, the
early afternoon and the late afternoon
trains, but did not connect with the
| evening main line train.
AT the first hearing it was sug-
gestcd by the compliments that the
freight crew leaving FoXcroft daily in
the morning might take the early pas
senger tain down and back before be-
ginning their freight run, thus en-
aiding tie regular passenger crew to
/ begin their day later. 1t was con-
cedcd II the @econd hearing that this
! was imp!actiCablc.
The crew running opposite, Water
vile to FoXcroft crew runs from
FoxcTolt to W2teryille, the other from
WateTvillo 10 F'oxcroft, alternating
daily-this crcv. is scheduled to leave
| Watervile at 9.25 A. NJ The engine
crew goes on duty at S35 A. M, and
the train crew at SIS. They will have
completed an eight hour day at ABS
and 4.55 p. NJ. respectively.
ITO make the passenger run re-
! quested in this complaint they must
! finish their work with the freight train
by 6 Z. NJ. and prepare for the other
run. The train sheets show that they
arrived at Foxcroft on the freight later
than o'clock twice in October. 1915,
twice in November twice in December.
10 times in January. 16 times in Feb
I f@i1ry IL times in March. These
i;IEGtd from few minutes late to
hours "cVeTal times, after 10 =. M.
I I'hC. operated the snow pillow. which
explained the extreme lateness on
1 some days.
assuming that the freight arrivals
were made early enough to take the
/ p2Ssci:reG train by throwing more of
the switching at intermediate stations
! Onto other freight trains-which the
| respondent says is impossible-th
trains with which it is desired to con-
meet at Newport Junction. Nos IS
and :. are scheduled to pass at SAC
and 9.07 Z. NJ, respectively. The re-
turn trip to Foxcroft could be expected
to start before 9.15 P. NJ. at the
earliest. The arrival would not be
earlier than 1915 p. M. The crew
which made it would be on duty at
least IA hours-and this would be
every other day. the two crews alter
mating.
1T is clear that the freight arrivals
arc not sufficiently uniform to make
this arrangement reliable and that the
, hours OF service necessary to accom-
pllsh this plan would be unreasonable