Maine Central Railroad
Reporting marks	MEC
Locale	central Maine with lines to New Brunswick, New Hampshire, Vermont and Quebec
Years of operation	1862 – 1981 (subsumed by GRS, continues as subsidiary in name only)
Track gauge	4 ft 8½ in (1,435 mm), 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) until 1871
Headquarters	Waterville, Maine

1923 map

The Maine Central Railroad was a railroad in central Maine. It was chartered in 1856 and began operations in 1862. It operated between Portland east to the Canada-U.S. border with New Brunswick, west to Vermont and north to Quebec. Image File history File links Maine Central Railroad logo or herald. ... The following are reporting marks assigned by the Association of American Railroads (AAR) to rail carriers operating in North America and the companies (railroads and rail equipment owners/operators) to which they were assigned. ... State nickname: The Pine Tree State Other U.S. States Capital Augusta Largest city Portland Governor John Baldacci (D) Official languages None Area 86,542 km² (39th)  - Land 80,005 km²  - Water 11,724 km² (13. ... Motto: Spem reduxit (Hope was restored) Other Canadian provinces and territories Capital Fredericton Largest city Saint John Lieutenant Governor Herménégilde Chiasson Premier Bernard Lord (PC) Area 72,908 km² (8th)  - Land 71,450 km²  - Water 1,458 km² (2. ... State nickname: The Granite State Other U.S. States Capital Concord Largest city Manchester Governor John Lynch (D) Official languages English Area 24,239 km² (46th)  - Land 23,249 km²  - Water 814 km² (3. ... State nickname: The Green Mountain State Other U.S. States Capital Montpelier Largest city Burlington Governor Jim Douglas (R) Official languages None Area 24,923 km² (45th)  - Land 23,974 km²  - Water 949 km² (3. ... During the early 1970s, a terrorist group known as the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) launched a decade of bombings, robberies and attacks on government offices. ... 1862 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1981 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Guilford Rail System (GRS) is a regional freight railroad covering northern New England from Calais, Maine to Albany, New York. ... Rail gauge is the distance between two rails of a railroad. ... A foot (plural: feet) is a non-SI unit of distance or length, measuring around a third of a metre. ... Mid-19th century tool for converting between different standards of the inch An inch is an Imperial and U.S. customary unit of length. ... A millimetre (American spelling: millimeter, symbol mm) is an SI unit of length that is equal to one thousandth of a metre. ... 1871 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Waterville is a city located in Kennebec County, Maine. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (954x1213, 456 KB) 1923 map of the Maine Central Railroad from [1]. Apparently from the 1923 Poors Manual. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (954x1213, 456 KB) 1923 map of the Maine Central Railroad from [1]. Apparently from the 1923 Poors Manual. ... 1923 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... State nickname: The Pine Tree State Other U.S. States Capital Augusta Largest city Portland Governor John Baldacci (D) Official languages None Area 86,542 km² (39th)  - Land 80,005 km²  - Water 11,724 km² (13. ... 1856 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1862 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Location in Maine Founded  -Incorporated 1786 {{{incorporated}}}  County Cumberland County Mayor Jill C. Duson Area  - Total  - Water 136. ... ... Motto: Spem reduxit (Hope was restored) Other Canadian provinces and territories Capital Fredericton Largest city Saint John Lieutenant Governor Herménégilde Chiasson Premier Bernard Lord (PC) Area 72,908 km² (8th)  - Land 71,450 km²  - Water 1,458 km² (2. ... State nickname: The Green Mountain State Other U.S. States Capital Montpelier Largest city Burlington Governor Jim Douglas (R) Official languages None Area 24,923 km² (45th)  - Land 23,974 km²  - Water 949 km² (3. ... During the early 1970s, a terrorist group known as the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) launched a decade of bombings, robberies and attacks on government offices. ...

Charter and creation

The Maine Central RR was created initially through the merger of the Androscoggin and Kennebec Railroad and the Penobscot and Kennebec Railroad, resulting in a line from Danville (northeast of Portland) to Bangor. The line connected with the Grand Trunk Railway on its Portland-Chicago mainline at Danville and with the Bangor and Piscataquis Railroad in Bangor. As a result of its connection with the Grand Trunk, the Maine Central was initially running with a track gauge of 5 ft 6 in (1676 mm). The Androscoggin and Kennebec Railroad (A&K) is a historic U.S. railroad which operated in Maine. ... The Penobscot and Kennebec Railroad (P&K) is a historic U.S. railroad which operated in Maine. ... Downtown Bangor, Maine Bangor is a city located in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. ... Grand Trunk Railway logo or herald The Grand Trunk Railway (GTR) was a historic railway system headquartered in Montreal, Quebec which operated in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario, as well as the U.S. states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. ... Rail gauge is the distance between two rails of a railroad. ...

Expansion

The Maine Central purchased the Portland and Kennebec Railroad which ran from Portland to Danville and was built to standard track gauge since it connected with the Boston and Maine Railroad at Portland. By 1871, the Maine Central completed its conversion to standard gauge to facilitate interchange of cars. The Boston & Maine (B&M) was the dominant railroad of the northern United States for a century. ...

In 1882, the Maine Central leased the European and North American Railway (E&NA) between Bangor and Vanceboro. 1882 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... The European and North American Railway (E&NA) is the name for three historic Canadian and American railways which were built in New Brunswick and Maine. ... Vanceboro is a town located in Washington County, Maine. ...

In 1888, the Maine Central purchased the Portland and Ogdensburg Railroad which ran from Portland through the White Mountains through Crawford Notch, New Hampshire and into St. Johnsbury, Vermont where it connected with the Southeastern Railway (owned by Canadian Pacific Railway). The railroad also purchased several narrow gauge branch lines used for the logging industry, such as the Sandy River and Rangeley Lakes Railroad in 1911 and the Bridgeton and Saco River in 1912. 1888 is a leap year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar). ... map The Portland and Ogdensburg Railroad was a railroad planned to connect Portland, Maine to Ogdensburg, New York. ... This article is about the White Mountains of New Hampshire. ... St. ... The Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR; AAR reporting marks CP, CPAA, CPI), known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a Canadian Class I railway operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited. ... Rail gauge is the distance between two rails of a railroad. ... The Sandy River and Rangeley Lakes Railroad operated approximately 132 miles (212 km) of 2 foot (610 mm) gauge railroad in Franklin County, Maine, USA. Categories: Rail stubs | Narrow gauge railways ... 1911 was a common year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar). ... 1912 is a leap year starting on Monday. ...

In 1889 the Canadian Pacific Railway purchased trackage rights from Maine Central on the portion of the former E&NA from Mattawamkeag to Vanceboro. This Maine Central trackage formed part of the CPR's Montreal-Saint John mainline, upon completion of the International Railway of Maine. This line was an important rail route for Canadian war materiel heading to the port of Saint John for shipment overseas to Europe and in the months before the United States entered the war, a German sabateur attempted to blow up the railway bridge which crossed the St. Croix River at the International Boundary. 1889 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR; AAR reporting marks CP, CPAA, CPI), known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a Canadian Class I railway operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited. ... Mattawamkeag is a town located in Penobscot County, Maine. ... This article needs cleanup. ... Saint John is the largest city in the province of New Brunswick and the oldest incorporated city in Canada. ... The International Railway of Maine was a historic railroad operating between Megantic, Quebec and Mattawamkeag, Maine. ... The St. ... ...

The Maine Central also built a line southeast from Bangor along the coast through Machias to Calais with branches to Bar Harbor and Eastport. Machias is a town located in Washington County, Maine. ... Calais is a city in the state of Maine in the United States on the St. ... Bar Harbor, Maine, it the name of two places in Maine Bar Harbor, census-designated place Bar Harbor a larger town This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Eastport is a city located in Washington County, Maine. ...

The Maine Central was at its height by 1917 when it became nationalized during World War One, having trackage which extended over 1358 miles. It ran from Vanceboro, Calais and Eastport in the east, to Portland in the south, St. Johnsbury in the west, and to Lime Ridge, Quebec in the north. It also operated resorts and coastal steamships and ferries. 1917 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Nationalization is the act of taking assets into state ownership. ... Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ... Vanceboro is a town located in Washington County, Maine. ... Calais is a city in the state of Maine in the United States on the St. ... Eastport is a city located in Washington County, Maine. ... St. ...

Retraction

Following World War One, Maine Central began retracting. It sold or abandoned lines such as the narrow gauge logging systems, as well as its ferries and steamships. In the 1930s it began to change its locomotives from steam powered to diesel powered. Beginning in 1933, the Maine Central entered into a "joint management" agreement with the Boston and Maine Railroad, with which it shared the Portland Terminal Railroad (a switching railroad in Portland). // Events and trends The 1930s were spent struggling for a solution to the global depression. ... In physical chemistry and in engineering, steam refers to vaporized water. ... Diesel fuel is a specific distillate fraction of fuel oil that is used in a diesel engine invented by German engineer Rudolf Diesel, and perfected by Charles F. Kettering. ... 1933 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Boston & Maine (B&M) was the dominant railroad of the northern United States for a century. ...

In 1955, Maine Central completed a purchase of the E&NA line from Bangor to Vanceboro which it had leased in 1882. The deal consisted of $125 per share or $3,114,500 payable in cash or bonds at the election of the E&NA shareholders. 1955 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1882 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

Faced with increased competition from cars, trucks and buses, Maine Central Railroad operated its last passenger train on September 5, 1960 and continued to reduce its freight business to reflect changing traffic. On December 17, 1974 Maine Central sold its trackage between Mattawamkeag and Vanceboro to Canadian Pacific for $5.4 million while retaining trackage rights from CPR over the section of line. September 5 is the 248th day of the year (249th in leap years). ... 1960 was a leap year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... December 17 is the 351st day of the year (352nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1974 is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ...

Guilford

In 1980, the railroad was purchased by U.S. Filter Corporation and was then sold in 1981 to Guilford Transportation Industries, which also purchased the Boston and Maine Railroad. Initially Guilford operated the system intact, although the system now permitted run-through traffic between central Maine and Boston. By the mid-1980s, Guilford began to rationalize its system and fully one-third of Maine Central's trackage was eliminated, including: the "Mountain Division" from Portland to St. Johnsbury, Vermont; the "Rockland Branch" from Brunswick to Rockland, the "Calais Branch" from Bangor to Calais, and the "Lower Road" from Augusta to Brunswick. Guilford also forced many management and salary changes, resulting in a major strike against the company in 1986. 1980 is a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... 1981 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Guilford Rail is a freight railroad network that covers most of northern New England. ... The Boston & Maine (B&M) was the dominant railroad of the northern United States for a century. ... Nickname: Beantown, The Hub (of the Universe), Athens of America Location in Massachusetts Founded  -Incorporated September 17, 1630 1820, as a city  County Suffolk County Mayor Thomas Menino (Dem) Area  - Total  - Water 232. ... Brunswick is a town located in Cumberland County, Maine. ... Rockland is a city located in Knox County, Maine. ... Location in Maine Founded  -Incorporated  1754  {{{incorporated}}} County  Kennebec County Mayor  William E. Dowling Area  - Total  - Water  150. ... Brunswick is a town located in Cumberland County, Maine. ... 1986 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

One of the instigating factors which led to the labour strife at Guilford relates to a corporate reorganization at one of the company's former Maine Central properties. After the Calais Branch was abandoned, a small portion of trackage between Calais and Woodland remained in service to a pulp mill. It was joined to the rest of the North American rail network through a connection with the Canadian Pacific Railway at St. Stephen, New Brunswick and operated through New Brunswick territory for several miles between Calais and Woodland. Guilford renamed this operation "Springfield Terminal" and reorganized it to avoid union agreements that the rest of the rail system was forced to follow. Eventually, the corporate reorganization under Springfield Terminal would extend to the full extent of Guilford operations. Woodland is the name of some places in the U.S. state of Maine: Woodland, Aroostook County, Maine Woodland, Washington County, Maine This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... An International Paper mill in South Carolina The global pulp and paper industry is dominated by North American (United States, Canada), northern European (Sweden, Finland) and East Asian countries (such as Japan). ... The Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR; AAR reporting marks CP, CPAA, CPI), known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a Canadian Class I railway operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited. ... St. ...

The former Maine Central locomotive shops in Waterville continue as Guilford's main repair shops. Other traditions of Maine Central have continued into the 1990s and 2000s, although Guilford and its subsidiary Springfield Terminal now dominate in the painting of locomotives. Waterville is a city located in Kennebec County, Maine. ...

On November 1, 2003 the Morristown & Erie Railway took over the former Maine Central "Lower Road" (main line) and Rockland branch routes (aided by significant public funding from the state government). Other groups are seeking to have the Calais Branch and Mountain Division routes reactivated for use by short line or tourist rail operations. November 1 is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 60 days remaining. ... 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Morristown and Erie Railway (M&E) is a freight short line based in Morristown, New Jersey. ...

Mainline

The Guilford Rail System's Maine Central Railroad comes into the state of Maine in South Berwick, through the town's southwest corner. The line continues northeast through North Berwick, Wells, the Kennebunks, Arundel, Biddeford, Saco, and Scarborough, before coming to Rigby Yard in South Portland. The line continues north through Portland, where there is many a railroad crossing, before continuing through Falmouth, Cumberland, and just after entering Yarmouth, there is the Royal Junction. At this junction, there becomes two lines, a mainline and a branch-line. After crossing under Route 115 in Yarmouth, the main-line continues into North Yarmouth where the line temporarily becomes a double-track. After this, the track continues north to (only some of the towns are included) New Gloucester, Auburn (Danville Jct., Lewiston, Leeds Jct., Readfield, Belgrade, Waterville, Pittsfield) and the line ends in Bangor.

Branch Line

The branch line, after splitting off the mainline at Royal Junction, continues through the center of Yarmouth, before meeting the St. Lawrence&Atlantic Railroad (ex-Grand Trunk) at Yarmouth Junction. The tracks meet at a 90 degree angle, and then the branch line continues through Freeport, where the line crosses under U.S. Highway 1. After going through the center of Freeport, the line ends in Brunswick, where the line becomes the Maine Coast Railroad. Grand Trunk Railway logo or herald The Grand Trunk Railway (GTR) was a historic railway system headquartered in Montreal, Quebec which operated in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario, as well as the U.S. states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. ... United States Highway 1 is a United States highway which parallels the east coast of the United States. ...

Red states show the core of New England, the regions cultural influence may cover a greater or lesser area than shown. ... // Events and trends The 1930s were spent struggling for a solution to the global depression. ... The Bangor and Aroostook Railroad or BAR is a defunct United States railroad company, that formerly operated lines in northern Maine. ... The Boston and Albany Railroad ( AAR reporting mark BA) was a railroad connecting Boston, Massachusetts to Albany, New York. ... The New York Central Railroad, known simply as the New York Central in its publicity and with the AAR reporting mark of NYC, was a railroad operating in the North-Eastern United States. ... The Boston & Maine (B&M) was the dominant railroad of the northern United States for a century. ... The Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR; AAR reporting marks CP, CPAA, CPI), known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a Canadian Class I railway operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited. ... 1879 map The Central Vermont Railway (AAR reporting mark CV) was a railroad that operated in the New England states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, [New York], as well as the Canadian province of Quebec. ... Missing image Canadian National Railways logo or herald (used pre-1960) Missing image Network Map of Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway (CN; AAR reporting marks CN, CNA, CNIS), known as Canadian National Railways (CNR) between 1918 and 1960, and Canadian National/Canadien National (CN) from 1960 to present... Grand Trunk Railway logo or herald The Grand Trunk Railway (GTR) was a historic railway system headquartered in Montreal, Quebec which operated in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario, as well as the U.S. states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. ... Missing image Canadian National Railways logo or herald (used pre-1960) Missing image Network Map of Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway (CN; AAR reporting marks CN, CNA, CNIS), known as Canadian National Railways (CNR) between 1918 and 1960, and Canadian National/Canadien National (CN) from 1960 to present... The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad (AAR reporting mark NH) was a railroad that operated in the northeast United States. ... The Rutland Railroad was a small railroad in the north-eastern United States, primarily in the state of Vermont but extending into the state of New York. ...