Augusta Branch

Panam official map shows this branch (former lower road) still active. Is it?? If so, how frequently served to what remaining customers?? Thanks for any info.

I think they head down there from Waterville 2-3 times per week, with the biggest customer left being Blue Seal Feed. Not sure how much any of the other customers get service, but there's Cives Steel, a Scrap Metal yard and at least not too long ago there was an LPG dealer.

Yes it is still in fact very much alive. Formerly known as the "Augusta Lower Road" which ran from Waterville through Brunswick and then simply as the "Lower Road" from Brunswick to Royal Junction when it was all still owned and operated by the Maine Central. The only other possible customer would be PFG @ the former North Center Foods warehouse but I am unaware of them ever receiving by rail. The LPG dealer still is Suburban Propane. The Propane market in this area is highly competitive (unlike other areas where Suburban Propane enjoys near monopoly status) with most large energy dealers providing service. As such Suburban does not have the "niche" market here that is has elsewhere.

There was also a "Lewiston Lower Road" or "Lewiston Lower Branch" which ran from Brunswick and is now officially referred to by PAR as the "Lewiston Industrial Track" this line has an active thread in the PAR forum (Lewiston Industrial Track/Lewiston Lower Road/Branch). PAR recently reactivated freight service on the line after a hiatus of well over 20 years (quite possibly more). They are now serving the Grimmel's Industries scrap yard on a monthly basis when service is running. It is highly irregular, especially of late due to track work being done for the extension of Amtrak's Downeaster which will be going to Brunswick in 2012.

There is also an active thread in the New England Forum (Augusta Lower Road) that generally discusses the state owned portion which is from the bridgehead on the west side of the Kennebec River to Brunswick. PAR/GRS/MEC has not carried freight to the west side of Augusta since the early 1990's at the latest. There have been several state contracted operators of the line to include the former Maine Coast Railroad, Safe Handling Rail and now Maine Eastern Railroad. I have vague memories of trains running to Augusta in the late 1990s, possibly during the Maine Coast era. I do not know when the last freight ran on that line but it has almost certainly been at least 10 years now.

There are very likely changes in store for the future once the Downeaster reaches Brunswick. Reactivation of the line from Augusta heading to Brunswick has been described as a possibility numerous times by officials from the state contracted operator.

the irregular service to Grimmel's is not due to track work but due to them just not wanting cars... they went all winter without a switch remember.

newpylong wrote:the irregular service to Grimmel's is not due to track work but due to them just not wanting cars... they went all winter without a switch remember.

I was wondering about that. So that was deliberate on their part? I'm assuming some kind of business slowdown perhaps? Or do they just crush fewer cars in the winter?

"Formerly known as the "Augusta Lower Road" which ran from Waterville through Brunswick and then simply as the "Lower Road" from Brunswick to Royal Junction when it was all still owned and operated by the Maine Central."

I never heard anything but "Lower Road" used to describe the entire distance from Royal Jct to Waterville. Can I hear an Amen?

never heard of anything but the whole thing being the Lower Road as well.

gokeefe, not sure, but the customer didn't want the cars... business slowdown I suppose.

Cowford wrote:"Formerly known as the "Augusta Lower Road" which ran from Waterville through Brunswick and then simply as the "Lower Road" from Brunswick to Royal Junction when it was all still owned and operated by the Maine Central."

I never heard anything but "Lower Road" used to describe the entire distance from Royal Jct to Waterville. Can I hear an Amen?

Likely my mistake. This could be a more recent distinction that has been used by MDOT to describe their segment of track or just something that we have used in general discussion on the thread (although I believe this isn't the case).

I have to thoroughly agree though as memory serves "Augusta Lower Road" was never a term used in anything I've ever read about the Maine Central, or even GRS/PAR.

gokeefe wrote:

newpylong wrote:the irregular service to Grimmel's is not due to track work but due to them just not wanting cars... they went all winter without a switch remember.

I was wondering about that. So that was deliberate on their part? I'm assuming some kind of business slowdown perhaps? Or do they just crush fewer cars in the winter?

GrimmelGirl said in the "Lewiston Industrial Track" thread that things had been slow over the winter, but they would be picking up in the spring.

Thanks for your informed replies.....much appreciated. I have an abiding interest in Panam and the former MEC in particular. My Maine railfanning by necessity, is of the armchair variety from here in Delaware. There is a great deal of confusion in my mind concerning operations in the Waterville area. The Panam railway map on their website shows the Madison branch extending to (duh) Madison. Mapquest and google earth seem to indicate that the branch is abandoned and removed beyond Norridgewock. The Shawmut branch is the opposite - Panam has the branch ending at Shawmut, but clearly it extends to the big Sappi mill. Even the name creates confusion. I have seen it referred to as Rileys and as Hinckley, although neither place appears to be a real town and Rileys dosen't even appear on any map I have access to.

I'm guessing that both branches are serviced by locals out of Waterville, but it appears that through service beyond Royal Junction (RUPO/PORU) consists of just one train each way daily (WAAY/AYWA). Is this an approximate accurate statement about current operations??

Thanks for any further information and I apologize for the long winded nature of my request.

Bill Root
New Castle, Delaware

riffian wrote:I have seen it referred to as Rileys and as Hinckley, although neither place appears to be a real town and Rileys dosen't even appear on any map I have access to.

"Riley" is a village within the town of Jay:

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=riley+mai ... 9&t=h&z=11

Jay (a.k.a. Riley's) is home to a large paper mill, and is served by the Rumford Branch.

If you zoom in on that map image you can see lots of railcars at the mill.

riffian,
Sappi paper is in Hinckley. most local's still call it Scott paper.

As for the Madison line, that starts in Waterville, through Oakland as far as Embden (N. Anson) for quarry stone, railroad ballest. They also still make stops at Madison paper in Madison.

Madison paper
http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=rfzc9t ... orm=LMLTCC

Peter

riffian wrote:I'm guessing that both branches are serviced by locals out of Waterville, but it appears that through service beyond Royal Junction (RUPO/PORU) consists of just one train each way daily (WAAY/AYWA). Is this an approximate accurate statement about current operations??

RUPO/PORU actually join/leave the main at Leeds Jct which is @ 30 miles beyond Royal Jct. There seems to be constant symbol change these days, but in addition to WAAY/AYWA, which I don't believe run every day, there is also WAPO/POWA. For a long time, there were 3 trains each way North of Portland, with one going to/from Rumford, one going to/from Waterville and one going to/from Bangor (N Maine Jct). On the B&M side South (TT West) of Portland, they seem to have settled down to an EDPO/POED and POSE/SEPO pair, both of which run daily, as well as the aforementioned WAAY/AYWA which seem to run more on an as needed basis.

OT to the Augusta Branch but I believe the issue with the maps is that PAR actually rebuilt that branch after they had removed the tracks sometime ago. This was in part due to their decision to reactivate the quarry which per an article in the Pan Am Clipper magazine hadn't been used since the 1930s(?).

If you're talking about the Madison branch the tracks were still in when they were reactivated.