The line was built originally to Ferry Point in Hancock. For many years, before cars were allowed on Mount Desert Island, a wonderful all Pullman Train, from New York and Boston,the Bar Harbor Express, ran to Ferry Point. I believe this ended in the 1920's or so and the Bar Harbor Express terminated in Ellsworth for many years after that. When I was in High School in Ellsworth in the early 1960's the track through the Village of Hancock, that had originally extended to Ferry Point for connection to the steamboat to Bar Harbor, had been cut back and ended at the West end of the recently replaced "whistling bridge" between Hancock and Sullivan. There was a hardware and lumber dealer there, LA Gray, that received shipment by rail well into the 60's. Trackage was then eventually cut back to Franklin Roads, the intersection of Rt 1 and Rt 182 where there was another customer. Just west of that was the tannery. A friend of mine worked there about 1965 and I believe they were served by rail. Last I knew that track was still in place (to around the tannery) which wasn't too far from Washington Jct. Don't know for sure how much is left. Some stuff may have come from the scrapping of the line around Machias earlier this year. I know that where the Calais Branch crosses Rt 182 in Cherryfield I noticed the other day that someone had removed a whole lot of rail joiners for some distance. I suspect they may have gone to Ellsworth but who knows. I drove by Wash Jct last Sunday night and noticed the 70 tonner there. Good to see power on the lot. The 44 tonners in N Conway are dead with dead engines. I think they are for sale but don't expect them to bring much. There are quite a few around that are for sale relatively cheaply that run. Dead ones are just for parts. Time will tell.
