Greetings,
This is a topic I am quite familiar with having spent 20 years of research and many years on the ground in, under and on these locomotives. I headed the crew that performed the jacking, built the new roadbed and lowered the locomotives back onto it and mapped and documented the site.
Yes the locomotives are remote. But they are certainly not abandoned. They are owned by the State of Maine with the entire area designated as a national historic site. The best way is by canoe from Churchill Depot or by motor boat from Chamberlain Bridge then hike across Tramway. If you choose ot go overland you can drive withing 2 miles of the site. If you choose to go by canoe remember that the Allagash Waterway has restrictions on motors etc. If you go by boat from Chamberlain Bridge there are no restrictions however the cove at the south end of Tramway can be very shallow and very, very muddy depending upon the season. However on the way up Chamberlain be sure to stop at Chamberlain Farm and checkout the remains of the steamer
HW Marsh.
Be warned, road conditions can vary depending upon wether or not they are hauling in that area and of course on the weather. The main haulroads are passable by a car - if your careful. However the secondary and winter roads for last of the trip can be challenging. Also remember several good spare tires are a must as well (not those dinky donuts) - especially if they have just graded the roads. The gravel they use is sharp edged shale. Incidently the Landrover group mentioned earlier didn't know about the trail and went through a lot of extra effort that otherwise was not required.
The trailhead is un-marked. But once on it its fairly clear. It is in fact an old Lombard haulroad. In fact after you hit the intersection with the old 9-14 Lombard road you are walking the very route the locomotives were moved over back in 1927 & 28. Beware that blow-downs are present and the trail is not maintained. Why? Simple - theft and vandalisim. The idea is that if you have to put effort into getting in to the locomotives then chances are you will appreciate the awsome experience and wow factor and thus not abuse them or any of the other surrounding artifacts.
Again, with so many railroad artifacts lying around seemingly abandoned - in reality they are not. They all serve to tell a remarkable story. Look, wonder and yes touch but leave those 'Treasures' for others to discover. Thats the fun of the Tramway site. Its the sense of discovery and wonderment and thought it provokes no matter how many times its been 'Discovered'.
The Eagle Lake & West Branch railroad and the the story of Edouard Lacroix's Allagash operations is legendary and has provoked lots of stories - some true - many not so true.
For a brief history see my article in the July/August 2007 issue of
"The Narrow Gauge & Shortline Gazette" also the Sept./Oct 2007 issue has my article on Lombards. Both feature extensive drawings and photos. One of these days I will sit down and get it all on paper. Unfortunalty I keep getting distracted. My current project is restoring to operating condition a 1925 Wisconsin 6 cylinder that powered one of Lacroix's Lombard tractors. For now the archive keeps growing and the story more and more interesting.
Again, if you go there be respectful and be prepared. It ain't no day trip in loafers.
To clear-up a few things:
The story of the locomotives being hauled across the lakes is one of those hearsay things that have become fact over the passing decades. That and the assertion that they ran both locomotives at the same time and had a passing track at Ellis Brook. The reality is the locomotives were hauled over Lacroix's all season road from Lac Frontiere to Clayton Lake. They then headed cross country over a winter haulroad until they intersected the old Eastern Manufacturing Lombard road (9-14 road) along Russell Brook.
They then followed it along Russell Brook then along the shore of Eagle Lake and right into Tramway. Parts of this route are still very visible today. I follwed a good part of it this past Fall while hiking into Russell Brook to document the remains of the Eastern's big Depot Camp)
As for the passing siding: They only ran one locomotive at a time. There was no siding other than at the top of grade coming out of Tramway and at the top of grade heading out of Umbazooksus. Once No. 2 arrived in March of 1928 No. 1 was relegated to backup.
Also there was no sale to Great Northern. Great Northern did build and own the lower five mile section form Umbazooksus to Chesuncook Meadows. In operation this section known as
"the Five Mile Stretch" was used only to move supplies. The rest of the railroad, locomotives and rollingstock were all owned and funded by Lacroix's Madawaska Co. Many years later he sold most of his Maine holdings to Iriving Pulp & Paper. In 1969 Irving transfered ownership of the Tramway site to the Site of Maine.
Best regards,
Terry Harper