• State of Maine - The Gull (B&M/MEC LD Passenger Service)

  • Discussion relating to the pre-1983 B&M and MEC railroads. For current operations, please see the Pan Am Railways Forum.
Discussion relating to the pre-1983 B&M and MEC railroads. For current operations, please see the Pan Am Railways Forum.

Moderator: MEC407

  by eastwind
 
Further information on the New Haven 6DB-buffet-lounge PINE TREE STATE, including some nice interior shots, can be found here.

What I found personally interesting is that, of the four-car order, two were assigned to the State of Maine and two to the Federal. My memory was correct; it was indeed in one of these cars that I had such a good breakfast on the Federal (see above).
  by Cannonball
 
From A Brief History Lines West Of The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Co. By Philip C. Blakeslee http://catskillarchive.com/rrextra/abnere2.Html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
During World War I, the State of Maine Express was routed over the Air Line to relieve the congestion on the Shore Line. Many trains were routed over the Air Line when the Little River bridge burned and also during the flood in 1938 and other occasions.
  by gokeefe
 
I happened across this photo today.

First indication I've ever seen that Maine Central power ran through all the way to Saint John on the Gull (or so I assume). I had always understood that there was a power change in Vanceboro or Moncton.
  by gokeefe
 
My error on the geography. For some reason I thought Moncton was west of Saint John (that's Fredericton). Still surprised that Maine Central power went as far as it did. Perhaps even more so now considering how far into New Brunswick Moncton actually is!
  by jbvb
 
I saw the Pine Tree State a couple of weeks ago - walked by it while exploring west of the Spencer roundhouse.

At a Maritime Federation of Model Railroaders convention at Saint John, I saw a photo of a maroon/gold E-7 on the girder approaches to the Reversing Falls cantilever span. I can't recall if it was MEC or B&M.
  by GlennOpande
 
eastwind wrote: Wed Dec 25, 2013 7:24 pm I've come across a post in the Boston & Maine Yahoo! group that has extensive information about the Gull. These are personal recollections by Donald H. "Don" Scott, covering the years 1937 to end of service in 1960.
There's a lot of information about the train, what motive power was assigned to it, what equipment it carried, the head-end traffic, and so forth. I learned much I never knew before.

Here's the link: http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/BM_R ... pics/30291. Click on the title to expand the post.
Is there any way to access this information now that Yahoo Groups is not around anymore? I recently became interested in MEC's part in the Gull.
  by jbvb
 
The current NHRHTA 'Shoreliner' is mostly a comprehensive article on the stainless-sheathed baggage-parlor cars. It mentions that starting in 1953, two of the 210-219 series (baggage-parlor-lounge) were regularly assigned to the summer-only daytime East Wind between Washington DC and Portland ME.