North Berwick, ME

[charlesriverbranch]

Old B&M timetables show there used to be a junction at North Berwick where a line from Portsmouth connected to the existing line from Dover. Where was that junction? I haven't spotted any trace of it during on any of my recent Downeaster trips.

[CarterB]

As late as 1944 the line up from Portsmouth to North Berwick is shown on topo maps of time.
Basically came in along what is now Eastern Ave joined the main at Main Street. Power line running SSW of N Berwick
is where the ROW was toward Agamenticus and then Jewett. At Agamenticus, there was another branch back to South Berwick.

[Mikejf]

The junction was immediately south of the Route 9 overpass by Pratt & Whitney and was part of the Eastern/B&M route that was mentioned above and also went through the northern part of Wells, Kennebunk, Biddeford and wound up in South Portland at the western throat of Rigby yard.

In North Berwick, Eastern Ave is on the ROW, as well as the parking area for Hussey Seating. The track ran between the current building and the current track.

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[jbvb]

Kittery - North Berwick carried through passenger trains and local (except in emergencies) freight through Spring of 1952, when it was abandoned. The old Eastern RR single track from North Berwick through West Kennebunk to Alfred Road by Biddeford was abandoned 1944 after double track and CTC were completed on the B&M route through Wells and Kennebunk. The branch running up the river from ?Great Works? to S. Berwick was the part of the Portsmouth, Great Falls & Conway that connected to the Eastern main line. I don't think it ever connected to the B&M in South Berwick, passing under it instead. The connection from the B&M Western Route at Rollinsford to Somersworth presently used by the NHNC was built later.

[b&m 1566]

You are correct the Portsmouth, Great Falls & Conway Railroad, crossed underneath the B&M railroad, in South Berwick. The PGF&C had to build a branch from Somersworth, down to Rollinsford, in order to interchange with the B&M.

[Hux]

Not too many years back, during the discussion regarding the oil recycling facility in Rollingsford getting a siding in the wye, I was trolling through Bing maps' satellite imagery of the area. I noticed iron still in the ground in the woods off 236 in South Berwick, close to the western route. I've not had a chance to poke around the area, and don't currently see it when looking at satellite imagery.

[Hux]

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Speaking of which

[b&m 1566]

The east leg of the wye is still there. Although it’s no longer connected to Western Route mainline, it did receive a https://www.google.com/maps/dir/43.2306 ... a=!3m1!1e3" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; switch when the siding was built in the middle of the wye. It’s hard to tell in Google's latest imagery but from passed images taken during the winter, it appeared the track for this leg of the wye, came very close to Pan Am's mainline, I wouldn't be surprised if it was just the switch that was removed plus 10 to 20 feet of additional track.

[arthur d.]

Not too many years back, during the discussion regarding the oil recycling facility in Rollingsford getting a siding in the wye, I was trolling through Bing maps' satellite imagery of the area. I noticed iron still in the ground in the woods off 236 in South Berwick, close to the western route. I've not had a chance to poke around the area, and don't currently see it when looking at satellite imagery.

You're probably looking at the B&M's connector to the PS&P at Agamenticus Jct. After the B&M built its own line to Portland, this became obsolete and most of it was lifted, but a short length survived as an industrial spur well into the 20th century.

Note; at Fogarty's restaurant is S. Berwick, there are a number of old photo's on the wall depicting the PGF&C road crossing and bridge at S. Berwick. Looks like they may have been taken from the abutment of the B&M bridge, if not from the bridge itself.