Surviving equipment

[eustis22]

There is a B&M caboose next to Rte 26 in Sumner, Me. if I can get close to it w/o cheesing off the property owner I will make inquiries and post some pics.

I don't have any railroad literature but was there any track between Paris and Sumner?

[Dick H]

The Buckfield Branch Railroad chartered in 1847 to run from Mechanic Fallls to Canton.
According to "The Rail Lines of Northern New England" by Robert M Lindsell (2000),
the stations on the line were Mechanic Falls, West Minor, East Hebron Buckfield,
East Sumner, Hartford and Canton. The line south of Canton was abandoned in
1952 by the MEC.

Run the URL below and scroll down to "Rangeley Branch"
for a complete listing of the stations.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumford_Branch" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Noel Weaver]

There was probably one person more than anybody else responsible for the demise of most of the old equipment from the Boston and Maine of years past. I have a lot of old timetables both public and employee from the better days of the B & M. Some of them date back to the early 1930's. It is simply amazing that the B & M timetables got so thin in the late 50's and through the early and mid 1960's. I am sure that a fair number of these trains were losers but all of them, i am not so sure about that. In less than 10 years Boston - Portland went from 9 daily trains to none, Boston - Concord went from 9 daily trains to none, Springfield - White River Junction went from 7 daily trains to none, the Conway Branch went from 2 or 3 daily trains depending on the season to none, Portsmouth from 8 or 9 to none (I'll bet they wish they had them today. Public timetables went from a large folder something like the Amtrak system folders of today to a single sheet of paper with a couple of folds for the through trains and a separate leaflet type folder for the locals out of Boston. Often it was necessary to change trains half way through a trip and sometimes connections were missed probably intentionally. Boston - Montreal in a Budd Car with nothing for food although knowledgeable folks could avail themselves of a decent diner right next to the station at White River Junction during the 15 or 20 minute stop there. I remember train 76 (The Ambassador) enroute from Montreal to New Haven when we went from a nice smooth and on time to the minute ride on the Central Vermont to White River Junction then a very bumpy ride on the B & M when we had to lose maybe 15 to 20 minutes enroute to Springfield where the connection to New Haven train 59 was lost by maybe 10 or 15 minutes and we had to wait for 97. McGinnis tried his best to kill all of the remaining passenger service in New England and he was probably the most single person responsible for not only the end on the Boston and Maine but probably the Maine Central and the Bangor Aroostook as well. Boston to Caribou, Maine meant a change at both Portland and Bangor and nothing but Budd Cars between Boston and Portland. Mcginnis also tried to ruin the passenger trains on the New Haven as well but he got the boot before he had time to finish the job. In 1958 the B & M changed the format of their employee timetables to a very difficult to read small print and in a hodgepodge fashion, I wonder how their crews were able to get through them. McGinnis got off too easy with a few months in Federal Prison for robbing the kitty on the B & M. I wonder how much he robbed from the New Haven? In any event looking at these old timetables is very interesting. They had one entire employee timetable that was in effect for only three days and then superseded by another complete timetable, I have copies of both. In any event looking at these old timetables is both interesting and refreshes my memory.
Noel Weaver

[eustis22]

I did not get a foto but below is a link to the caboose and a box car at the junction of 26 and 219 in West Paris. I will try to get info from the property owner this coming weekend.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/East+ ... 1cb7b24206

Looks like it's numbered 413 but pics of B&M 413 show a cupola. This page, http://capecodrails.railfan.net/necabooses.html, says that's where B&M 413 transfer caboose is

[MEC407]

Interesting. Here's a screen capture from that Google Street View:

Screen shot 2015-12-28 at 4.14.35 PM.jpg (163.21 KiB) Viewed 7416 times

[NHV 669]

To add to what was posted three years ago, by toolmaker, the following exists in the local area:

I presume this to be the restored C-165, moved down the road maybe a mile or so:

https://www.google.com/maps/@44.2809039 ... 312!8i6656

Down in Bath, across the historic covered bridge, this caboose has been a private residence for quite some time (in front of the house, dead center of the frame):

https://www.google.com/maps/@44.1670156 ... 64!6m1!1e1

These old boxcars still survive in Woodsville, perhaps in use of storage of some sort (second one is hidden):

https://www.google.com/maps/@44.1504162 ... 312!8i6656

[arthur d.]

Looks like it's numbered 413 but pics of B&M 413 show a cupola.

413 was one of the 1921 Laconia cars originally in the 104600 series. In 1959 these were sold to Morrison, given almost total rebuilds (under frames and trucks original), given a new build date of 1959 and leased back to the B&M. A portion of these came back as transfer buggies without monitors. How old is your photo of 413 with its monitor?
Note also in the google view, besides the boxcar, at least one more pair of trucks and, in front of the boxcar, the really old (notice the exposed truss rods?) rolling under frame.

[eustis22]

i'm doing an upclose look shortly...stand by for pics. Thank you for the history...any identifying marks I should look for?

[jbvb]

My understanding is that the International rebuilds were C-100 to C-137, built 1959 using trucks and underframes from 104600 cabooses, with cupolas. The flat-tops were C-150 - 169, built new in 1960. The Winter 1977-78 B&M Bulletin article on the International rebuilds makes no mention of any without cupolas.

[philipmartin]

Here's a video of a B&M RDC 6211 getting to a park in Bedford via the local highways.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92QpGmt5Ed" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[arthur d.]

The Winter 1977-78 B&M Bulletin article on the International rebuilds makes no mention of any without cupolas.

Likely you are correct. Every time I go looking for data on those buggies the distinction of the transfer jobs gets blurred, most likely due to their arrival on the heels of the rebuilt Laconia cars . Time to adjust the dosage on the Aricept. Info about the B&M buggies is a train wreck, scattered everywhere. There is another article somewhere in the Bulletins, just a little one, not even mentioned in the master index, discussing the transfer jobs. With what, thirty volumes now, I'm not bored enough to do a page by page search for it just now.
I also looked at Gilbert's book - which has a few flaws, I should know better. He shows 104613 becoming 413, but doesn't explain how it went from one to the other, and its a bit late to ask him how he came to that conclusion.

[eustis22]

Ok, I managed to wander around a little and took some photos...I found out who owns the cars but have not spoken to the gentlemen yet, and it was mentioned that 413 was sold.

I have some questions to go with the photos....did the Navy ever build trucks? USN and Navy are stamped on the wheelsets. I could not parse out the markings on the boxcar though I did get the manufacturers plate for further research. There is what looks to be a crumbling BAR MOW car as well as another flat car on the property. The wheelset at the end of the caboose is not joined to the caboose. If something is rebuilt, does that rebuild date go on as date of manufacture? The inside of the caboose looks pretty well kept, though I didn't get a pic (I figured being up on it was trespassing enough).

Photos need to be shrunk before I can add so watch this space.

[eustis22]

Photos included, for your review and comment

[eustis22]

below are the USN stamped wheelsets

[doublebell]

Buggy in Hudson, along the Central Mass
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.392722, ... 6656?hl=en" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;