Downeast Scenic Railroad (DSRX) Discussion - 2005-2010

Boys, try and keep it civil please.

On a brighter note as the Downeast Scenic Railroad begins to accumulate some equipment for operations the Downeaster is inching closer to Bangor everyday. I would be willing to bet that if service of any kind resumes to Bangor the people at the DSRR would plan to provide service from Bangor to Ellsworth. I would say they may need to do that sooner than they think.

What Downeast Maine needs is not "new" industry... it's to make use of/gainfully employ the production capacity it already has.

Likewise, what the Calais branch would need is for the output of said existing industrial capacity to move by rail.

The US in its entirerty needs to figure ot what it's going to do while we still have some production jobs left. MAine needs to figure out how to apply this to the paper and woods products industries.

THe north atlantic fishery needs to be restored and then responsibly managed.

On a level local to the Calais branch... the pulp output from Woodland needs to move by rail. The stud mill and OSB mill need to be working at or near capacity and shipping by rail. The timber resources of eastern Maine need to be better utilized. etc. etc. If all of those factors came together, the local economy would improve by leaps and bounds and the Calais Branch, while not necessarily a cash cow, would probably be viable in it's entirety if aggressively marketed.

But until all this happens, the Maine economy in general will remain shaky, Downeast doubly so, and the Calais branch will languish.

Has the Downeast Scenic Railroad given any consideration to moving "micro" loads of freight, for example one or two carloads at a time using a small switching engine on their restored portion of the railroad, to the GRS/PAR interchange?

I spent my youth in Ellsworth in the 1950's and 60's and lived in Cherryfield the last 5 years. I saw boom and now I have seen a total bust. Guilford abandoned this line as it was easier to route traffic over the CP than it was to maintain 127 miles of track. What many can't see is that this would never mateiralize again as a self-supporting RR without government backing.

But then again the government system of public roads in the area hasn't been too self-supporting for a long time. The only way Maine can maintain roads and bridges is to borrow the money. One can easily see that that proposition is not going to last much longer in the age of $4 to $5 a gal fuel.

I believe it the job of good legislators to enact sound public policy and plan well for the future. I believe the future will look like this: Transport of large commodities will be by RR and water where pratical. Since both are far more fuel efficient than trucks or cars. Short hauls from piers and railheads would be by (local) small trucks and vehicles that would place little burden on public funded infrastructure. That would be the ideal and would dramatically alter our dependance on (foreign) oil which is badly needed.

Instead we are led by political fat-cats, bowing to the constituency which greases their palms the most. Instead of seeing the future where it really is (If you don't buy my idea on that then explain why we are the only major developed country in the world who have practicall destroyed their efficient systems of mass transit of goods and people!) they see it on ATV's.

Perhaps they think they will give up our cars and trucks for ATV's?

Or maybe they just don't think at all!

I believe government aid to rebuild ailing, efficient mass transportation systems is justified as opposed to the continuing, failing support of the public roads and the trucking industry!

This would have been a great place to start with the deepwater port in Eastport that has never had a rail connection to even test the waters so to speak!

SandyRiver, what do you think Eastport offers that would attract business (by rail or truck) when to the east they're competing with the ports of St John, NB and to the west, both Portland and Searsport (both of which have rail service but do relatively little business outside of petroleum)?

PS - you hit on a great point that I've not been successful in communicating. Guilford discontinued service because they could route the traffic another way. In other words, the line between Brewer and Calais was essentially a "mini" bridge route for Calais/Woodland business, and they figured out how to use another bridge. Most of the existing business on the line at the time didn't revert to truck, it just got routed via the CP. And customers don't care which way it routes, so long as schedules and pricing are acceptable.

Bridge routes are always susceptible to service discontinuance (the old Eastern, WN&P, MEC Mountain sub, BM northern line, a good chunk of the old Rock Island, etc) when there are viable substitute routes.

If Eastport's dock facilities were to have any chance at all they would ultimately need rail service. They would then compete, like any private business, on service, prices and other business related issues. How the facility in Eastport might then compare, who's to say. It is a moot point without trying. It was stupid to invest that kind of money there with no rail connection.

Cowford is right. At the end it was mainly Woodland business and it was cheaper to send it on CP.

But it wasn't always that way. At one time the Calais branch served the main transportation needs of most all of Washington County and much of Hancock, The only other major contributor was waterborne transport on the coast.

What I am trying to say is: "What if we could create a situation where the transport of most goods and people was on rail again, where the efficiency, particularly on fuel, would make major contributions to the welfare of our state and nation." I understand the naysayers arguments that it cannot compete against roads at the moment. The proof of that is that it has lain fallow for many years. We don't need any further proof.

My argument is that our leadership should be looking at ways to make our transportation more efficient and less dependant on oil, particularly foreign oil. It would take leadership to take us in that direction. Leadership we do NOT have now!

I can tell you for damn sure that the future is not an ATV trail. The best thing the political wizards could have done would have been nothing. The cost of that would have been about zero. Some day maybe dopes would see that a rail line could serve the needs of the two counties again. If the iron was still there it would cost a whole hell of a lot less to rebuild.

It will never happen now and that is EXACTLY why the trail advocates wanted the rail removed. So they would never have to share with anyone again.

What a bunch of jerks!

Looks like things are really on a roll in Ellsworth.

http://www.downeastscenicrail.org/latestnews.htm

What a great next few years for rail restoration in Maine...

2009: Calais Branch in vicinty of Ellsworth

2010: Portland-Freeport-Brunswick: Downeaster Extension

2011:Lewiston Lower to Auburn or Augusta Lower Road?

I heard your line is laying out ties and track gangs are working there as well. Also more signal work in the mix? Is this true? Sounds like you are practicing the phrase: Build it and they will come!

Mr. Rockyroad,
I can't take any credit for what the folks in Ellsworth are doing. I'm and advocate and recently a member of the Downeast Rail Heritage Preservation Trust but I have not laid a single tie myself. You may want to consider sending your congratulations and perhaps a few of your $$$ to these great people at the following website....

Downeast Rail Heritage Preservation Trust:
http://www.downeastscenicrail.org/

Small contributions from donors like us go a very long way towards helping to bring back a piece of Maine historic railroad heritage. Keep in mind there is a lot of volunteer labor currently being contributed to this project, and it is the only main line (standard gauge) project that is in a rehabilitative phase right now. If narrow gauge is more of your flavor the great people at the Winslow, Wiscasset & Farmington are also in a rebuilding phase and lay down track several weekends a year...

For more information on helping the WW&F through volunteer time or money see their website at the following....

Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington Railway Museum:
http://www.wwfry.org/

The DESR now has a locomotive -- and it's a locomotive with plenty of Maine history:

According to Gary Briggs, the trust’s vice president and property manager, the organization has worked hard to find equipment that would have been used on the rail line in Maine.

“There’s a lot of equipment out there,” Briggs said. “But we wanted something that was typical of what had run on the line during this time. And we wanted something that was ‘blue-carded,’” which means it has Federal Railroad Administration approval.

Using donations from members and financing assistance from Machias Savings Bank, the trust bought the No. 54, a General Electric, 600 horse-power locomotive weighing 70 tons, from the Belfast and Moosehead Lake Railroad Preservation Society.

The locomotive was built in 1948 and has served on the B&MLRR for the past 20 years. It is in very good shape, Briggs said. “They maintained it very well,” he said.

Read more at http://bangordailynews.com/detail/51504.html

On a personal note, I'm glad they decided on the 54. It should be a very good fit for them. I know they've been looking at many different possibilities for the past couple of years and they really wanted something with some Maine heritage. I hope they get many, many good years out of it.

Great news!

Thanks.

WOW! They really are moving foward...

I got excited the other month about track rehab and now they're getting ready to run trains already!

I recently became a member and I would encourage anyone reading this to do so. $40 goes a long way towards preserving a lot of MEC heritage. They're probably one of the most effective non-profit organizations out there right now in terms of MEC heritage preservation.

I think this operations will be significantly more sucessful than the B&ML because of the nearby tourist base that should provide good numbers of customers. I think many people really had to go out of their way in the end to even bother with the B&ML. Something that I think won't be the case with Ellsworth. You have to drive right by the line in order to even get to Bar Harbor on the main drag. Great location indeed and a supportive town to boot.

As one operation goes under another one is rising to take it's place that has a much brighter future than the B&ML ever did.

Build it and they will come!!! One of the real attention getters is a Signal crossing with bells and lights going. People seem to perceive a line is alive when they hear and see that. Right Cowford??

Build it and they will come!!! One of the real attention getters is a Signal crossing with bells and lights going. People seem to perceive a line is alive when they hear and see that. Right Cowford??

Yeah Rocky, I couldn't agree with you more: crossing protection, when activated, IS effective in alerting people in the vicinity that a rail line is active. In fact, when people actually SEE a train go over that crossing, this provides even STRONGER (some may argue irrefutable) evidence that the line is active.

Thanks for seeking my counsel. I'm happy to help you out any time.