Maine Eastern Railroad (MERR) Discussion

emtpjimd wrote:I was up there this past weekend for the first time....I didn't notice trackwork being donem but the track appeared in great shape, CWR on the entire route; ridership was low however. Speaking with a crew member, the ridership is slowly picking up this year. Power was the 488; they said the 489 has been MIA in NJ and there's no word on when it could be returned. No food car on the train, apparently the A/C was out, but we did ride aboard the parlor/obs car....quite a nice trip.

The new Brunswick station is beautiful, platforms still under construction. The contact I spoke with stated there is consideration at year round ops to connect with the Downeaster once it comes to Brunswick; I can tell that is to be seen still.

Thank goodness they have survived until the Downeaster gets here. Unfortunately they've probably got at least one more summer like this one until things change as completion for the extension has always been projected as "fall" 2012.

emtpjimd wrote:I was up there this past weekend for the first time....I didn't notice trackwork being donem but the track appeared in great shape, CWR on the entire route; ridership was low however. Speaking with a crew member, the ridership is slowly picking up this year. Power was the 488; they said the 489 has been MIA in NJ and there's no word on when it could be returned. No food car on the train, apparently the A/C was out, but we did ride aboard the parlor/obs car....quite a nice trip.

The new Brunswick station is beautiful, platforms still under construction. The contact I spoke with stated there is consideration at year round ops to connect with the Downeaster once it comes to Brunswick; I can tell that is to be seen still.

The track work in Brunswick should be done until they start on the maintenance facility. They had dropped the new CWR just before I was up there last August. I think they finished all of that work last year (but hard to say living in NJ).

I understand the food and adult beverages are pretty good at the establishment in the station.

How many day's are they running this summer?

They are running Wednesdays through Sundays this summer - the station is nice, trackwork appears close to being done, high level platform "footings" are being placed....looks nice up that way....

DelLackWestern wrote:I was in Rockland today with the family, mostly to eat lunch but also caught a glimpse of the the freight yard on the way out of town. We are going to try the Brunswick or Wiscasset to Rockland run later in June or July. Today's run ran the wrong way for us (outbound from Rockland in the AM and then back in the PM).

As you noted, Sundays are one round trip. Wednesday through Saturday, there is a morning round trip (gets back to Rockland around noon) and an afternoon/evening round trip.

I always thought that the existing ROW through Rockland was a bit odd--a large, almost circular loop that winds south of town and then along the waterfront. Leaving town today, it occurred to me that this was likely a waterfront track and not the old mainline into some sort of in-town terminal.

The grade crossing over Broadway went back to two tracks a few years ago when the "Station Track" was put back in. There is presently a power switch to select the station track or the "Atlantic Branch" that the cement shuttle uses to get to the waterfront.
The MERR passenger trains used to terminate at the waterfront, until the station (corner of Union and Pleasant) was restored and the station track was rebuilt. I'm not as good with the history of it as some people are, but I've seen photos of a good-sized yard between Pleasant St. and Park St. (US 1); some of that land has been built upon since then.
I think there was a freight house somewhere on the line that ended at Union St., on the Park St. side. There might have even been some customers who shipped/received by rail around there, "way back when." I've heard references to a one-time "upper yard" and "lower yard," with the upper yard being the one by the engine house and turntable.
I believe there was a ferry terminal at the waterfront, years ago.

Just now, looking at Google Earth, it appears that their was a large yard coming up through the Union Street area. It looks like there may still be track (or at least ties) in place in some areas. (Forgive me, I have spent very little time in the town). Is the large building at the junction of Union and Rt. 1 the old passenger station? If so, when did MEC cut off the original trackage into the core of downtown?

I don't know just when the "Station Track" was removed, but it was replaced a few years ago, and eventually had active signals installed where there had previously just been stop signs on the two crossings east of Broadway. There is also a runaround track just west of the station.

Having been a NJ Transit commuter years ago, it was also interesting to see a Comet car in the yard, plus a turntable in the aerial view!

The Comet car gets added into a passenger consist now and then when extra capacity is needed, but it's a very different "flavor" from the other cars.
The wye in Brunswick (connection to the Lewiston Lower, now called the Lewiston Industrial Track) and the turntable at Rockland are very handy when the passenger trains can't be run push-pull.

The Maine Lobster Festival was held this weekend in Rockland. This weekend traditionally sees high levels of ridership for the MERR. How was ridership on the trains to and from Rockland?

Photos have emerged of MERR boarding departures from Brunswick in late July. See photos 28, 30 & 32.

I was not aware that they had already moved their point of depature.

gokeefe wrote:Photos have emerged of MERR boarding departures from Brunswick in late July. I was not aware that they had already moved their point of depature.

MERR began the 2011 excursion season from the Brunswick station after the MDOT "high-level platform" (trailer) got moved there from the former Cedar St. location.
Seems like there have been some pretty big crowds going to Rockland in the morning, even when there aren't any buses dropping off groups at Brunswick. I haven't been to Bath for awhile, but they used to pick up some large groups there, too.
I think the Lobster Festival traffic went well again this year, but I haven't heard any numbers yet. I bet it'll get busy when people can go by rail all the way from Boston.

Watchman318 wrote:

gokeefe wrote:Photos have emerged of MERR boarding departures from Brunswick in late July. I was not aware that they had already moved their point of depature.

MERR began the 2011 excursion season from the Brunswick station after the MDOT "high-level platform" (trailer) got moved there from the former Cedar St. location.
Seems like there have been some pretty big crowds going to Rockland in the morning, even when there aren't any buses dropping off groups at Brunswick. I haven't been to Bath for awhile, but they used to pick up some large groups there, too.
I think the Lobster Festival traffic went well again this year, but I haven't heard any numbers yet. I bet it'll get busy when people can go by rail all the way from Boston.

I think that we're all kind of wondering the same thing ourselves. It would be really interesting to see if the "interline connection" actually turns into a real draw. It's sort of a throwback in a way to an older time, just imagine families coming to visit Maine with kids, pet and baggage in tow. It would be funny if they had to add a baggage car, what an anachronism.

gokeefe wrote:I think that we're all kind of wondering the same thing ourselves. It would be really interesting to see if the "interline connection" actually turns into a real draw. It's sort of a throwback in a way to an older time, just imagine families coming to visit Maine with kids, pet and baggage in tow. It would be funny if they had to add a baggage car, what an anachronism.

Having seen someone loading a tandem bicycle at Brunswick, I just know somebody will want to bring their canoe via the train . . .


Maybe Phideaux will want to ride with the family, and not in the baggage car.

Watchman318 wrote:

gokeefe wrote:I think that we're all kind of wondering the same thing ourselves. It would be really interesting to see if the "interline connection" actually turns into a real draw. It's sort of a throwback in a way to an older time, just imagine families coming to visit Maine with kids, pet and baggage in tow. It would be funny if they had to add a baggage car, what an anachronism.

Having seen someone loading a tandem bicycle at Brunswick, I just know somebody will want to bring their canoe via the train . . .


Maybe Phideaux will want to ride with the family, and not in the baggage car.

The funny thing about it is that MERR is already a bit of a throwback at times as it is, stainless steel fluted Pullman cars, conductor uniforms, vintage rail stations etc., to see this actually return as some kind of "full-service" operation is a charming and funny thought all in of itself. I'm sure MERR will take care to avoid 'sinking' themselves into 'extras' that they don't need. That's wise and prudent in its own right, but as we all know tourists don't typically travel light. If the tourists who are coming up for anything more than a day trip start seriously using this service to get to Rockland and "points beyond" the railroad could find themselves handling a far different type of passenger than the purse and pocketbook crowd they get coming off the tour buses.

gokeefe wrote:The funny thing about it is that MERR is already a bit of a throwback at times as it is, stainless steel fluted Pullman cars, conductor uniforms, vintage rail stations etc., to see this actually return as some kind of "full-service" operation is a charming and funny thought all in of itself. I'm sure MERR will take care to avoid 'sinking' themselves into 'extras' that they don't need. That's wise and prudent in its own right, but as we all know tourists don't typically travel light. If the tourists who are coming up for anything more than a day trip start seriously using this service to get to Rockland and "points beyond" the railroad could find themselves handling a far different type of passenger than the purse and pocketbook crowd they get coming off the tour buses.

Ayuh.

As I understand it, the ex-Adirondack/Ethan Allen cars M&E purchased were supposed to be fitted with bicycle racks. "Car-free Maine"? Maybe, some day . . .

I also like to think the idea of commuter rail in the Midcoast and beyond hasn't completely gone away.

Now, if only someone had thought to connect Rockland to Belfast when they were first laying out the Rockland Branch . . .

Watchman318 wrote:I also like to think the idea of commuter rail in the Midcoast and beyond hasn't completely gone away.

I keep wondering if MERR is going to offer some kind of "Dock & Rail" version of BIW's "Dock & Ride".

Did the picture showing six people waiting for the bus resonate with anyone? Six.

Ok, I know I'm going to regret this, but thinking out loud here. Maine Eastern ridership, I've gotta think, is pretty thin. It's a scenic ride, but way too long for the average bear, and it doesn't go anywhere (there are some limited options, e.g., ride to Rockland, spend several hrs, and return). The train is carrying tourists and the schedule is geared for a Rockland traffic base, so would extending the service to Freeport and altering the schedule to allow Rockland/etc-based vacationers the option to take the train to go shopping for several hours in any way improve the marketability of the train ride?

Cowford wrote:Did the picture showing six people waiting for the bus resonate with anyone? Six.

Ok, I know I'm going to regret this, but thinking out loud here. Maine Eastern ridership, I've gotta think, is pretty thin. It's a scenic ride, but way too long for the average bear, and it doesn't go anywhere (there are some limited options, e.g., ride to Rockland, spend several hrs, and return).

I would have thought the same myself. However, here's what the sources in Brunswick indicate. MERR has landed a significant portion of the 'tour bus' crowd. They show up about five minutes before train time and almost "clown car" style unload from bus to train. So, yes, MERR isn't generating significant or even substantial organic local ridership, perhaps along the lines of the Conway Scenic excursion model. The are however successfully capturing bus tours. As the story goes if you were there 15 minutes prior to "train time" its as if no one is coming. Then without warning they're mobbed when the buses pull in.

They do generate local traffic for special events such as the Rockland Lobster Festival and even their Polar Express event but that's obviously only a few days out of the year.

Cowford wrote:The train is carrying tourists and the schedule is geared for a Rockland traffic base, so would extending the service to Freeport and altering the schedule to allow Rockland/etc-based vacationers the option to take the train to go shopping for several hours in any way improve the marketability of the train ride?

It might but remember Freeport is owned by PAR. So that won't be happening anytime soon. Probably the best they can hope for is a really efficient two seat ride. No one seems sure how well that will work for intermediate destinations like Freeport for traffic originating from MERR.

gokeefe wrote:I keep wondering if MERR is going to offer some kind of "Dock & Rail" version of BIW's "Dock & Ride".

I haven't heard of that before. (And "no joy" with Google.) Could you enlighten me?
Or do you mean Rail & Sail packages?