Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad news

The Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad has submitted legislation to acquire an abandoned rail easement through Portland's Bayside neighborhood so the train could extend its tracks from the Eastern Promenade to Hadlock Field, home of the Sea Dogs baseball team.

Read the rest of the article at:

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/ ... rain.shtml

About how far would the track extend?

I was talking to one of the MNGR's at the Big E last week and the possibility exists to utilize the old junction area for a connection with Amtrak. There is also talk of a loop all the way back around Commercial St. to the waterfront, utilizing the former stree t trackage ROW. This is many years, much planning, and a lot of $$$ away, but the potential is there.
Personaly, I'd like to see the city served by a combination of MNGRR trains AND trolleys, possibly narrow guage trolleys, suplementing the existing bus lines, as well as the std. guage Amtrak, and possibly Commuter Rail. But that's me.

Railroad proposal met with concern

story about the resistance to extending the MNGRR through Bayside and past Hadlock field. I'm going to write a letter in support of the project. Beside lightrailnow, can anyone suggest any reliable studies on the benefits light rail (such as boosting property values and being less expensive to run than buses)?

I've always felt the MNG is in the WRONG PLACE for operating purposes. To extend it into a yuppified area of the city is a recipe for disaster, as the above newpaper story indicates. Yuppie NIMBYs will turn this thing into a media circus against steam trains in general.

My prediction is that you'll never see this extension come to pass.

Mr. Sprague is setting himself up as a "nut case" instead of working quietly with the city and state to come to some sort of mutually agreeable plan for his railroad without setting the neighbors off against what he already has in place. Not good.

Add Guilford to the "resistors" and you'll really have a stalemate.

Perhaps a "real" light rail system would make sense in Portland, and maybe there are reasons for extending the MNGR as a tourist operation. But as a number of the people who responded to the newspaper article note, the idea of a two-foot-gauge transit system to move commuters and Sea Dogs fans is absurd. Mass transit isn't about wooden cars that carry a couple dozen people, bouncing along at 15 mph.

Mass transit isn't about wooden cars that carry a couple dozen people, bouncing along at 15 mph.

I was under the impression that the long term goal was to buy modern narrow guage transit vehicles and use the right of way as a regular mass transit system.

I agree Sprague has been less than diplomatic in handling the situation, even though I essentially agree with his vision. There's all kinds of studies out there that show that light rail will enhance the city, encourage develpment, increase property values and get cars off the streets. These are the kinds of things the city council wants to hear, and I think a real rapid transit system running through the middle of Bayside would be of much more value in the long run, than shunting it off to the periphery of the 295 corridor.

As long as there remains the slightest chance that the new "light rail corridor" could be used in part by the MNG steam locomotives, people will fight it. Yuppies don't want dirty, smelly old steam locomotives in their back (or front) yards, or anywhere else if they can avoid it (witness the "mooning" of the Mt. Washington Cog Ry trains by yuppie hikers). A true standard gauge light rail line in downtown Portland would no doubt be a benefit, but it must be divorced from the narrow gauge steam trains or it won't get any serious consideration.

What does Guilford have to do with any of this? I missed that part.

Isn't this trackage ex-Grand Trunk?

This is gonna be a very interesting "battle" to follow!(Guilford remains a sideline player until,and very "iffy",the Narrow Gauge gets to Hadlock Field and tries to "join" or run parallel to the GRS freight main,just west of the Park Ave. overhead and Union Branch bridge;the switch to Union Branch was removed in 1995).

In one corner,you have "Phinney" Sprague,who has done a great deal of good,IMO,preserving the Narrow Gauge. He is NOT a "nutcase",but can be very autocratic(old money does that to most!). I can recall his battles with "vendors" at his Railfare shows in the early 90's. These were originally great shows,with many vendors,but then they got sick of his "rules". So,he is NOT going to give up his dream,and any rights he owns.

The NIMBYS in Portland HATE the steam locos,and I certainly agree that 15 mph,rocking and rolling 100 year old trains,while quaint,are not the best "people movers"-and Portland is a mess to drive in!!!!!

There have been plans by the "movers and shakers" for years about Bayside's former industrial areas,and while Amtrak seems to be in their "vision" for Bayside,narrow gauge or light rail is NOT!

I also cannot ever see the other part of what was called the "Belt Line",a century ago,tracks running down the middle of Commercial St. Traffic is worse there NOW,than when it WAS a "commercial street" with many warehouses using rail and truck. At least when I drove truck a few summers in the early 60's there,the drunken bums(oops,I mean abodially challenged and chemical dependent!) knew enough not to step out in front of a heavy truck(or switcher),but the tourists just keep a walking!

As usual,with Portland,the only real winners will be the lawyers,who have found Portland a very lucrative "home".

Pretty sure that GRS sold ALL the Union Branch to the State of Maine DOT,from where it left the mainline to its end at Plowman St. just before the I-95 Bridge(Tukey's Bridge to use old timers). Switch to the former NABISCO warehouse,and side track still remains there!

Bud

So I take it no one has any information in general on the benefits of light rail.

It does sound to me like the long term goal is to acquire modern equipment for this line, and perhaps other future lines. If that is the case, then it would be good to preserve the coridor now, before the city decides to build another big box retail store over the right of way.

there is great development potential in Bayside, but I sure as heck don't want it to turn into yet another souless generic suburb, strip mall, or industrial park.

I think there is enough room in Bayside for the narrow guage extension, and Amtrak.

Looking at the best case scenario, an extension with modern equipment, then you'll have a line that serves the Old Port, Bayside, USM, and Hadlock field. I've walked the existing line, and it's not too much of a strectch to extend this to the train station. Noise? Smell? Give me a break, the fricken highway is there!

Heck, rebuild the swing bridge, and you'd give all of East Deering easy, direct access to the downtown. (OK, now I've gone too far.)

>>I'm going to right a letter in support ...

Um ... maybe you should find somebody else to do this.

Um ... maybe you should find somebody else to do this.

are you sugjesting I can't speel? Don't be redikulus.

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