Official Maine Eastern Thread

[MEC407]

M&E sign on roundhouse in Rockland, Maine

(photo by Bernard Cole)

[sandpvrr]

Hello All,
Does anyone have information as to what locomotives are coming to the Maine Eastern and when they will be arriving?
Thanks!
cya, Joey
--Joey Kelley, Webmaster - RRNNE.net

[MEC407]

From what I've been able to gather, they'll probably be using some of the ex-LTV RS11s that they recently purchased. "Which ones and when will we see them?" Good question. We'll just have to wait and see I guess.

[PVRX]

From what I have heard, exCP C424s will reign. The 4223 and 4228 will be the first two to go, with more to follow as needed.

[MEC407]

Either way, this means we'll once again have ALCOs running in Maine! Woo-hoo! :D

[Legio X]

RS-11's and Century 424's......nice!!! RS-11's have'nt been seen, I believe, in Maine since Maine Central's 801 and 802.

[MEC407]

RS-11's have'nt been seen, I believe, in Maine since Maine Central's 801 and 802.

Maine Coast RR (former operator of the Rockland Branch) had an RS11 that they operated throughout the 1990s. It was an RS11M if you want to get technical, though.

[wolfmom69]

Well,Guilford had the two M-420s the #3573 & the #3562,that the "Maine Eastern" purchased from the St,Lawrence & Atlantic at their Rigby Yard in S.Portland this pm. Plan was to take them the 26 miles or so to deliver them to M & Es Maine Eastern in Brunswick. These are ex-CN units,with their original numbers now a "3" instead of the original "2" lead digit. The 2000 hp "safety cabs" were bought new by CN about 30 years ago,and spent their early lives running freights between Portland & Montreal on Grand Trunk/CN trains 393/394. They are still in the CN zebra scheme,and are a "time warp" to us old enough to remember them "as delivered". SLR got them in 11/98,and really only got 2 years out of the 11 M-420s they bought from CN,then they were stored here for a couple of years. Good to see Alco Power being used here in Maine again!Wonder what will happen to the 2 ex-Conrail GP-15s that Maine Eastern has been leasing. The other 2 are ironically on the SLR here in Maine. The prior operator of the "Maine Eastern" had 4 GP-15s for the 3 yrs. they operated the Rockland Branch.

[XRails]

What's going on here? The same person who took that photo also has a very strange series of shots in the album. One shows new restored track and crossings going in at Augusta while across town they are burying the tracks with a parking lot! What exactly is happening? Does the Maine Eastern not operate that far down the tracks or did they pull out of Augusta entirely, abandoning the restored track?

[wolfmom69]

XRail. It is sad,but true;the tracks in downtown Augusta ARE covered with a layer of gravel. This is for increased parking downtown. While it can be removed a lot faster & cheaper than asphalt,it is a sign of no rail activity to be sure! M&E,nor their immediate predecessor,Safe Handling Rail,are not operating on the old MEC Lower Road,between Brunswick & Augusta. Yet,there are signs up on the recently built "rail trail",(alongside the track!!)between Gardiner & Augusta,to stay off the tracks,$500 fine,and "active railroad".About a 1/2 mile of tracks just to the west of Augusta were recently rebuilt,due to a water/sewer project . So,its another example of the State of Maines unelected bureaucrats spending our taxpayers $$$ on just their agency's agenda,not "the whole package! " Bud

[RS115]

Drove by Morristown tonight after work. Sitting on track 1 behind the military 'critter' is a passenger car now lettered for Maine Eastern on the letter board with a yellow band around the windows and a Maine Eastern logo between the end of the windows and the vestibule. Assume it's that way all around but couldn't see for sure.

At lunch time could see that at least one of the F-40's is in the shop was hard to tell if it's been primed or not.

Turning onto Jefferson Road as I was headed to Morristown was a yellow truck lettered 'RELCO' 'National Locomotive Maintenance' or words to that effect. Don't know where it went - perhaps to the NJT F-40 down the street.

[MEC407]

Cool! Any chance you'll be able to go back and snap a photo of the Maine Eastern car?

[RS115]

I don't currently have a way to upload pics. When I stopped by today at lunch time someone was down in the hollow taking some pics of the Maine Eastern car so perhaps they'll surface here or elsewhere soon and someone will link us all in.

[caboose]

With Maine Eastern taking control of the State owned branches in Maine,what will happen to Safe Handling Rail? Were those tracks the only ones they operated or do they have other lines in Maine that they operate?

[MEC407]

Safe Handling still has their main business, which is an intermodal operation in Auburn. They also do some other things, not all of which are rail-related.