readfield, maine

personally, i like watching trains in the cumberland/n. yarmouth area most. but i do find readfield quite interesting to watch trains too, but i have always wondered a couple of things:

1. why is there a double-track section between the route 17 crossing and the plains road crossing? i notice that at places like walnut (n. yarmouth, near royal junction), a part of cumberland (near royal junction), a part of new gloucester (near danville junction) there are sidings because there is a junction nearby (my guess.) but in readfield, there's winthrop next door with double-track sections and hammond lumber in belgrade w/a siding. why would there be a siding?

2. about how many trains come through readfield per day. due to the fact that there's RI and RU bound trains, that takes away some traffic, but there's still the BAED and PONM, WAED (and the return trip on those trains), coming through. i know that this line is pretty busy, but just about how often do they come through?

as always, if you know any of this, just post. thanks

Your "guess" is wrong about a junction being the reason for "double track". These are passing sidings,for trains to meet on the one track line. This is what Amtrak wants more of,on the Guilford Freight Mainline between Rigby and the Mass.-N.H. border,to have more locales for Guilford freights "to take the hole" getting "outta" way for the Downeater(s).

From Rigby,the double track ends at Congress St,which is CPF 195(CPF =Control Point Freight Mainline). Next passing siding is a long one stretching from Allen Ave in Morrill's Corner(CPF 194) to Riverside St,on the Ptld.-Falm. line(CPF 192).

The Walnut siding was just "reactivated" after being out of service for 4 years or so.

Next is New Gloucester. Then Rumford Jct.(which hasn't been a junction,since the original route to Rumford was ripped up just east of Hackett Rd. in Auburn in 1952). Then the Fairgrounds passing track,off Rt. 202(Main St.) in Lewiston.

True passing track at Leeds Jct. is out of service,so freights usually just pull past the Rumford Branch switch,for a meet.

Winthrop has been out of service "for years".

Belgrade is last passing siding before the yard limits in Oakland,and lead to the Madison Branch.

Thats it,west of Waterville!

Maine Central,in the "modern era",had double tracks all the way from Portland to Freeport on the Lower Road,and to Rt. 231 in New Gloucester on the Back Road. This was singled tracked after the end of passenger service on 9/60,except for a few vestiges for passing sidings such as Falmouth,Walnut and N.Gloucester.

Hope this helps.
Bud

They used to have a siding in Monmouth. When did they tear that up, and was it really a siding? Anyone know what i'm talking about?

Trains,I think you mean the long passing siding that begins before Leeds Jct, switch to the Rumford Branch,and contines into the town of Monmouth itself. Bedins west of Leeds,at "Roy" and continues to "Cressey",which is in Monmouth town limits. It is another passing track not used. Last I knew,it was due to a crossover switch in the middle of this passing track,near the main road crossing. Doesn't seem to hamper GRS operations.

For real trivia,Leeds Jct. itself is NOT in the Town of Leeds(with its many "suburbs"),but the Town of Wales. Wales is even more obscure than the town I live in(and we like it that way!!). Last time Wales made any news,was about a decade ago,when State Police raided a huge cock fighting operation in a barn there! Thousands in bets,many fighting roosters,and over 100 people from mostly Mass. and R.I.

Bud

No, what i'm thinking of was actually right in town. The siding used to be just south of the crossing for route 132 (Main St.) There is a yellow building, which my parents tell me used to be a corn packaging operation. This siding ran for maybe a quarter of a mile south of the crossing along the lake. It was torn up a number of years ago. I do not remember seeing the siding, but if you look at the ROW along the lake, you can see evidence of where the switch and tracks used to be. Guilford never really bothered to replace the extra long ties where the switch was. I would assume it was obsolete because Guilford removed it, I'm just wondering what it was used for.

Thanks for the other information too. This is one area of Guilford's operations that interest me. I would suppose it would be a very nice train ride from Portland to Waterville.

Not to "nit pick" but to me a "siding" has 2 ends(and we were talking about passing tracks/sidings). Yes,that is the "spur"(dead end) in Monmouth Village to the old MEC freight house. Switch long since disconnected.

"Corn Shops" as Mainers called a seasonal packing plant,even if corn wasn't the only crop processed and canned were found in many Maine towns. They provided the standard gauge,narrow gauge,and even trolley lines,with many carloads of canned products otbound,and new cans,crops and even coal of the steam plant.

Momnmouth Canning was a large operation 50-75 years ago,with plants in a number of Maine communities.

There is a similiar freight house in the town of Greene,close to Monmouth.

Bud

Thank you. I'll start a new topic about Corn Shops since it is kind of off topic for this thread.