Things are going well for the Maine Eastern

Interesting article about the successes and challenges experienced by the Maine Eastern Railroad:

http://knox.villagesoup.com/business/st ... ryID=63079

Nice. Anyone know where they're getting the observation cars? And what exactly are they?

On the topic of the Maine Eastern, I noticed in Bath, they have torn out the two sidings and the mainline in front of the Bath station, they have laid new ballast, new ties, and new rails for the mainline. I went there today and it definitely looks as if there will be one siding being replaced.

My question is: are they only replacing one siding, or are they replacing both of the sidings?
I rarely see the first siding being used, and I haven't seen the second siding used since I was a young kid, back in the late '70s, so I really can't imagine there is a need to spend the $$$ to replace that 2nd siding.

P.S. The new rail is about an inch taller and slightly wider than the original rail, is this an upgraded size of rail, or have the minimum standards of rail size increased since the originals were laid?