Searsport Branch

The plans are attached to the first document I attached.

Relative to this matter one should remember that out of the 3million+PLUS containers
(actual,i.e. NOT TEUs) put through the port of NY-NJ in 2007, only 358K were railborne.
Hence, the appeal of this biggest consigned port, as well as the three other major
Atlantic seaboard US container ports ( defining that category as handling 1Million to 1.5 Million containers per annum) of: Norfolk-Hampton Roads, Va.; Charleston, S.C.; and
Savannah is the market reached by highway vehicles.
Not only that, there is in the case of the Big Apple, the immediate 250 mile drivingarea to act as a sink for imports, and a source of export loads.

Another consideration, is the amount of these outbound container loads.
The presence of direct ,via the Panama Canal, traffic from the Orient,
and its growth at the Port of New York is a reflection of this.

The largest US international container port is LA and its neighbor Long Beach.
Together they top 8million a year in recent years, but have low levels of
returning loads.
Houston, which is a large container port, has virtually no outbound loads.
The large Japanese,Taiwanese,ChiCom, and other oriental based shipping
companies are line hauling to the EastCoast of the US, in order
to serve ports where they can improve the balances between incoming
and outgoing loads.

The Searsport Terminal as competitor is a ludicrous proposition for
almost all of PoNY-NJ traffic, as well as all the traffic going to and
from the other Atlantic seaboard container receiving nodes.

It makes lots of sense to build it for the benefit of the construction
industry/financial industry complex that runs Augusta. They have
bought and paid for the legislature by direct campaign contributions,
and percs of all sorts available from a diverse set of cohabiting
lobbying, political action, and even charitable front organizations.

If they want to save some money on hardware by the way, they can
find about 2 dozen idle container handling gantries , built in the
last 15 years. Subsidized by taxpayers at the coastal ports involved,
and built by state and federal subsidies that exist as monuments to
the cupidity of state and local politicians and the construction/financial
industries complex's that own those legislatures. They are industrial
sculptures memorializing the fruits of studies showing that port 'X'
in Delaware, N.C., S.C. or wherever, - was ready to assume its
rightful place as a container port to serve local users (no matter how
few existed, since more would flock to their salubrious climes when it
was built), as well as capture a share of the traffic going to Charleston
or Savannah, or __________ fill in the blank. I don't know if they got
Kevin Costner, Amy Madigan, or James Earl Jones to work the
crowd, to bring these phantasies to fruition but that they succeeded
can be easily seen by touring the Atlantic coast and looking at ports
which do not attract even a single containerliner per year.

These inactive giants are there for the dismantling... assuming you have
the grea$e to allow them to be silently disassembled and carried off to
Searsport where they can be re-erected as industrial sculptures at
the expense of the taxpayers of the state of Maine, with federal
dollar assistance. It would save a few bucks, and you would be both buying
American, and keeping gangGreen happy (always a consideration
in the NEW Maine) by saving energy and recycling.

All the surveys in the world , blessed by those members of the benefitting
establishments, are only there to facilitate the Barnumesque sobriquet
and fleece the suckers, and make them grateful for the hosing they are
getting at the same time.
Good-Luck, Peter Boylan

Driving north on Route 1A through Prospect and Frankfort, ME, I often cross under the MMA bridge that passes by the Thibadeau gravel pit. When looking up at the ROW north of this, there is a visible abutment that was filled in some time ago. There is an obvious trial that comes down to grade level and at one time crossed the road and ended out at the waters edge of the Marsh River's south branch. Was this a switchback from the old B&A or something that ran to the huge quarry on Mack Mountain?

Still heading north, right across from Mount Waldo Road, the public boat launch is on the right. Here, there is evidence of at least a couple decent sized buildings whose foundation markings are quite obvious. Any clues?

Now back South in the Mill Cove section of Sandy Point, there is evidence that a spur ran down and opened into a couple sidings at Sandy Point beach. Stargate Drive appears to run over part of the ROW until it hits Hershey Retreat Road. From there, the trail continues to the water and ends up on what looks like an elevated pier. What was that? Had to have been abandoned a long time ago.

Just down the line from there, right at Cape Jellison, did another spur run to the docks at Cape Docks Road? I also serve a customer who's driveway borders what I guess was a small yard at Cape Junction. The start of the tracks to the dock area can still be seen in the woods down to where the switch is next to Cape Jellison Road. Must have been a cool wye track in there at one time! Thinking it came in handy to turn power back in steam days.

JB

I know there area you're talking about, as I drive by there every Sunday and have also been curious about the abutments to a filled-in underpass. Check out the University of New Hampshire's old USGS maps for Frankfort and Prospect. What you will find is that there was a quarry on Mount Waldo, on the west side of what is now Old Belfast Road. A spur (which connected to the B&A) ran from the quarry to the Marsh River, roughly paralleling Mount Waldo Road. I checked this out just recently. The ROW is hard to find, even with the trees denuded of leaves. I suspect this may be due to spring freshets that have washed out parts of the roadbed over the years. But there are segments that can be seen. The spur crossed Route 1A and ended at the river, where I surmise (given the layout of the building ruins there) that there must have been a fairly large granite shipping operation. It was apparently still operating in the 1950s, as the maps depict the spur as extant during that time.

As for the filled-in underpass, I'm guessing there must have been another quarry on the hill abutting 1A, just on the other side of the B&A track. As you indicated, there is clear evidence of another ROW that extended from the underpass, across the highway, and to the river. The old maps, however, give no indication of its existence. At first I wondered whether the highway may originally have crossed under the track at that point, but there's no evidence of that either.

The B&A branch to Cape Jellison terminated at a huge --- and I do mean HUGE --- rail yard and pier. It burned in 1923, if memory serves, and the branch was subsequently abandoned, as Searsport had already begun to eclipse it in importance.

The Cape Jellison area, as well as Sandy Point, must have been quite the epicenter for the B&A back in pre-1920 years. Being that Steamboat Wharf Road is a feeder to Sandy Point, guess we assume that spur at that pier served for that purpose. Thanks for that info on the quarries!

Info on Mt Waldo can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Waldo Mount Waldo granite was used in many well-known buildings, the Empire State among them (which I had heard before Wikipedia).

All my Hampden buddies always talk about jumping into the quarry on Mt. Waldo. Its a nice area to explore when you have nothing better to do!

That Wikipedia is an awesome site. Forgot to try that earlier. Was the quarry up on Mack Mountain in Prospect ever served by the BAR? You can see it from real well from Route 174.

[moved to the MMA Forum - omv]

Among other commodities, Searsport handles gypsum, coal and coke. Where does this product come from or go to? Does any of this move by rail?

Maybe I'm answering my own question... are these bulk commodities destined for Dragon Cement in Thomaston?

Hey all, I just moved to Stockton Springs from southern Maine. I was wondering if anyone knew the scanner frequencies for the Searsport yard. I have been hearing the train the past couple of nights. Anyone know how often they come down from Northern Maine Jct. & what they're hauling/picking up? I'd like to know anything you can give me.

They have been running mostly nights down the Searsport way for some time now. Usually 2-3 times a week or as needed. Power normally is two locos with RC caboose VB-2. The job to Searsport was called #211. Not sure if it still is. Scanner frequencies I've had luck with are the 160.440 and 160.680.

I work in Stockton Springs probably at least a half-dozen times per week. If you don't mind me asking, what part of town did you move to?

Jeff Bray

Thanks for the help! I heard it last night just before 10:00pm. It's only been the fourth time I've heard it in the last week & a half since I moved here. So 2-3 times a week seems like the frequency they run it. I was too tired to hop in the truck & go check it out, though.... We're living on Cape Jellison Rd about a half mile from the crossing. Last night after hearing it whistle quite a ways east, I stood outside & could hear it rattling well before it reached the Cape Jellison crossing. It's real quiet out here! Never heard it come back though... Must of been asleep. Thanks again. Where you working in town?
-RYAN

Ryan,

I work for an area plumbing outfit out of Bucksport and we frequent both Harbor Point and Harbor View condo complexes. Matter of fact, we're due for several drain-downs of seasonal occupants down there and at the Stockton Docks. The nice Summer we had made a lot of folks stay later this year. You didn't happen to buy the cedar shingled cape before the little bridge on the water if you bare right at the PW buliding, did you? Killer view of the MMA ROW if they ran in the day. Wherever you live on Cape Jellison, I've been by it many times.

Jeff