Somerset Railroad & Somerset/Kineo Branch (MEC)

I found an unusually detailed history of the Somerset Railroad (pg. 74) which later became the Somerset Branch of the Maine Central Railroad in a history of the town of Oakland, ME. Oakland, which was once known as "West Waterville" was the terminus of the Somerset Railroad.

Among several other surprising stories was this one:

When the Maine Central discontinued the oil-fired engines on the Somerset Line, the oil in storage at Rockwood, on the shores of Moosehead Lake, was dumped into the lake, causing a major environmental episode, which the railroad had to clean up. ref: Footnote - 137
-
Footnote 137: MacDougall, 33 (From Footnote 124 of the same document: MacDougall, Walter M. "The Old Somerset Railroad." Down East, 8
(November 1961))

I was impressed that there was some kind of legal mechanism or law that could be used to compel the railroad to clean up environmental pollution at such an early period of time. On the other hand given the raw beauty of Moosehead Lake it doesn't seem surprising at all that the State of Maine would have found a way to protect it.

The Somerset Branch is perhaps best known for having served as the railroad line to the Mt. Kineo House on Moosehead Lake.

Somerset Railroad (Maine) Wiki

There seems to be somewhat of a dispute regarding the name of the Somerset Branch. It is often referred to as the Kineo Branch in a lot of literature.

Any clarifications on the exact name of this branch used by the Maine Central Railroad would be appreciated, to include any informal naming by the railroaders themselves.

From Walter MacDougall's history, "The Old Somerset Railroad":

1861 Chartered as Somerset Railroad
1904 Sold and reorganized as the Somerset Railway
1906 Completed to Kineo
1911 Merged with the Maine Central
1933 Service to Kineo ends, cut back to Bingham
1975 Service to Bingham ends*, cutback to North Anson
*Karr and Lindsell say 1979

Names of the Branch

ETT April 26, 1931 calls it the Kineo Branch
ETT Oct 27, 1957 calls it the Bingham Branch
Guilford called it the Madison Running Track

At least one old railroader I knew always called it the Somerset.

PBM

F.,

Thanks!

I found that very helpful especially since the was an official company source. That's precisely the kind of thing that I'm looking for in order to ensure that the history of this branch gets documented to the fullest extent possible or necessary here.

I've edited the thread title (before the window of time on user edits closes...!) to reflect this.

Also very interesting to document some oral history indicating that railroaders did in fact refer to this line by its original name for quite some time. If this individual is deceased perhaps it might be acceptable at some point to provide some personal information.

g,

>>If this individual is deceased perhaps it might be acceptable at some point to provide some personal information.>>....>>

I'm certain that by now he has gone to that great roundhouse in the sky, however, I met the gentleman during WWII, and I never knew his first name because I always addressed him as "Mister (?)" I am now 75; they say memory is the first thing to go, and I forgot whatever the second thing is. Your best hope might be that I suddenly awake bolt upright in bed some night with the inspiration that his name was (!) but I wouldn't put much hope in that. Sorry.

PBM

I lived in Bingham for many years starting at the end of 1976. What was left of the Somerset was still operating into Bingham at the time, servicing a lumber mill on the south side of the village. I had to stop once for a short freight on the "lower crossing" in town on Route 201, and I heard locomotive horns off in the distance quite a few times over the ensuing year and a half or so. Service was terminated in 1978, and the track was taken up in the spring of 1979.