The Eastern Railroad revisited

arthur d. wrote: ↑Sat Dec 21, 2019 7:13 pm

Manalishi wrote: ↑Mon Dec 16, 2019 8:50 pm Even odder, nearby, a giant iron eye bolt attached to a rock. My only guess is that it was used to move those incredibly heavy granite blocks around. Or tether an elephant.
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Is this the only one at the site? I'm thinking anchors for guy wires, supporting a stationary derrick, used in setting the original stones.

There may be others but that is the only one I could find. I always wondered how those heavy granite blocks were lifted into place without the aid of a crane or backhoe or even a steam shovel. Oxen?

This answer would benefit from more research, but, given that the PS&P (the Eastern didn't have complete control till 1870) was up and running to Portland by 1842, its almost certain that animals of one sort or other were in some way involved in setting the stones.

Doubtful that those stones were set during initial construction. Probably done as an upgrade or improvement to the line.

You're probably right although I think the granite blocks would look the same if they were dumped there in 1940 or 1840! Perhaps used for double tracking? Although I don't think that section of the Eastern was double tracked.

Well, that's all the exploring until next spring. I'm not sure how much farther north I'm going to go. There's Saco and Biddeford but cities really don't interest me. There's also the marshes in Scarborough but it's pretty developed from Saco to Portland. The odds of finding long stretches of the ROW that haven't been built over decrease dramatically.

I've photographed other long abandoned railroads (Cocheco, WN&P, P,GF&C, etc.) so I could start a thread on those if there's any interest. Cheers!

There is a stretch in Scarborough that has been turned into a road, and some towards Rigby from there that is a walking trail. And between Saco and the Kennebunk Service plazas on the Pike has been turned into a nice walking/biking trail.

jbvb wrote: ↑Wed Dec 25, 2019 1:16 pm A short stretch of ERR RoW still exists in Eliot, on the NE side of ME 236 at Wooster Rd. The highway builders bypassed a fairly deep cut. In the early 1960s, several driveways which probably had originally connected to ME 103 still had wood bridges over the cut. You could still see some of the rock walls of the cut last time I passed through, but it's been a convenient place to dump stuff for almost 70 years.

I didn't know that so I went to take a look. There is a gully there which I must have passed dozens of times, oblivious that it once was part of the Eastern.

Here's a picture of that cut shortly after the rails were removed. The bridge abutment once supported Gould's Bridge on Gould's Bridge Road. Gould's Bridge Road was renamed Worster Road. Apparently they didn't waste any time removing the bridge.

Mikejf wrote: ↑Mon Dec 30, 2019 8:13 am Doubtful that those stones were set during initial construction. Probably done as an upgrade or improvement to the line.

Seem to recall there was a bridge strengthening campaign in the '20s, prior to the coming of the Berk's.

In Kittery, from Dennett road to I-95, the R.O.W.is still quite obvious.

Yup, you can see it plain as day with the Google Satellite view. Crosses Dennett Rd, past the Jehovah's Witness hall, past the Kittery sewer plant, crosses 95 and merges with 236 around Dana Ave.

I believe they removed the tunnel when the bypass was upgraded a few years back.

More of a glorified bridge, but you are correct, it was filled in near the end of the Long bridge replacement project. I remember going down to look at it a few years before that. The Oak Terrace end was full of water and a pile of rocks, I'd guess there had been some digging going on to keep it from being used as an unauthorized underpass. At one time there was a landscape or tree service on Old Post road, and I believe they were using their end as a garage of sorts.

I have always been very facilitated by the Eastern Railroad. How I wish it could be restored someday for passenger service.

Anyways, it's been nearly 5 years since this thread has been active and I was wondering if anyone has done any exploring since then and took any new pictures of what remains of the Eastern Railroad in New Hampshire and Maine. Would love to see some new photos of places revisited since this thread has started or areas that have not been explored yet.

In addition, are there any places where the tracks are still intact that you can legally explore and easily access? If yes I might try to do some exploring myself next summer.

Given that it didn't survive WWII, there's little case to restore it, given that the Western operates with plenty of available capacity.

The only place where the tracks still exist would be the actively used Saco Industrial Track, and the section that operated as the Turner's Island RR. I wouldnt recommend walking operational/private RR property.

Part of the section that is currently operated by Turner's Island can be explored easily without trespassing because the South Portland Greenbelt pedestrian/bicycle path runs parallel to it.

If you're visiting South Portland and want to check it out, you could park on North Kelsey Street near the intersection with Chestnut Street. At the end of North Kelsey Street just past that intersection is where the Greenbelt runs alongside the Turner's Island Railroad. You can walk or bicycle the Greenbelt from that point down to where the tracks cross Broadway. The Broadway grade crossing is where Turner's Island ownership ends and CSX ownership begins.

On this map I marked the Turner's Island Railroad with a blue line, the South Portland Greenbelt with a green line, and North Kelsey Street with a yellow line.

Yeah, I agree there is little point in restoring it for freight. But for passenger rail it would make sense. At least through New Hampshire and to Portsmouth. I would think the row would be impossible to restore any further north, though I would love if it still existed.

Yeah, I wouldn't want to go exploring operational rail. I had thought there were sections of trackage still in place in New Hampshire such as through a salt water marsh or something.

I didn't know about Turner's Island and that operated on what was once part of the Eastern Route. I'll have to check that out via the Greenbelt. Thanks for the tip MEC407.

I didn't know about Turner's Island and that operated on what was once part of the Eastern Route.

The Eastern actually crossed the Fore River at Turners Island to directly access Portland. As I recall, the trestle was abandoned some time after Rigby Yard was opened in the early 1920s... Turners Island even had a roundhouse at one point.