Lewiston Industrial Track/Lewiston Lower Rd/Branch status

The Lewiston Industrial Track has been hopping all Fall!

Grimmel Industries has been shipping out 5 or more (12 last week! - 8 on Thursday and 4 more on Monday) scrap gons full of shredded automobiles. I have been watching two trips per week by PanAm hauling scrap and empties back and forth. Runs are often on Monday late afternoon and Thursday late afternoons. This is the most activity I have seen on this line since the 1980's. Anyone know where all this scrap is going?

Not sure where it ends up going but thanks for the reports. If you can get a car number, we might be able to have some one look up where it went.

I have a video I took back on May 20, 2015 of PanAm #354 pulling several loaded scrap gons including GDJX 28 and GDJX 115 ( I believe these are correct, the video isn't all that clear) These same gons have been back for more scrap over the summer I am certain.

Photo by Dan Comick:

http://photos.nerail.org/s/?p=226579" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Beyond the posting of emergency contact signs at the crossings, I hadn't seen any sign of trains traversing the branch this spring/summer. The crossings remained full of winter silt. Today, however, I noticed fresh grooves - looks like something light weight like a hi-rail truck. Keep an eye out for future trains!

Mikejf, what is the book's title that you mentioned above? Was it the one about the Sumner & Buckfield? I noted that there were 6 copies published and the author has passed. I would like to get my hands on a copy.

What specifically are you looking for? Maybe I can find it.

Sumner and the railroad: Buckfield Branch Railroad, Portland & Oxford Central Railroad, Rumford Falls & Buckfield Railroad, Portland & Rumford Falls Railway, Maine Central Railroad

by Richard G Durnin (Author)

Unfortunately I have none of those for reference, but I do have the Rumford Falls and Rangeley Lakes that briefly references those. I would like to get my hands on those books also.

apparently there were 6 copies printed

I might poke around the Sumner and Buckfield libraries/historical societies.

The ROW in West Minot is gated but it looks like a nice ride on it up to Buckfield.

Mikejf wrote:Unfortunately I have none of those for reference, but I do have the Rumford Falls and Rangeley Lakes that briefly references those. I would like to get my hands on those books also.

If anyone does I would encourage donating a copy to the Maine State Library and having them deposit it in their rare books collection (non-circulating). Volumes that rare should be preserved and digitized.

sleepingtree wrote:Beyond the posting of emergency contact signs at the crossings, I hadn't seen any sign of trains traversing the branch this spring/summer. The crossings remained full of winter silt. Today, however, I noticed fresh grooves - looks like something light weight like a hi-rail truck. Keep an eye out for future trains!

Anything new since then?
I know MeDOT patrolled the Lower Road periodically by truck, and probably still does, but I don't know how frequently they did/do that. (One day a few years ago, it was timed just right so the track inspector interrupted a guy pulling spikes and stealing tie plates. I am not making this up.)

Recently, I noticed a bit of a kurfluffle (sp?) in Lisbon Falls. It appears that in the course of demolishing most of what remains of the Worumbo Mill, crews damaged the siding. I saw a state hi-rail and a small crew inspecting/attempting to repair the damage, but now, a few weeks later, I see it's still a bit broken. Other than that, not much to report on the route.

Is MEDOT actually operating under the delusion that there's going to be a new freight customer just itching to build on the mill site? Instead of a shopping center?

The line was never repaired or maintained past the mill site. They rebuilt the line so the mill could ship by rail. By the time the workwas complete, the mill was on life support.