Does Maine still ship potatoes?

Hi all

I was wondering, does Maine still ship potatos (potatoes?) by rail like in the old days?

JD

No. I think they stopped shipping potatoes by rail by the 70s. French fries have moved by rail off and on since then. See the MEC French Fry thread, for example.

Gotcha. I was curious as I never knew until recently that Maine was so big into 'taters.

Maine used to be big in the 'tater biz until several years after WW II, but the federal government solved that problem by heavily subsidizing the farming of russet potatoes in Idaho in order to boost that state's economy. Meanwhile, Maine cut its own throat by pushing the farming of lesser quality potatoes in quantity for such products as instant mashed potatoes. After a few years of this, nobody wanted a Maine potato. The only significant business left is the growing of seed potato stock by a few specialty outfits.

PBM

Wasn't the B&A at one time pretty much taters and wood/paper products south, coal, oil, farm equipment and foodstuffs north? IIRC they even had a 'to the door' LCL delivery service into the 1950s. I also seem to remember that B&A into the 1950s had one of the largest reefer fleets. Used for potatoes in season and leased to western lines for other veggies during the summer.

CarterB wrote: Used for potatoes in season and leased to western lines for other veggies during the summer.

The Bangor & Aroostook also had a deal in the 1950s/early 1960s where it leased some GP7s to the Pennsylvania RR every summer. The BAR needed them in the fall and winter to move the potato crop, and the PRR needed extra power in Cleveland each summer to help move the seasonal iron ore traffic off the Great Lakes ore boats.

CarterB wrote:Wasn't the B&A at one time pretty much taters and wood/paper products south, coal, oil, farm equipment and foodstuffs north? IIRC they even had a 'to the door' LCL delivery service into the 1950s. I also seem to remember that B&A into the 1950s had one of the largest reefer fleets. Used for potatoes in season and leased to western lines for other veggies during the summer.

Can't answer the question, but to clarify: the B&A is the Boston and Albany; BAR is the Bangor and Aroostook.

I see... so alas, no big 'tater business up in Maine. Is there ANY agricultural (did I spell that right? Looks silly...) business up in Maine other than local farmers and local markets. Or is wood king? I wonder if they could start producing ethanol from corn up there since the paper industry is going south (which is a shame).

Don't forget chip potatos. One farmer in my community and another in a nearby town grow potatos for the chip market (Frito-Lay). However neither farm is located on rail, all by the 18-wheeler. Rarely, a carload will go out of Aroostook County, but when that happens, you can rest assured that the devil is wearing a fur coat!

NellsChoo wrote:Is there ANY agricultural (did I spell that right? Looks silly...) business up in Maine other than local farmers and local markets.

Blueberries. Maine is the largest producer of blueberries in the world. I'm sure those were shipped by rail at some point in history, but probably not in recent history. There is, or was, a blueberry processing plant in Ellsworth right next to the Calais Branch and I think they have, or had, a siding... but that could just be my wishful imagination.

Maine is also the largest producer of lobsters in the U.S., but I guess that's more aquaculture than agriculture and I don't think they were ever shipped by rail in quantity.

Funny that you should bring this subject up, as I was in Lagrange, Maine, last Sunday taking photos of the old Old Town-to-Lagrange ROW of the Bangor & Aroostook as well as the Medford Cutoff. I remember when the Cutoff was abandoned in the late seventies and the BAR parked hundreds of its old potato cars on the track --- a string of them at least a mile and a half long. They were there for quite some time, and were gradually sold off one by one.

I think I'm correct in saying that the loss of potato shipping was directly responsible for the BAR's abandonment of its main line between Houlton and Van Buren. Passenger service had been gone since the '60s, and when the potato business dried up, that was the death knell for the line. It was a shame. It was a beautifully maintained railroad.

Can't answer the question, but to clarify: the B&A is the Boston and Albany; BAR is the Bangor and Aroostook.

There will be a lot of old former B&A (Bangor and Aroostook) employees that take exception to that. The railroad was traditionally "the B&A." I believe the BAR (I've heard it pronounced both "the bar" and "the B-A-R" in the industry) was a much more recent nickname (the 60s?), based on the railroad's reporting marks.

I think I'm correct in saying that the loss of potato shipping was directly responsible for the BAR's abandonment of its main line between Houlton and Van Buren.

It's been years since I've been up there, but in the late 80s there were still a lot of old potato sheds with railroad loading doors along the abandoned right-of-way. Probably still there. And as Ithink of it, there was some guy on Route 1 (near Mars Hill?) who had a whole bunch of railroad "junk" in his yard - old switch stands, slow order/speed signs and even a motor car?

Maine is the largest producer of blueberries in the world.

407, I had to look that one up, as I now live in the Midwest and NEVER see Maine blueberries. In 2005, Michigan was the leading producer, followed by Maine... and in common with potatoes, Maine's blueberry production has waned over time. Meanwhile, New Jersey and Oregon production is growing dramatically.

NellsChoo wrote:I see... so alas, no big 'tater business up in Maine. Is there ANY agricultural (did I spell that right? Looks silly...) business up in Maine other than local farmers and local markets.

While I don't have any stats., I believe Maine produces lots of chicken eggs for consumption in the New England/Northeast market which provides inbound feed railroad traffic.

There is a growing broccoli(!) industry in Aroostook County; I don't know whether of the broccoli is shipped out via rail, as I don't specifically know where the farms are.

The heart of the Maine egg industry is Turner, near Lewiston. There is no rail line in Turner. If feed is shipped by rail, I would presume it could come as far as Auburn or Leeds and is trucked from there.

Blueberries? Lots of 'em still grown in Washington County, but the rails are currently being ripped up on the old Washington County Sub (which hadn't been used in twenty-four years).

Corn canning used to be a major industry in Maine. That's long gone. Ditto with chicken farming.

Snow's Canning Company -- notable for Snow's Clam Chowder -- is still located on the B&M in Scarborough, Maine, but I don't think they've shipped or received anything by rail in quite some time. I wonder if they ever received Maine potatoes by rail?