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  • Belfast & Moosehead Lake Railroad (BML) Discussion

  • Pertaining to all railroading subjects, past and present, in New England
Pertaining to all railroading subjects, past and present, in New England

Moderators: MEC407, NHN503

 #891364  by ferroequinarchaeologist
 
momentary deviation down the RDC path ...

>>Evidently, the 9s were designed as half-powered trailers for use with 1s.

Exactly. This was how the B&M used them. I preferred riding in them because they had only one engine and consequently were a little quieter. Not that the -1s weren't several orders of magnitude improvement over the predecessor Laconia wooden open platform coaches.

... back to our regularly scheduled program.

PBM
 #913055  by trainsinmaine
 
The Waterville (Maine) Morning Sentinel is reporting this morning that Unity Depot on the Belfast & Moosehead Lake RR is up for sale, and that all the railroad's equipment has been sold off. Here's the link: http://www.onlinesentinel.com/news/last ... 03-20.html
UNITY — The old Unity train station property north of Depot Street is quiet and there's a for-sale sign out front. That's nothing new: 140 years of service came to a halt three years ago when the Belfast & Moosehead Lake Railroad Co. folded operations. But with the recent sale of the remaining assets of the former Belfast-to-Burnham rail line — a locomotive, passenger cars and the train station property — the disappearance of the historic rail service is now in sharp relief.

The locomotive and coaches have been winterized and will be taken this spring to a new home in North Carolina. "It's clearly the end of an era," said Larry Sterrs, chief executive officer of the Unity Foundation, which donated all the trains and equipment to start the Belfast and Moosehead Lake Railroad Preservation Society in 2006. "The railroad here has been under various ownerships, operating for many years, and unfortunately that will all be lost as a result of that transaction. The good news is, we were able to find a home for the equipment." The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad of Bryson City, N.C., along with Rail Events Inc., purchased the remaining assets to the railway. The sale price was not disclosed.

I would say, sadly, that the time has come to throw in the towel. The B&ML has no freight business waiting on the horizon; the Belfast city fathers, in their myopia, decided they didn't want the railroad on their city pier any longer; and, for inexplicable reasons, the railroad rarely ran excursion trains on the prettiest section of its line, the farm country near Thorndike.

Let's raise our glasses in a toast to the construction of yet another snowmobile trail.
 #913067  by highrail
 
I had thought that the current group that was operating the line, and which operated an excursion last fall and also ran to one of the fairs last fall, was still in business and was separate from the Unity Depot mess. The depot that they have been restoring is at Brooks. Does this affect them too?
 #913230  by shadyjay
 
highrail wrote:I had thought that the current group that was operating the line, and which operated an excursion last fall and also ran to one of the fairs last fall, was still in business and was separate from the Unity Depot mess. The depot that they have been restoring is at Brooks. Does this affect them too?
I would think no, judging by their web site:
http://brookspreservation.org/excursions.shtml
 #913257  by gokeefe
 
Although the article indicates certain portions of the line are owned by towns I was under the impression that parts of the line (if not all of it) were owned by the State of Maine.

I wouldn't necessarily be concerned about the rails getting ripped up just yet (if MDOT does in fact own the property).
 #913318  by b&m 1566
 
I’m not sure what you guys are referring to but the Belfast and Moosehead Lake Railroad is still alive. Brooks Preservation Society (BPS) has scheduled weekend and holiday train rides out of Belfast this year starting Memorial Day Weekend and ending Columbus Day Weekend. The equipment that was sold off in Unity, from what I gather is the equipment that BPS didn’t want.
 #913350  by gokeefe
 
b&m 1566 wrote:I’m not sure what you guys are referring to but the Belfast and Moosehead Lake Railroad is still alive. Brooks Preservation Society (BPS) has scheduled weekend and holiday train rides out of Belfast this year starting Memorial Day Weekend and ending Columbus Day Weekend. The equipment that was sold off in Unity, from what I gather is the equipment that BPS didn’t want.
I think many of us are aware of the group in Brooks. However the scale and extent of their operation is no match for the previous B&ML excursions.

That being said I think I'm pretty comfortable with this state of affairs. The B&ML as a scenic excursion operator, and especially as a non-profit was, in my opinion, starting to soak up resources for non-historic trains and facilities. I'm happy to see the 'Meatball' and the Swedish cars leave (or in the process of leaving). That was one of the 'other' problems that I had with the B&ML it was a train for train's sake as opposed to an organization that was dedicating significant resources to historic preservation of native (and often unique) railroad equipment.

And 'yes' just for the record I have actually ridden in the Swedish cars, I took them to the MOFGA common ground fair in Unity several years ago.

That in my mind is what differentiates the former B&ML from WW&F and the DSRX. The historic focus of the operation in Brooks has a strong historical focus and consequently a solid foundation for future survival.
 #914121  by b&m 1566
 
Is the new station in Belfast located or going to be located just south of the rte 1/3 overpass?
Is a passing siding going to be constructed to run the engine around the train?
 #914163  by Otto Vondrak
 
I think the goofy Swedish steam train is the reason a lot of people stayed away in the past. Does anyone know the background of that purchase?

-otto-
 #914190  by ferroequinarchaeologist
 
If by "background," you mean the business decision to buy the Swedish loco and coaches, I can only suggest temporary insanity, or total cluelessness regarding the tourist rail business.

If you mean "where did it come from," the loco was one of about 200 mothballed after WW2 in case of a nuclear attack on Sweden's mostly-electric rail system during the cold war years. Several European countries did the same. Sweden finally decided to get rid of this "strategic reserve" in the early 1990s.

PBM
 #914202  by MEC407
 
When I went for a ride on the B&ML in 2000 or 2001, I specifically chose to go on a non-steam day, because I wanted to experience their old 70-tonner, which had an actual historical connection to the line. I had nothing against the steam engine, and thought (and still think) that it was pretty, but the diesel was just more appealing to me at the time. That said, I'm a rail enthusiast, and I imagine rail enthusiasts are in the minority in terms of the overall makeup of the B&ML's ridership. The steam engine, despite not having any local significance, may in fact have been more appealing to non-railfans who came to experience an old-fashioned train ride. At least in theory.

The biggest turn-off for me were the Swedish coaches. They seemed fairly modern, and just felt totally out of place with the railroad, the location, and the engines (both steam and diesel). I had much more fun riding in the open-air car (a converted flatcar, I believe).

Putting aside the Swedish steam vs. local diesel debate, the line just isn't that interesting from a scenery point of view. Honestly it can't compete with the Rockland Branch in terms of visual appeal. It's not unattractive; it just doesn't have any "wow" factor. :-\ (That's one reason why I'm concerned about MNGRR's possible plans to move out of Portland; their current line, even though it's short, has such gorgeous views.)
 #914238  by highrail
 
The equipment that has been sold and due to depart the property...anyone have a sense of timetable and logistics? I would assume that it would be via rail. If by rail, connection with PanAm at Burnham Junction, correct? It could be an interesting move.
So, can anyone in the area give us a heads up? Thanks!
 #914300  by Otto Vondrak
 
ferroequinarchaeologist wrote:If by "background," you mean the business decision to buy the Swedish loco and coaches, I can only suggest temporary insanity, or total cluelessness regarding the tourist rail business.
Yeah, that's the one.
 #914301  by Otto Vondrak
 
MEC407 wrote:The biggest turn-off for me were the Swedish coaches. They seemed fairly modern, and just felt totally out of place with the railroad, the location, and the engines (both steam and diesel).
I would assume the FRA would have had to sign off on their usage to haul passengers in the USA?

-otto-
 #918276  by oibu
 
I think you guys may be focusing too narrowly on your railfan perspective or more recent times with your comments re: the steam engine.

Don't get me wring, I agree from a historic and fan perspective it was kind of strange.

But did teh general public up from Boston or CT or Manhattan or NJ care? Hell they never even heard of the B&ML until they went up Route 1. They are not railfans. 70 tonner? Just another diesel- and not a very big or impressive or "pretty" one at that. But hmm, a steam engine? "Well, I'm tired of the gift shops and I'd like to get the kids to do something outside. Riding a steam train could be kinda fun." And besides, at the time, there were ZERO operating steam locomtives in the state of Maine (well, outside of Boothbay Ry Vilalge's naroow gauge dinkies. And they were mostly if not all EUROPEAN as well). This is before the repatriation/restoration of the 2-footers. It was also at teh time when the business model was based on running directly and primarily out of tourism-heavy Belfast, right on tourism SUPERHIGHWAY Route 1.

So based on a purely TOURIST-based BUSINESS perspective, based on the recent loss of all remianing freight traffic, based on the operational plans and business model at the time (which seemed to be working pretty well until the City of Belfast pulled the plug), based on the status of Steam (basically nonexistent) in teh state of Maine, based on the more or less serviceable condition of the Swedish engine vs. hige costs and major work to restore anything that may have been available in the US at the time, etc. etc. it seems to have been a legit plan at the time.

That being said, from the persepctive of a historian/railfan with an appreciation for the B&ML itself, I agree with what you guys say about it. BUt realistically, what portion of B&ML toursit train ridership did we ever make up? 1%? 3%?? I doubt much more.
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