Maine Narrow Gauge Portland

I also visited the Maine Narrow Gauge RR Museum in Portland last week.  They are located right on the waterfront on the edge of the Portland downtown area.  When I arrived they were using a small diesel for train rides.  I had a nice discussion with the conductor about the rumor that the RR might be forced to relocate.  Apparently their railroad has a 15 year lease on the right of way but has a 90 day vacate clause, as the city is trying to find a buyer for the valuable real estate that the RR is sitting on.  The primary thing in the RR's favor is the bad economy.  Two of the possible sites where towns have expressed interest in having the RR are Gray which is just a short distance north of Portland and Bridgeton which is perhaps an hour away.  Bridgeton was once served by two 2 foot railroads back in the early 1900's  (the Bridgeton & Harrison and the Bridgeton & Saco River) but the location would likely result in a much lower visitation rate.  In any event the MNGRR is doing fairly well and has a reasonable sized shop area where they are displaying and restoring several NG passenger type cars including the parlor car "Rangeley" as well as a nice rail car.  They also have some small sheds where they are restoring several steam engines.

Above is the diesel and the tourist railcars, plus a caboose on the end of the train.

Above shows the inside of one of the restoration sheds.

A line of freight cars alongside the mainline.  This museum RR is doing a nice job of keeping the Maine 2 foot history alive.

This makes for two NG railroads very close together if you plan to visit the Portland Maine area.

Many years ago I traversed much of the area once covered by the Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes RR.  There was a surprising amount of remnants of the RR still visible.  Phillips had a bunch of equipment in various states of restoration along with a cobbled up imitation of a steam loco which operated on a gasoline engine.  In Kingfield the roundhouse was still standing being used by an auto dealer to store cars.  In Rangeley the iconic stone station had been converted to a private residence, and after a tip from some residents I found the foundation of the roundhouse in the weeds of a then vacant lot.  There were more remnants, many of which I now have forgotten. 

One year I visited the late Dick Andrews who was living in Maine and he escorted me on a brief tour of Bridgeton and Bridgeton Junction.  We were standing in a field near Bridgeton Junction and Dick was providing great detail on the track and facilities that used to be there (nothing remained) and we were being devoured by mosquitos so I asked Dick if we could continue the discussion up on the roadway.  He was very intense about those railroads and a really nice guy.

The Maine Narrow Gauge railroads continue to be some of my favorites.