The

Maine Central Railroad Company The Maine Central Railroad Company was a U. S. Class I railroad in central and southern Maine. It was chartered in 1856 and began operations in 1862. By 1884, Maine Central was the longest railroad in New England. Maine Central had expanded to w ...

main line extended from

Portland, Maine Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metropo ...

, east to the Canada–US border with

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...

at the Saint Croix-Vanceboro Railway Bridge. It is the transportation artery linking

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ...

cities to the national railway network. Sections of the

main line Mainline, ''Main line'', or ''Main Line'' may refer to: Transportation Railway * Main line (railway), the principal artery of a railway system * Main line railway preservation, the practice of operating preserved trains on an operational railw ...

had been built by predecessor railroads consolidated as the Maine Central in 1862 and extended to the Canada–US border in 1882. Through the early 20th century, the main line was double track from South Portland to Royal Junction, where it split into a lower road through Brunswick and Augusta and a back road through Lewiston which converged at Waterville into single track to Bangor and points east. Westbound trains typically used the lower road with lighter grades, while eastbound trains of empty cars used the back road. This historical description does not include changes following purchase of the Maine Central Railroad by

Guilford Transportation Industries Guildford is a town in Surrey, England. It gives its name to the Borough of Guildford, the Diocese of Guildford and the Parliamentary constituency of Guildford. Guildford, Guilford, or Gildford may also refer to: Places Australia * Guildf ...

in 1981 and subsequent operation as part of

Pan Am Railways Pan Am Railways, Inc. (PAR) is a subsidiary of CSX Corporation that operates Class II regional railroads covering northern New England from Mattawamkeag, Maine, to Rotterdam Junction, New York. Pan Am Railways is primarily made up of former Cla ...

Portland Terminal Company

Portland had been the terminal of several railroads whose independent yard facilities were consolidated as the

Portland Terminal Company The Portland Terminal Company was a terminal railroad notable for its control of switching (shunting) activity for the Maine Central Railroad (MEC) and Boston & Maine (B&M) railroads in the Maine cities of Portland, South Portland, and Westb ...

in 1911. After 1922, most freight trains originated or terminated in South Portland's

Rigby yard Rail yards in the United States Railway buildings and structures in Maine Buildings and structures in South Portland, Maine 1922 establishments in Maine Rigby Yard is a classification yard in South Portland, Maine, operated by Pan Am Railways, ...

on what had originally been Boston and Maine Railroad (B&M) property. * Milepost 0: Commercial Street Station had been established in 1842 as the northern terminal of the B&M predecessor Portland, Saco and Portsmouth Railway and became the southern terminal of the connecting standard gauge Kennebec and Portland Railroad. * Milepost 1.6: Portland Union Station opened in 1888 and was used by main line passenger trains until razed in 1961. Union Station was the junction with the

Portland and Ogdensburg Railway The Portland & Ogdensburg Railroad was a railroad planned to connect Portland, Maine to Ogdensburg, New York. The plan failed, and in 1880 the Vermont section was reorganized and leased by the Boston & Lowell Railroad. In 1886, the Maine and Ne ...

opened in 1870 and leased as the Maine Central

Mountain Division The Mountain Division (later the Mountain Subdivision) is a railroad line that was once owned and operated by the Maine Central Railroad (MEC). It stretches from Portland, Maine on the Atlantic Ocean, through the Western Maine Mountains and Whi ...

in 1888. * Milepost 3.0: Woodfords * Milepost 4.1: Deering Junction with the former

Worcester, Nashua and Rochester Railroad The Worcester, Nashua and Rochester Railroad was a railroad line that was to link the city of Worcester, Massachusetts, to the city of Portland, Maine, via the New Hampshire cities of Nashua and Rochester, by merging several small shortline rail ...

branch of the B&M.

Kennebec & Portland RR

The Kennebec and Portland Railroad was chartered in 1836, and completed from Portland to Augusta in 1851. It was reorganized as the Portland and Kennebec Railroad in 1862, leased as the Maine Central lower road main line in 1870, and purchased in 1874. *

Presumpscot River The Presumpscot River () is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed June 30, 2011 river located in Cumberland County, Maine. It is the main outlet of Sebago Lake. The rive ...

bridge * Milepost 7.9: West Falmouth station opened in 1850. * Milepost 11.0: Cumberland Center station opened in 1850. * Milepost 13.2: Royal Junction with the back road main line. *

Royal River Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a c ...

bridge * Milepost 15.0: Yarmouth Junction with the

Grand Trunk Railway The Grand Trunk Railway (; french: Grand Tronc) was a railway system that operated in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario and in the American states of Connecticut, Maine, Michigan, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The rail ...

(later Canadian National Railway Berlin subdivision) * Milepost 20.5: Freeport station opened in 1848. * Milepost 29.2: Brunswick was the junction with the Maine Central Railroad Rockland Branch and Lewiston branch. *

Androscoggin River The Androscoggin River ( Abenaki: ''Aləssíkαntekʷ'') is a river in the U.S. states of Maine and New Hampshire, in northern New England. It is U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, ...

bridge * Milepost 30.3: Topsham station opened in 1851. * Milepost 36.9: Bowdoinham station opened in 1851. * Milepost 44.5:

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

station opened in 1851. * Milepost 47.4: Iceboro station opened in 1851. * Milepost 55.9: Gardiner was the junction with the 2-mile Maine Central Cobbosseecontee branch originally serving water-powered mills along the stream of the same name. * Milepost 60.2: Hallowell station opened in 1851. * Milepost 62.3: Augusta operated a Maine Central local switcher serving industries from Gardiner to Augusta.

Somerset & Kennebec RR

The

Somerset and Kennebec Railroad The Somerset and Kennebec Railroad was a 19th-century Maine railroad which became part of the Maine Central Railroad. History The railroad was built in stages to serve mills along the Kennebec River upstream of Augusta, Maine, where it connected ...

was chartered in 1848 and completed from Augusta to Waterville in 1853. It became the northern end of the lower road main line in 1874 after being leased to the Portland and Kennebec Railroad in 1864, and to the Maine Central in 1870. * Kennebec River bridge * Milepost 73.7: Vassalboro station opened in 1853. * Milepost 80.1:

Winslow Winslow may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Winslow, Buckinghamshire, England, a market town and civil parish * Winslow Rural District, Buckinghamshire, a rural district from 1894 to 1974 United States and Canada * Rural Municipality of Winslo ...

station opened in 1853. * Kennebec River bridge * Milepost 81.7: Waterville, where the slightly longer back road main line MP 85.2 rejoined the lower road main line MP 81.7. Maine Central shops were located here, and this was the junction of an 18-mile branch to

Skowhegan Skowhegan () is the county seat of Somerset County, Maine. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 8,620. Every August, Skowhegan hosts the annual Skowhegan State Fair, the oldest continuously-held state fair in the United States. Skowh ...

, which was the northern terminal of the Somerset & Kennebec.

Penobscot & Kennebec RR

The

Penobscot and Kennebec Railroad The Penobscot and Kennebec Railroad (P&K) is a historic U.S. railroad which operated in Maine. The Penobscot and Kennebec Railroad Co. received a charter on April 5, 1845, and built a line between Bangor, Maine and Waterville, Maine. At Wate ...

was chartered in 1845 and completed a

Portland gauge , a broad gauge, is the track gauge used in India, Pakistan, western Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Argentina, Chile, and on BART in San Francisco, United States. In North America, it is called Indian Gauge, Provincial, Portland, or Texas gauge. In Arge ...

line from Waterville to Bangor. It was leased as an eastern extension to the Portland gauge Androscoggin and Kennebec Railroad in 1856, and merged into Maine Central as the eastern end of the Portland Division main line in 1862. * Kennebec River bridge * Milepost 84.6: West Benton station opened in 1855. * Milepost 90.2: Clinton station opened in 1855. * Milepost 95.5: Burnham Junction with the Belfast and Moosehead Lake Railroad which was leased as the Maine Central Belfast branch from 1871 to 1925. * Milepost 102.5:

Pittsfield Pittsfield is the largest city and the county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. Pittsfield� ...

junction with the Sebasticook and Moosehead Railroad built in 1886 and leased as the Maine Central Harmony branch in 1910.

Sebasticook River The Sebasticook River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed June 30, 2011 river in the central part of Maine, in the United States. From its source () in Dexter, the upper ...

bridge * Milepost 106.8:

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

station opened in 1855. * Milepost 109.6: Newport Junction with the

Dexter and Newport Railroad Maine Central Railroad constructed a Foxcroft Branch in two stages after completing its main line from Portland to Bangor. The Dexter and Newport Railroad was completed in 1868 northward from Newport Junction on the Maine Central main line to De ...

built in 1868 and leased as the Maine Central Foxcroft branch in 1869. A large milk processing plant filled

milk car Milk cars are a specialized type of railroad car intended to transport raw milk from collection points near dairy farms to a processing creamery. Some milk cars were intended for loading with multiple cans of milk, while others were designed with a ...

s destined for Boston. * Milepost 112.2: East Newport station opened in 1855. * Milepost 118.0: Etna station opened in 1855. * Milepost 121.9:

Carmel Carmel may refer to: * Carmel (biblical settlement), an ancient Israelite town in Judea * Mount Carmel, a coastal mountain range in Israel overlooking the Mediterranean Sea * Carmelites, a Roman Catholic mendicant religious order Carmel may also ...

station opened in 1855. * Milepost 131.3: Northern Maine Junction interchange with the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad was completed in 1905. Potatoes grown in

Aroostook County Aroostook County ( ; french: Comté d'Aroostook) is a county in the U.S. state of Maine along the Canada–U.S. border. As of the 2020 census, the population was 67,105. Its county seat is Houlton, with offices in Caribou and Fort Kent. Kn ...

and paper manufactured in

Millinocket Millinocket is a town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The population was 4,114 at the 2020 census. Millinocket's economy has historically been centered on forest products and recreation, but the paper company closed in 2008. History ...

and Madawaska contributed a significant proportion of freight carried by the Maine Central. * Milepost 137.0:

Bangor Union Station Bangor Union Station was a passenger train station in Bangor, Maine. Long the state's second-largest railroad station, it was served by the Maine Central Railroad and the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad. In 1961, the railroads ended service to the ...

: Bangor was the division point between Maine Central's Portland and Eastern divisions, and junction with the

Maine Central Railroad Bucksport Branch The Bucksport Branch is a railroad line in Maine that was operated by the Maine Central Railroad. It is now part of the Pan Am Railways system. The Bucksport Branch junctions with the mainline at Bangor and continues south down the Penobscot Rive ...

and

Maine Central Railroad Calais Branch The Calais Branch is a mothballed railroad line in Maine that was operated by the Maine Central Railroad Company (MEC). The Calais Branch is long and connects Brewer to Calais. It was constructed in 1898 and carried freight and passengers over ...

European & North American Ry

The

European and North American Railway The European and North American Railway (E&NA) is the name for three historic Canadian and American railways which were built in New Brunswick and Maine. The idea of the E&NA as a single system was conceived at a railway conference in Portland, M ...

was chartered in 1850, and opened from Bangor to Vanceboro in 1871. It was leased as the Maine Central Eastern Division main line in 1882, and purchased in 1955 for $125 per share or $3,114,500 payable in cash or bonds at the election of the E&NA shareholders. * Milepost 140.8:

Veazie Veazie is a town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,814 at the 2020 census. The town is named after General Samuel Veazie, an early lumber baron and railroad operator. Veazie was originally part of Bangor, using P ...

station opened in 1869. * Milepost 145.0: Orono station opened in 1869. Stillwater River bridge * Milepost 145.3: Webster station opened in 1869. * Milepost 149.2: Old Town station opened in 1869. * Penobscot River bridge * Milepost 150.0:

Milford Milford may refer to: Place names Canada * Milford (Annapolis), Nova Scotia * Milford (Halifax), Nova Scotia * Milford, Ontario England * Milford, Derbyshire * Milford, Devon, a place in Devon * Milford on Sea, Hampshire * Milford, Shro ...

station opened in 1869. * Milepost 159.6: Greenbush station opened in 1869. * Milepost 167.4: Passadumkeag station opened in 1869. * Milepost 172.0:

Enfield Enfield may refer to: Places Australia * Enfield, New South Wales * Enfield, South Australia ** Electoral district of Enfield, a state electoral district in South Australia, corresponding to the suburb ** Enfield High School (South Australia) ...

junction with a branch to Howland from 1891 to 1963. * Milepost 181.4:

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...

station opened in 1869. * Milepost 192.2:

Winn Winn may refer to: Places In the United States: * Winn, Maine, a town in Penobscot County * Winn, Michigan, an unincorporated community * Winn Parish, Louisiana Other uses * Winn (surname) (including a list of people with the name) * WINN, an ...

station opened in 1869. * Milepost 194.7: Mattawamkeag interchange with the

International Railway of Maine The International Railway of Maine was a historic railroad constructed by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) between Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, and Mattawamkeag, Maine, closing a key gap in the railway's transcontinental main line to the port of Sai ...

, completed by the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1889 and operated as their International of Maine Division. *

Mattawamkeag River The Mattawamkeag River is a river in Maine. From the confluence of its East Branch and West Branch () in Haynesville, about west of the Canada–United States border, the river runs U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-r ...

bridge

Canadian Pacific Ry

Canadian Pacific's transcontinental route to

Saint John, New Brunswick Saint John is a seaport city of the Atlantic Ocean located on the Bay of Fundy in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. Saint John is the oldest incorporated city in Canada, established by royal charter on May 18, 1785, during the reign of K ...

, included

trackage rights Railway companies can interact with and control others in many ways. These relationships can be complicated by bankruptcies. Operating Often, when a railroad first opens, it is only a short spur of a main line. The owner of the spur line may ...

over the (former European and North American Railway) Maine Central Eastern Division main line from Mattawamkeag to the Canada–US border. This section of the main line saw some of the heaviest traffic on any portion of the Maine Central during winter months before modern

icebreaker An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters, and provide safe waterways for other boats and ships. Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships, it may also refer to smaller ...

s were able to keep the

Saint Lawrence Seaway The St. Lawrence Seaway (french: la Voie Maritime du Saint-Laurent) is a system of locks, canals, and channels in Canada and the United States that permits oceangoing vessels to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes of North Ameri ...

open; and most of it was Canadian Pacific trains exercising trackage rights. Canadian Pacific purchased the line from Maine Central on December 17, 1974, for $5.4 million. Maine Central retained trackage rights and subsequently operated this portion of their former main line as the Vanceboro Branch. * Milepost 202.9: Kingman station opened in 1871. * Milepost 205.9:

Drew Drew may refer to: __NOTOC__ Places ;In the United States * Drew, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Drew, Mississippi, a city * Drew, Missouri, an unincorporated community * Drew, Oregon, an unincorporated community * Drew County, Arkansas ...

station opened in 1871. * Milepost 212.1: Wytopitlock station opened in 1871. * Milepost 215.3: Bancroft station opened in 1871. * Milepost 224.6: Danforth station opened in 1871. * Milepost 250.7: Vanceboro junction with Canadian Pacific Railway transcontinental route through New Brunswick.

Back Road alternate main line

Maine Central operated parallel main lines between Royal Junction and Waterville. The northerly inland main line was known as the back road, and the slightly shorter main line up the Kennebec River was the lower road. Maine Central mileposts east of Waterville computed mileage via the lower road. The line between Royal Junction and Danville Junction was built to provide a wholly owned route to Portland in place of the Grand Trunk Railway connection from Danville Junction originally used by the former Androscoggin and Kennebec Railroad. This was the only portion of the Maine Central main line built by the Maine Central rather than predecessor companies. * Milepost 13.2: Royal Junction with the lower road main line. * Milepost 21.2:

Gray Grey (more common in British English) or gray (more common in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning literally that it is "without color", because it can be composed o ...

station opened in 1871. * Milepost 25.8:

New Gloucester New Gloucester is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, in the United States. It is home to the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village, the last active Shaker village in the U.S. The town's population was 5,676 at the 2020 census. New Gloucester is part ...

station opened in 1871.

Androscoggin & Kennebec RR

The Androscoggin and Kennebec Railroad was chartered in 1845 and completed a Portland gauge railroad from Danville Junction to Waterville in 1849. The line was merged into the Maine Central in 1862 and standard-gauged in 1871 to become the back road main line. * Milepost 30.7: Danville Junction interchange with the Grand Trunk Railway (later Canadian National Railway Berlin subdivision) * Milepost 32.9: Rumford Junction with the

Portland and Rumford Falls Railway The Maine Central Railroad Rumford Branch is a railroad line in Maine now operated as part of the Pan Am Railways system. The Rumford Branch leaves the mainline at Leeds Junction and continues northwest up the Androscoggin River valley, passing th ...

completed in 1894 and operated as the Maine Central Rangeley branch from 1907 to 1952. *

Little Androscoggin River } The Little Androscoggin River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 30, 2011 river in Maine. It flows from Bryant Pond in Woodstock () to its confluence with the And ...

bridge * Milepost 36.2: Auburn station opened in 1848. *

bridge * Milepost 37.0: Lewiston upper station opened in 1848. Lewiston operated a Maine Central local switcher serving local distribution warehouses, textile mills, and shoe manufacturing plants. * Milepost 44.5:

Greene Greene may refer to: Places United States *Greene, Indiana, an unincorporated community *Greene, Iowa, a city *Greene, Maine, a town ** Greene (CDP), Maine, in the town of Greene *Greene (town), New York ** Greene (village), New York, in the town ...

station opened in 1849. * Milepost 47.6: Leeds Junction with the Portland gauge Androscoggin Railroad completed to West Farmington in 1859 and converted to standard gauge in 1861. It operated as the Maine Central Farmington branch from 1871 and was later called the Maine Central

Rumford Branch The Maine Central Railroad Rumford Branch is a railroad line in Maine now operated as part of the Pan Am Railways system. The Rumford Branch leaves the mainline at Leeds Junction and continues northwest up the Androscoggin River valley, passing th ...

. * Milepost 51.0: Monmouth station opened in 1849. * Milepost 56.6: Winthrop station opened in 1849. * Milepost 62.3: Readfield station opened in 1849. * Milepost 70.2: Belgrade station opened in 1849. * Milepost 79.2: Oakland junction with the Somerset Railroad opened in 1875 and operated as the Maine Central Kineo branch after 1911. * Milepost 85.2: Waterville, where the back road rejoined the lower road.

References

{{Maine Central Maine Central Railroad Rail infrastructure in Maine