The Sebasticook and Moosehead Railroad was a 19th-century

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 north ...

railroad which became the 20th century Harmony Branch of the Maine Central Railroad.

History

Monson, Maine, wanted a

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

to transport

slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...

from their quarries to customers outside of Maine. The Monson and Athens Railroad built south from Monson, while the Sebasticook and Moosehead built north along the Sebasticook River from the Maine Central at

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� ...

. Track was completed from Pittsfield to Hartland in 1886, but the Monson end of the line stopped at a connection with the

Bangor and Aroostook Railroad The Bangor and Aroostook Railroad was a United States railroad company that brought rail service to Aroostook County in northern Maine. Brightly-painted BAR boxcars attracted national attention in the 1950s. First-generation diesel locomotives op ...

. The

seaport A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...

city of

Wiscasset, Maine Wiscasset is a New England town, town in and the county seat, seat of Lincoln County, Maine, United States. The municipality is located in the state of Maine's Mid Coast region. The population was 3,742 as of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 ...

, began building the

Wiscasset and Quebec Railroad Wiscasset is a town in and the seat of Lincoln County, Maine, United States. The municipality is located in the state of Maine's Mid Coast region. The population was 3,742 as of the 2020 census. Home to the Chewonki Foundation, Wiscasset is a ...

inland in 1894 to increase trade through their harbor. Plans to include the Sebasticook and Moosehead as part of Wiscasset's route to

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

were thwarted by inability to negotiate a crossing of the Maine Central line. The Sebasticook and Moosehead had been extended as far as Mainstream by 1901 as an independent railroad receiving a share of revenues from traffic transferred to the Maine Central at Pittsfield. As part of the

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

transportation monopoly organized by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad, Maine Central leased the Sebasticook and Moosehead in 1910, purchased the company in 1911, and extended the line to

Harmony In music, harmony is the process by which individual sounds are joined together or composed into whole units or compositions. Often, the term harmony refers to simultaneously occurring frequencies, pitches ( tones, notes), or chords. However ...

in 1912. The line was known as Maine Central's Harmony Branch until 1966. It became known as the Hartland Branch when the extension from Hartland to Harmony was abandoned that year. The remaining Hartland Branch was abandoned in 1983. Original Locomotives: 1886-1911 #1, Taunton Locomotive Works 4-4-0 Built in 1866 as Old Colony #87. Sold in 1886 to the S&M. Scrapped 1897. 1st #2,

Rhode Island Locomotive Works Rhode Island Locomotive Works was a steam locomotive manufacturing company in Providence, Rhode Island. The factory produced more than 3,400 locomotives between 1867 and 1906, when the plant's locomotive production was shut down. At its peak, the l ...

0-4-4t Built new in 1892 as number 2 for the S&M. Traded to the

Maine Central 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 ...

1896 for Second #2 in 1896. Became Maine Central #105. Renumbered in 1900 as #3. Scrapped 1920. 2nd #2, Portland Company 4-4-0 Built 1871 for the Portland & Ogdensburg Railway as their #5. Became Maine Central Railroad #105 in 1888 when the P&O was leased to the Maine Central. Traded in 1896 for S&M’s First number 2 and became their Second number 2. Scrapped by 1901. 3rd #2,

Hinkley Locomotive Works Hinkley Locomotive Works was a steam locomotive manufacturer based in Boston, Massachusetts in the 19th century. History The company that was to become known as Hinkley Locomotive Works got its start in Boston in 1831. Holmes Hinkley and his pa ...

4-4-0 Built at an unknown date. Purchased used by the Somerset Railroad in 1888 as their Second number 2. Sold to the S&M in 1901, and was not renumbered. Scrapped 1911. #3,

4-4-0 Built 1889 as Upper Coos & Hereford Railroad #4. Became

#129 in 1890 when the UC&H was leased to the Maine Central. Renumbered to 83 in 1900. Sold in 1900 to the S&M as #3. Reacquired by the Maine Central when the S&M was leased in 1911, again, becoming #83. Scrapped 1915.

Railway mileposts

* Milepost 0:

on the Maine Central main line * Milepost 3.9: West Palmyra * Milepost 6.1: Thompson's * Milepost 8.1: Hartland agent's station * Milepost 8.6: Dupont's * Milepost 13.2: Cyr's * Milepost 15.5: Mainstream * Milepost 17.5:

agent's station

References

* * *

Notes

{{Maine Central Rail infrastructure in Maine Predecessors of the Maine Central Railroad Transportation in Somerset County, Maine Pittsfield, Maine Railway companies established in 1886 Railway companies disestablished in 1911 1886 establishments in Maine 1910s disestablishments in Maine