Belfast and Moosehead Lake Railroad
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| Belfast and Moosehead Lake Railroad | |
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| Reporting marks | B&ML |
| Locale | Waldo County, Maine |
| Dates of operation | 1870–2008 |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8½ in (1435 mm) (standard gauge) |
| Length | 33.07 miles (53.22 km) |
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The Belfast and Moosehead Lake Railroad (B&ML) ran from Burnham Junction in Maine on the Maine Central Railroad to the small seaport of Belfast. It was originally leased by the Maine Central as the Belfast Branch. When the MEC terminated the lease, ownership was acquired by the city of Belfast. At one time, outbound freight included a large amount of processed fish from Belfast's processing plants. In the 1950s and 1960s much of the freight was chicken feed for the area's considerable chicken-growing operations. With the serious decline of freight movements, a tourist operation was started. In late 2005 or early 2006, operations in the Belfast area ceased. The train ran from a new station in Unity to Burnham Junction for a couple more years, and there were occasional unscheduled runs to Belfast, mostly ceremonial or for special events. On February 5, 2008, the Belfast and Moosehead Lake Railroad permamently ceased all operations.
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[edit] History
[edit] Organization and construction
A railroad to Belfast was proposed, and even chartered, multiple times before 1867, but funding was insufficient. On February 28, 1867, the Belfast and Moosehead Lake was chartered. On July 3, the new corporation was chartered, and construction began at Belfast on August 4, 1868. The majority of the stock was owned by the city of Belfast. As the name of the railroad suggests, the original intent was to build to Moosehead Lake, but the Maine Central Railroad (MEC) signed a lease of the B&ML in 1870 and arranged for it to connect at Burnham Junction.
[edit] Belfast Branch
The B&ML became the Belfast Branch of the Maine Central, beginning operation on December 23, 1870. The railroad prospered under the MEC, with two daily round trips for passengers. Most freight during this period was southbound.
[edit] City ownership
With the decline in American railroad profitability in the 20th Century, the Maine Central discontinued its lease of the Belfast Branch effective January 1, 1926. At that point, the operation of the newly independent Belfast and Moosehead Lake fell to the city of Belfast.
The railroad dieselised in 1947.
Through this period, the railroad continued to decline. Passenger service ceased on March 9, 1960. There was a burst of good freight business in the 1970s, but by 1990, all freight traffic had ceased to exist. Tourist trains, however, began running in 1988.
[edit] Tourist railroad
In 1991, the city sold its shares of the money-losing operation. The railroad has changed hands rapidly since then, operating excursions from Belfast to Waldo and from Unity to Burnham Junction. In 1995, the railroad purchased a Swedish steam locomotive for its Unity excursions. The railroad had poor relations with the city of Belfast and therefore moved its headquarters to Unity. In 2005, Belfast evicted the railroad from its waterfront yard in Belfast, and the railroad finally threw in the towel on February 5, 2008. The line and all of its equipment is up for sale as of 2008.
