Sandy River and Rangeley Lakes Railroad

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Sandy River and Rangeley Lakes Railroad
Locale Maine
Dates of operation 1908–1935
Track gauge 2 ft (610 mm)
Length 112 miles
Headquarters Phillips

The Sandy River and Rangeley Lakes Railroad (SR&RLR) was a narrow gauge common carrier railroad that operated approximately 112 miles of 2 ft (610 mm) gauge railroad in Franklin County, Maine.

Contents

[edit] Formation

The SR&RLR was formed by a series of mergers between 1908 and 1911 of a number of existing narrow gauge lines located around Farmington in Franklin County. The lines that formed the SR&RLR were the Sandy River Railroad, the Franklin and Megantic Railway, the Kingfield and Dead River Railroad, the Phillips and Rangeley Railroad, the Madrid Railroad and the Eustis Railroad.

The SR&RLR operated as a subsidiary of the Maine Central Railroad from 1912 until receivership in 1923. Maine Central built 37 box cars, 37 flat cars, 3 cabooses and a baggage-RPO car in their Portland Terminal Company shops for the SR&RLR between 1912 and 1917. SR&RLR locomotives 15, 16, 17 and 18 were reboilered in the Maine Central Waterville, Maine shops during the same period, and a 4-mile freight branch was built from Perham Junction to Barnjum.

[edit] Closure

In the late 1920s competition from roads began to impact the SR&RLR. By 1934 all lines beyond Perham Junction were removed. Train service ended in the summer of 1935. Remaining rails were lifted for scrap metal in 1936.

[edit] Revival

Monson Railroad #3 at Phillips station, June 2007
Monson Railroad #3 at Phillips station, June 2007

In 1970 a group of local railfans at the Phillips Historical Society formed a project to document the SR&RLR. This group eventually formed a separate non-profit organization to preserve remaining equipment from the railroad. The non-profit now operates a short heritage railroad on the trackbed of the original SR&RLR at Phillips.

[edit] Locomotives

Number Builder Type Date Works number Notes[1]
1 Hinkley Locomotive Works 0-4-4T 1877 1251 ex-Sandy River Railroad No. 1. Scrapped 1912.
2 Hinkley Locomotive Works 0-4-4T 1877 1261 ex-Phillips and Rangeley Railroad No. 4. Scrapped 1912.
3 Hinkley Locomotive Works 0-4-4T 1884 1664 ex-Franklin and Megantic Railway No. 1. Scrapped 1912.
4 Baldwin Locomotive Works 0-4-4T 1886 8304 ex-Franklin and Megantic Railway No. 2. Scrapped 1912.
5 Portland Company 0-4-4T 1890 616 ex-Sandy River Railroad No. 4. Scrapped 1919.
6 Portland Company 0-4-4T 1891 622 ex-Sandy River Railroad No. 5; sold to the Kennebec Central Railroad 1925.
7 Portland Company 0-4-4T 1890 615 ex-Phillips and Rangeley Railroad No. 1.
8 Baldwin Locomotive Works 2-4-4T 1907 31826 Ordered for the Sandy River Railroad but delivered to the SR&RLR. Burned 1923.
9 Baldwin Locomotive Works 2-4-4T 1909 33550 Built new for the SR&RLR. Scrapped 1936.
10 Baldwin Locomotive Works 2-4-4T 1916 42231 Built new for the SR&RLR. Used on the Farmington to Rangeley main line only. Scrapped 1936.
15 Baldwin Locomotive Works 2-6-0 tender 1891 11706 ex-Phillips and Rangeley Railroad No. 3; rebuilt in 1912 as a 2-6-2. Retired 1923.
16 Baldwin Locomotive Works 2-6-0 tender 1892 12964 ex-Sandy River Railroad No. 6; rebuilt in 1915 as a 2-6-2. Scrapped 1935.
17 Baldwin Locomotive Works 0-4-4T 1893 13276 ex-Phillips and Rangeley Railroad No. 2. Scrapped 1936.
18 Baldwin Locomotive Works 2-6-0 tender 1893 13733 ex-Sandy River Railroad 2nd No. 2. Rebuilt in 1916 as a 2-6-2. New tender built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1926. The last locomotive to run on the SR&RLR. Scrapped 1936.
19 Baldwin Locomotive Works 2-6-2 tender 1904 23874 ex-Sandy River Railroad No. 8. Scrapped 1935.
20 Baldwin Locomotive Works 0-4-4T 1903 23245 ex Eustis Railroad No. 7. Wrecked 1922.
21 Baldwin Locomotive Works 0-4-4T 1904 23754 ex Eustis Railroad No. 8. Scrapped 1935.
22 Baldwin Locomotive Works 0-4-4T 1904 23755 ex Eustis Railroad No. 9. Scrapped 1935.
23 Baldwin Locomotive Works 2-6-2 tender 1913 40733 Built new for the SR&RLR. Used on the Farmington to Phillips main line only. Scrapped 1936.
24 Baldwin Locomotive Works 2-6-2 tender 1919 51803 Built new for the SR&RLR. Scrapped 1937.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  • MacDonald, Robert L. (2003). Maine Narrow Gauge Railroads. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 0-7385-1179-X. 
  • Crittenden, H. Temple (1976). The Maine Scenic Route. McClain Printing. 
  • Moody, Linwood W. (1959). The Maine Two-Footers. Howell-North. 
  • Cornwall, L. Peter and Farrell, Jack W. (1973). Ride the Sandy River. Pacific Fast Mail. 
  • Jones, Robert C. (1979). Two Feet Between the Rails (Volume 1 - The Early Years). Sundance Books. 
  • Jones, Robert C. (1980). Two Feet Between the Rails (Volume II - The Mature Years). Sundance Books. 
  • (1980) Reproduction Maine Central Railroad, Portland Terminal Company, Sandy River and Rangeley Lakes Railroad, Bridgton and Saco River Railroad Company Hand-Book of Officers, Agents, Stations and Sidings January 1st, 1917. Edwin B. Robertson. 
  • (1895, 1896, 1897, 1898, 1899, 1900, 1901, 1902, 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1912,1913 and 1914) Railroad Commissioners' Report. State of Maine. 
  1. ^ Jones 1980 pp.350-351

[edit] External links

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