Belfast and Moosehead Lake Railroad

BML#50 (left) and #53 at City Point
Overview
Headquarters	Brooks, Maine
Reporting mark	BML
Locale	Waldo County, Maine
Dates of operation	2009–present
Predecessor	Maine Central Railroad Co., Belfast Branch (Under lease, 1871–1925) Original Belfast and Moosehead Lake Railroad Co. (1926–2007)
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Length	30.57 miles (49.20 km)
Other
Website	belfastandmooseheadlakerail.org/portal/index.php
Route map 33.07 Burnham Junction Sebasticook River 29.34 Winnecook (Unity Pond) 24.95 Unity 22.61 Common Ground Country Fair 21.40 Thorndike 18.47 Knox 14.07 Fobes (Former siding) 12.27 Brooks 7.15 Waldo 2.50 City Point Center Yard and Museum 0 railbanked segment

The new Belfast and Moosehead Lake Railroad (operated as the Belfast and Moosehead Lake Railway from 2009 to 2012) is a subsidiary of the Brooks Preservation Society (BPS), a not-for-profit organization established in 2008 to protect and preserve historic rail transportation infrastructure and assets located within Waldo County, Maine.^[1]

History

Following the announcement in February 2008 of the formal demise of the original 1867-chartered Belfast and Moosehead Lake Railroad Company (1871–2007) by its then-private not-for-profit operator, the Belfast & Moosehead Lake Railroad & Preservation Society based in Unity, Maine, the BPS was incorporated as an all-volunteer non-profit 501(c)(3) organization to purchase the MEC-built 1892 B&MLRR station house in Brooks (MP 12.27) to save and preserve it as an historic railroad structure.^[2][3]

BML#53 (left} and BML#50 (right) at City Point in 2012.

In the months that followed, the BPS acquired several pieces of surviving B&MLRR rolling stock including the road's two still operating 1940s vintage 70-short-ton (63-long-ton; 64 t) GE diesel-electric locomotives: BML#50 that had been bought new by the road in November 1946 to provide the line the first non-steam power to ever operate over its 33-mile (53 km) grade from Belfast to Burnham Junction, and BML#53 that had been acquired by the BML in 1970 from Vermont's Montpelier and Barre Railroad.^[4][5][6] A track inspection car, open-air observation car, 1926-vintage ex-DL&WRR Pullman-built chair car, ex-MEC stainless steel coach/cafe car, and an ex-MEC caboose were later added to the equipment roster.

In February 2009, the BPS entered into a lease agreement with the Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT) to operate over the State-owned 30-mile (48 km) portion of BML grade running inland from the Belfast/Waldo town line (MP 3.14) to Burnham Junction (MP 33.07) and early that July began operating weekend excursion trains between Brooks (MP 12.27) and Waldo (MP 7.15).^[7] The following November the BPS leased the remaining three miles (4.8 km) of grade within the Belfast city limits between the Belfast/Waldo town line and the Penobscot McCrum property line under the US Rt. 1 bridge from its still then owner, Unity Property Management (UPM).^[8] This permitted the BPS to establish regular seasonal excursion service from the Upper Bridge (MP 1.2) to Waldo.

In July 2010, the City of Belfast purchased the UPM-owned portion of the grade within the city limits in order to preserve the corridor and with the intention of developing it as a public multi-use rail trail.^[9] While exploring how to design and finance such a rail trail, however, the City also agreed to continue to lease that portion of the grade during the interim on a year-to-year basis to the BPS to operate seasonal trains inland from its Upper Bridge station.^[10][11]

BML#3248 at City Point station where operations were moved in 2013

The completed "Passy Rail Trail" converted BML grade near the Beavertail at MP 1.3 (July, 2016)

After two seasons of operations from the Upper Bridge, however, the City cancelled the lease with the BPS in October 2012, and four months later formally applied to the Surface Transportation Board of the US Department of Transportation and the US Department of the Interior for permission under the National Trails System Act (16 USC§1241 et seq.) to "railbank" their portion of the grade from the Belfast waterfront at Pierce Street up to the turnout to the privately owned City Point Central Railroad Museum at MP 2.5 next to the Oak Hill Road grade crossing.^[12][13][14]

The loss of the lease with the City forced the BPS to relocate the railroad's excursion train service in 2013 to the 19th century station house at the City Point Museum site, a property which the BPS subsequently purchased from its long-time private owner.^[15][16] The remaining 0.64 miles (1.03 km) of City-owned grade from the City Point turnout to the Belfast/Waldo town line as well as the 30 miles (48 km) of State-owned grade beyond continues to be available to the B&MLRR over which it now operates its scheduled seasonal weekend excursion service from the City Point station to the bogs beyond Waldo, as well as other special event runs and group charters over that and other parts of the line.^[17]

In late September 2014 the City began the process of pulling up and scrapping the grade's over 300 short tons (268 long tons; 272 t) of late 19th and early 20th century rolled 75-pound-per-yard (37.2 kg/m) steel rail, spikes, tie plates, sleepers, and other materials.^[18][19] Between May and September 2016 extensive grading, paving, installation of railings and other physical upgrading work was undertaken along the corridor to complete its conversion to a formal pedestrian and bike trail called the "Passy Rail Trail".^[20][21][22]

Unity, Maine operations

BML trains resting in Unity Yard (2020)

Passenger trains begin at the BML's headquarters in Unity, Maine. Regular trains depart at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. These trains generally head west past Unity Pond, through the Burnham Bog, and then reverse back to Unity Station and Depot. Eastbound trains will terminate either at the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association Station in Thorndike, ME, or Farwell General Store, also located in Thorndike. Trains run nearly year round, with the winter season picking up in late February, and running through the winter holiday season.

Rail Bike rides are also operated in conjunction with normal trains, only during the summer season. These are pedal-powered carts that ride the rails, with accommodations for two riders per bike along with a baggage compartment.

Special event trains such as "The Great Train Robbery," "The Santa Express," and "Fall Foliage Special," run in addition to the normal rides. These are often extended rides, and typically run for a longer duration of time.

Equipment

References