I heard talk that companies in Maine are trying to get the Maine Central back in service and start running it back down through the Crawford Notch in New Hampshire, all the way back down to Massachusetts. The MEC would share service with the CSRR (conway scenic railroad). Can anyone confirm this 'cause i think it would be pretty cool to see freight running through the mountains again.
talk of maine central back in service
- Thread starter nerogers
- Start date
perry_weekley
New member
Till the papers report it, it's just that a rumor. Bout a year ago I had heard rumors of the CSX wanting to buy back a Rail to Trail state park. That hasn't had any official work or any promising action taken toward it happening yet.
correct but i thought the Crawford Notch line was owned by MEC, or what rail line then?
Also i know it was bought out by pan am i was just stating the part of pan am.
anyways i do think this would be a great idea... but with any luck of former rail lines starting back up again in northern new england are slim...
It was. The mountain division ran from Portland Maine through North Conway and Crawfords to Quebec Junction and then on to St Johnsbury. It would make a great tourist railroad today, so I can see why the North Conway scenic railroad would be interested in this, but there isn't much industry up that way to support a freight railroad.
Ya it's a great trip, but i wish it went a little further up than just Fabyan Station (station after the notch). if you've ever been on it, theres track that goes further than fabyan (obviosuly) but it seems that the direction it goes in would lead to more of a scenic route although it would be very long, more than what it already is.
Great news to hear of any RR reactivating a line. I was out the other day and passed a spot where the old ACL used to run, but today is a trail. No trains within 30 miles of this spot and yet there were 3 CSX vehicles parked nearby. This warranted a u-turn and a look. I stopped nearby and walked up the bridge to see a couple guys down there doing survey work. The expansion of the trail was abruptly stopped a few months back. Makes me wonder if they are considering taking a portion of the trail back, as they can legally do so for 99 years. I would love to see a Trails to Rails program as I would fully support that. People have plenty of places to walk, buy a treadmill. 
Mike
Mike
There have been talks and rumors off and on about restoring the service between Portland and St. Johnsbury over the past few years. PAR (Guilford) took the line out of service during the 1980s and ripped up the tracks near the New Hampshire border. I think through Freyburg, ME.
Maine DOT owns the ROW within its borders, and the NHDOT owns their side of the line. There have also been talks of making this a trail, but that hasn't happened either, and I hope it doesn't.
The problem is there is little business up there on the line other than a few gravel pits, which could use the trains.
If anything I would like to see service restored all the way from Rochester, NH to Conway on the old B&M branch. Part of the line is still used today to haul gravel by the New Hampshire Northcoast down to Boston Sand and Gravel.
John
Maine DOT owns the ROW within its borders, and the NHDOT owns their side of the line. There have also been talks of making this a trail, but that hasn't happened either, and I hope it doesn't.
The problem is there is little business up there on the line other than a few gravel pits, which could use the trains.
If anything I would like to see service restored all the way from Rochester, NH to Conway on the old B&M branch. Part of the line is still used today to haul gravel by the New Hampshire Northcoast down to Boston Sand and Gravel.
John
People have plenty of places to walk, buy a treadmill.
Mike
Uummm, how about the Appalachian Trail, or National Forests, or Wilderness areas, or beautiful hiking trails that go up to rugged cliffs with breathtaking vistas. I don't know about you, but a treadmill sounds like a pretty boring walk to me, I'm a very big outdoorsman. But I would like to see any railroad activated just as much as any other railfan would. Re-activate the railroad, but why not build a trail paralelling it? Us railfans would love that to get some sweet shots!
Anyway, even though this line is completely irrelevent to New England, I would love to see the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad Re-Activated. Theres talk about turning the section between Johnson City, TN and Elizabethton, TN into a trail; but I think they rail-banked it.
I'm already seeing rails being ripped up at crossings though... 
I hope buisiness picks up soon and a good entrepeneur comes, for the both of these lines! 
Yes it was the Seaboard Air Line. The 2009 light rail study proposes using the current ACL-CSX line instead. You can see it here along with a bunch of interesting photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/palmateer/4171058386/
As explained previously, news of a reactivated line is always exciting. As long as funding, time, and responsible management is at hand, reactivating a line is a snap; of course, how often does this happen? 
On the talk of local reactivating lines, I would love to see rail service from Philadelphia to Newtown, PA be restored. SEPTA shut down the Newtown Branch in 1983 due to faulty ex-RDG equipment and lack of riders, but then Newtown was still a developing farm suburb. Since then, Newtown and its surrounding areas have experienced triple-digit percent population growths, and the surrounding Woodbourne and Yardley stations have become too crowded. Reactivating service to Newtown would make SEPTA tons of money in the long run, but because SEPTA is run by corrupt businessmen, it has not happened. In recent months, Bucks and many surrounding counties have approved reactivation of this line, and if some more counties start to approve this plan, SEPTA says they will reactivate the line. I think it would greatly benefit many people and Philadelphian suburbs because it would alleviate rail traffic without traveling on already-overflowing tracks. There's even a support website advocating the line's reactivation, check it out here:
www.r8newtown.com
Anyway, just a side note! I am very for reactivation of the Newtown line, and I also wish the best for the reactivation of the MEC. It would be great to see some part of a fallen flag be revived!
Cheers,
Carfreak4
On the talk of local reactivating lines, I would love to see rail service from Philadelphia to Newtown, PA be restored. SEPTA shut down the Newtown Branch in 1983 due to faulty ex-RDG equipment and lack of riders, but then Newtown was still a developing farm suburb. Since then, Newtown and its surrounding areas have experienced triple-digit percent population growths, and the surrounding Woodbourne and Yardley stations have become too crowded. Reactivating service to Newtown would make SEPTA tons of money in the long run, but because SEPTA is run by corrupt businessmen, it has not happened. In recent months, Bucks and many surrounding counties have approved reactivation of this line, and if some more counties start to approve this plan, SEPTA says they will reactivate the line. I think it would greatly benefit many people and Philadelphian suburbs because it would alleviate rail traffic without traveling on already-overflowing tracks. There's even a support website advocating the line's reactivation, check it out here:
www.r8newtown.com
Anyway, just a side note! I am very for reactivation of the Newtown line, and I also wish the best for the reactivation of the MEC. It would be great to see some part of a fallen flag be revived!
Cheers,
Carfreak4
Because some trail groups get dug into their position and will not budge.
Example, the Adirondack Scenic Railroad has two segments of the old New York Central Utica-Lake Placid line, one from Utica to just north of Thendara, the second from Saranac Lake to Lake Placid. They have tried to get funding and support to connect Thendara to Saranac Lake. However, last I heard, a Rail-to-Trail group wanted the segment and did not want to share it with the Railroad. They will come up with reasons like preserving the environment to diesel pollution as reasons to stomp out rail development.
When one or both sides to an issue dig in and will not comprimise, things get ugly and someone loses. Given the obsession with Green tech and such again, railroads lose out. Heck, railroads can do stuff and cause trouble for people not associated with the railroad even fifty years later when everyone is dead!