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33-418: The railroad was built from Farmington through Strong to Phillips in 1879 using rolling stock of the recently abandoned Billerica and Bedford Railroad . The original Billerica and Bedford equipment consisted of 2 locomotives, 6 flat cars , a baggage car , a coach , a combination car , and 2 box cars rebuilt from open excursion cars. In 1883 the railroad purchased 2 coaches from Laconia Car Company and

66-557: A controlling interest in the F&;M in 1898; and Sandy River locomotive #5 became a regular feature on F&M freight trains. In 1900, the Sandy River purchased a 2-6-0 locomotive and 6 flat cars formerly owned by the Laurel River and Hot Springs Railroad of North Carolina. The mogul started pulling F&M freight trains, and locomotive #5 became the regular passenger train engine on

99-587: A larger 2-6-0 mogul locomotive to carry bridge traffic from the connecting F&M and P&R railroads, and purchased a baggage - RPO car for the Farmington- Rangeley passenger trains it operated jointly with the P&;R. Locomotive #3 was sold to the Wiscasset and Quebec Railroad in 1894. The Sandy River Railroad had 16 box cars and 13 flat cars in 1894, and ordered 4 box cars and 8 flat cars from

132-465: A popular idea but Mansfield never made the claim of visiting Wales in any of his numerous writings. In an article in the October 24, 1875 Boston Herald, George explained how his idea of a small-gauge railroad was developed based on the needs of small towns followed the railroad depression of that year. He persuaded the citizens of Billerica of the economies of a two-foot line, and became general manager of

165-591: A third locomotive in anticipation of additional traffic to be generated by the Franklin and Megantic Railroad (F&M) being built from Strong to Kingfield . In 1890 the railroad sold locomotive #2 to the Phillips and Rangeley Railroad (P&R) being built from Phillips to Rangeley , and purchased 2 new locomotives to deal with the additional traffic from that line. In 1893, the Sandy River Railroad purchased

198-662: The Cazadero and San Pablo Railroad in 1897, the South African Cape Government Railways in 1901, the Córdoba and Huatusco Railroad in 1902, and the Wiscasset, Waterville and Farmington Railway in 1907. Owners of the Phillips and Rangeley Railroad (P&R) were most interested in a means of transporting lumber to markets from the aboriginal spruce forests of Redington township. Redington Lumber Company owned 375 of

231-523: The Phillips shop in 1902. Ten box cars and 44 flat cars were built through 1903. The railroad then built caboose #12 in 1904 from the hardware of a P&R coach burned at Green Farm on the Eustis Railroad that year. Cabooses #10-11 were built the following year to a different design. The Sandy River and the F&M renumbered their locomotives in 1905 to avoid confusion. Sandy River moguls #2-3 became #6-7 while F&M engines #1-2 moved into

264-520: The Portland Company that year. Portland Company delivered 10 more box cars and 10 more flat cars in 1897. The Sandy River Railroad had Jackson & Sharpe build the parlor car "Rangeley" in 1901 for wealthy tourists traveling to Rangeley via narrow gauge passenger trains . It was the only 2 ft ( 610 mm ) gauge parlor car in the United States. Sandy River management obtained

297-593: The Sandy River Railroad put a similar car into service the following year. The Redington sawmill closed briefly in 1895. Although the P&R grade up Sluice Hill was well positioned to receive logs sluiced off the flank of Mount Abraham , there was a limited supply of timber left within easy reach of the railroad. Workers began to move away from the boom town of Redington. P&R made no further rolling stock purchases. A box car and 3 flat cars were destroyed when Sanders sawmill burned in 1900. Redington

330-613: The Sandy River Railroad , the Bridgton and Saco River Railroad , the Monson Railroad , the Franklin and Megantic Railroad , and the Kennebec Central Railroad had a maximum length of 26 feet (7.9 m). Phillips and Rangeley Railroad ordered the first 28-foot (8.5 m) cars in 1890 and the subsidiary Eustis Railroad ordered the first 33-foot (10 m) cars in 1903. The Portland Company locomotive built in 1890

363-562: The #2-3. Sandy River locomotive #8 had been delivered in 1904. It was the first 2 ft ( 610 mm ) gauge 2-6-2 locomotive in Maine, and was intended to pull the long trainloads of lumber being delivered to the Sandy River from the large sawmills in Bigelow on the F&M and Madrid Junction on the P&R. Sandy River management began purchasing defaulted bonds of the P&R and its subsidiary Madrid Railroad and Eustis Railroad ; and put

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396-463: The 400 shares of P&R stock sold. Construction began where the Sandy River Railroad ended in Phillips ; and the first train reached Redington on 11 October 1890. After leaving Reeds Mills, the railroad climbed 800 feet up nine roadless miles of Orbeton Stream canyon between Saddleback Mountain and Mount Abraham . Redington sawmill was built near the summit of what came to be called Sluice Hill. Although no station buildings had been constructed,

429-643: The Billerica and Bedford Railroad [REDACTED] The Billerica and Bedford Railroad was an early narrow gauge railroad in Massachusetts , built to demonstrate the advantages of a 2 ft ( 610 mm ) gauge railroad. George E. Mansfield , of Hazelwood, Massachusetts , allegedly became an early promoter of the two foot gauge after seeing the Ffestiniog Railway in operation in Wales . This has been

462-583: The Billerica and Bedford when it was chartered in 1876. Construction began in May 1877, and the line was completed between North Billerica and Bedford in August 1877, a distance of 8.63 miles (13.89 km). The line was built very cheaply in accordance with narrow gauge doctrine, but rapidly found itself financially embarrassed. Turntables were built at each end of the railroad, and a wye and engine-house were built at Bedford, but no stations were ever constructed along

495-496: The Eustis Railroad ended that year. Sandy River Railroad management forced auction of P&R properties to satisfy the defaulted bonds, purchased the P&R and Madrid railroads at that auction, and merged the P&R into their Sandy River and Rangeley Lakes Railroad in 1908. The SR&RL had more difficulty obtaining title to the Eustis Railroad, but the receiver leased the Eustis Railroad to SR&RL when they purchased

528-439: The Eustis Railroad, and then issued Eustis Railroad bonds to cover the costs of building the branch and purchasing rolling stock. Portland Company built 25 flat cars for the Eustis Railroad. The flat cars were 33 feet (10 m) long and had a capacity of 12 tons. They were the largest 2 ft ( 610 mm ) narrow gauge flat cars in Maine at the time. Construction of the branch began at Eustis Junction in May, 1903, and

561-506: The F&M. American Car and Foundry Company built 3 passenger cars for the Sandy River and the F&M in 1903. A coach and combination were lettered for the F&M while a second coach was lettered Sandy River #8. Following delivery of these cars, the standard F&M passenger train became a combination and a coach . Seating in the combination was designated a smoking car for passengers who wished to use tobacco. The Sandy River Railroad began building its own freight cars in

594-510: The Madrid Railroad and issued bonds to cover costs. The Madrid Railroad was promptly leased to the P&R and operated as a P&R branch line upon completion. No rolling stock was owned by the Madrid Railroad. The P&R needed cash to build a logging branch into aboriginal spruce forests north of their main line; but P&R's financial status was unattractive to investors. P&R management formed and kept controlling stock interest in

627-547: The P&R commenced regular train service to Redington a few days before the mill started producing lumber on 21 February 1891. Frozen ground halted construction for the winter, but spring weather brought rails to Rangeley on 10 June 1891. On 1 July 1891, scheduled train service commenced from Rangeley to the Maine Central Railroad in Farmington via the Sandy River Railroad from Phillips . P&R locomotive #1

660-531: The P&R into receivership in 1905. Sandy River management then forced auction of the properties to satisfy the defaulted bonds, purchased the P&R and Madrid Railroad at that auction, and merged them with the F&M and Sandy River as the Sandy River and Rangeley Lakes Railroad in 1908 ( see there for subsequent history ). The Eustis Railroad was leased until it joined the merger in 1911. Billerica and Bedford Railroad [REDACTED] Route of

693-635: The P&R. Eustis Railroad was merged into the Sandy River and Rangeley Lakes Railroad (SR&RL) in 1911. The Eustis locomotives became SR&RL #20-22 and the Eustis flat cars became SR&RL #363-387. Milepost 0: Phillips - Connection with the Sandy River Railroad . Milepost 5.4: Madrid Junction - Connection with the Madrid Railroad. Sawmill from 1903 to 1908. Milepost 7.1: Reeds - Sawmill. Milepost 9.6: Sanders - Sawmill from 1891 to 1900. Milepost 16.2: Redington - Sawmill from 1891 to 1902. Milepost 22.4: Eustis Junction - Connection with

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726-528: The Sandy River Railroad. In 1906, end-of-track at Rangeley was extended 1700 feet to serve Rangeley Lake House guests from a small stone lake-shore station on the hotel grounds. Sandy River Railroad management began buying defaulted bonds of the P&R, Madrid, and Eustis railroads; and put the P&R into receivership in 1905. The Madrid Junction sawmill closed in 1908 when Franklin County's aboriginal spruce forests were virtually gone. Passenger service on

759-517: The heaviest 0-4-4 T locomotives operated on any Maine 2 ft ( 610 mm ) gauge railroad. The locomotives were destructive to the 35-pound steel rail used on the Eustis Railroad, but the P&R needed the branch only long enough to carry logs to Berlin Mills Madrid Junction sawmill. Trainloads of logs moved from the branches to Madrid Junction for the next few years, and trainloads of lumber moved south through Phillips and

792-707: The line along were Bedford, Springs Road, Bedford Springs, South Billerica, Turnpike (Nuttings Lake), Billerica, Bennett Hall and North Billerica. (Only the Bedford and North Billerica station depot structures still stand.) Passenger service stopped on the last day of 1931 and the line was used as a freight line until it was abandoned from Bedford Depot to Billerica Depot in 1962. The line was further abandoned from Billerica Depot to Bennett Hall about 1980. The two locomotives were named after William Shakespeare 's sprites , Ariel and Puck . Phillips and Rangeley Railroad#Madrid Railroad The Phillips and Rangeley Railroad

825-576: The line. The company went bankrupt and was liquidated in June 1878. Mansfield, undeterred, went on to promote the two foot gauge in Maine , where the largest network of these lines in the United States was ultimately built. The standard-gauge Boston and Lowell Railroad used most of the B&;B roadbed to extend its Lexington Branch in May 1885. The Boston and Maine Railroad took over the line in 1887. Station stops on

858-440: The sawmills. For the third time, P&R ordered the heaviest 2 ft ( 610 mm ) gauge locomotive in Maine to replace #2 in 1893. The old Hinkley locomotive was too small to provide satisfactory service on Sluice Hill when the larger locomotives needed repairs, but it was renumbered #4, renamed Bo-Peep , and remained on the roster for less demanding work. P&R received a baggage - RPO car from Portland in 1892; and

891-628: The winter and spring. The P&R was in difficult financial circumstances when branch lines were needed to reach nearby timberlands. Berlin Mills purchased the Redington sawmill machinery and moved it into a new mill at Madrid Junction in 1902. The P&R formed the 2 ft ( 610 mm ) narrow gauge Madrid Railroad in 1902 to build a branch line from the new sawmill to aboriginal spruce forests in Township #6. P&R management held controlling stock in

924-515: Was 12.5% heavier than any previous 2 ft ( 610 mm ) gauge locomotive in Maine. The 2-6-0 locomotive purchased from Baldwin Locomotive Works the following year was 28% heavier than the Portland locomotive; and its success encouraged subsequent purchase of similar locomotives by the Laurel River and Hot Springs Railroad of North Carolina in 1892, the Sandy River Railroad in 1893,

957-566: Was a 2 ft ( 610 mm ) narrow gauge common carrier railroad in the State of Maine. It connected the towns of Phillips and Rangeley and was built to serve the forestry and resort industries of Franklin County . This railroad pioneered the use of large 2 ft ( 610 mm ) gauge rolling stock in North America. Earlier freight cars built for the Billerica and Bedford Railroad ,

990-474: Was completed in 1904. P&R management leased the Eustis Railroad to the P&R as soon as the branch was completed; and used the rolling stock for normal P&R operations. Summer-only passenger service from a resort at Green Farm connected with P&R trains at Eustis Junction. Eustis locomotives carried numbers higher than the numbers of P&R locomotives. The Eustis locomotives were modernized versions of P&R locomotive #2 built in 1893. They were

1023-407: Was the first 2 ft ( 610 mm ) gauge locomotive built by the Portland Company . It was the largest 2 ft ( 610 mm ) gauge locomotive in Maine when delivered. P&R #2 locomotive was purchased from the Sandy River Railroad and kept the Sandy River number although it was available for construction work before #1 was delivered. P&R #3 locomotive was even larger than #1, and

Sandy River Railroad - Misplaced Pages Continue

1056-527: Was the first locomotive with a separate tender on Maine's 2 ft ( 610 mm ) gauge railroads. Initial P&R purchases of 16 box cars , 3 coaches , and one combination car matched Sandy River Railroad inventories of those car types for joint service; but P&R had seventy flat cars to ship lumber from Redington and from Sanders sawmill. P&R #1 and identical Sandy River engine #4 generally pulled passenger trains between Farmington and Rangeley , while P&R #3 pulled freight trains from

1089-419: Was virtually deserted by that time. Rangeley Lakes trout fishing was legendary, and the population of deer increased as wild berry bushes grew on cutover timberland. The Rangeley Lake House, a large wooden hotel on the lakeshore near Rangeley , offered luxury accommodation for tourists interested in fishing and hunting; but their summer and autumn business did not cover the cost of railroad maintenance through

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