Atlantic and St. Lawrence Railroad
The Atlantic and St. Lawrence Railroad is a former railroad company based in Maine , New Hampshire and Vermont ( United States ). It built and operated a 150 mile main line from Portland to Island Pond and existed as an independent company from 1845 to 1960.
The company was founded on February 10, 1845, initially in Maine, but on July 30, 1847 also in New Hampshire and on October 27, 1848 finally in Vermont. Since it was intended from the outset to connect the line to the Canadian rail network, the 5.5 foot (1676 mm) gauge , which was widely used in Canada , was chosen . The line was opened in sections until 1853.
With effect from July 1, 1853, the Grand Trunk Railway (GTR) leased Atlantic & St. Lawrence for 999 years. In 1874 the GTR switched the line to standard gauge . It was not until 1960 that Atlantic & St. Lawrence by merging with Canadian National Railways , which GTR had taken over. The line is still in operation today except for the section between Portland and the East Deering freight yard and belongs to the St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad . This company is now part of Genesee and Wyoming . In Portland, the narrow-gauge museum railway of the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum is now on part of the disused section of the route .
literature
- George H. Drury: The Historical Guide to North American Railroads. 2nd edition. Kalmbach Publishing Co., Waukesha, WI 2000, ISBN 0-89024-356-5
- William D. Middleton, George M. Smerk, Roberta L. Diehl (Eds.): Encyclopedia of North American Railroads. Indiana University Press, Bloomington IN / Indianapolis IN 2007. ISBN 978-0-253-34916-3
Web links
- Collections Canada - History of GTR. Archived from the original ; accessed on September 27, 2018 .
- Model Trains Museum - History of GTR. Archived from the original ; accessed on September 27, 2018 .