Canton – Livermore Falls railway line
| Canton ME – Livermore Falls ME, as of 1999 |
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| Route length: | 17.7 km | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gauge : | 1435 mm ( standard gauge ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dual track : | % | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Society: | PAR | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The railway line Canton-Livermore Falls is a railway line in Maine ( United States ). It is 17.7 kilometers long. The standard gauge route is now operated by Pan Am Railways in freight traffic. However, only the connecting curve towards Rumford is still in operation, the former Canton branch station has been closed.
history
In the mid-19th century, two parallel north-south routes were built in the west of Maine: the Rumford Junction – Kennebago line of the Portland and Rumford Falls Railway and about ten kilometers further east the Brunswick – Farmington line of the Androscoggin Railroad . To connect the routes, Portland & Rumford Falls built a branch from their route in Canton along the south bank of the Androscoggin River to Livermore Falls in the late 19th century . The river is very winding in this area, making the entire route 17.7 kilometers long. Shortly before Chisholm, the train crosses the river at an acute angle.
On September 1, 1897, the section from Canton to Chisholms Mills (now Chisholm) went into operation. The terminus was right next to the railway line of the former Androscoggin Railroad, which had since been taken over by the Maine Central Railroad . A track connection was not initially built. At Canton a large triangular track was built that allowed direct journeys from Chisholm towards Rumford. In 1899 the short extension to Livermore Falls station was opened, which made it easier to transfer and transfer freight cars.
After the line opened, passenger trains only ran between Livermore Falls and Canton. After the Maine Central Railroad leased Portland & Rumford Falls in 1907 and took over their operations, continuous trains were used from Portland via Livermore Falls to Rumford and on to Kennebago. However, these trains did not drive on the connecting curve, but initially ran to Canton, where the locomotive was relocated.
In 1952, Canton became the terminus station after the line that followed there to the south was closed. Passenger traffic between Canton and Livermore Falls ended in 1955. At the same time, the Gleisdreieck was closed, only the connecting curve to Rumford remained. Today a freight train runs once a day from South Portland via Livermore Falls to Rumford and back, supplying various industrial plants along this route and transporting their production goods away.
credentials
- ^ Mike Walker: SPV's comprehensive Railroad Atlas of North America. New England & Maritime Canada. Steam Powered Publishing, Faversham 1999, ISBN 1-874745-12-9 .
literature
- Robert M. Lindsell: The Rail Lines of Northern New England. Branch Line Press, Pepperell MA 2000, ISBN 0-942147-06-5 .