Augusta tram

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The city of Augusta in the US state of Maine had a streetcar operation from 1890 to 1932 .

history

Augusta, Hallowell and Gardiner Railroad

The Augusta, Hallowell and Gardiner Railroad , founded in 1889, opened an eleven-kilometer-long electric overland tram in standard gauge between their eponymous locations. The section from Augusta to the depot in Hallowell went into operation on July 26, 1890, the end point in Gardiner was reached on August 4. The route looped through State Street, Grove Street, Water Street, Bond Street and back to State Street again in Augusta. The terminus was at the Maine Central Railroad station . The railway ran continuously to Gardiner next to the country road and ended in Gardiner also near the station.

As early as the end of 1891, the loop was interrupted in Augusta and the route from Water Street / Bond Street through Bond Street and State Street to the corner of State Street and Crosby Lane was shut down and dismantled. Instead, the tracks were built into northern Water Street and the route there extended through Northern Avenue to the cotton factory near Mill Street. The section between Grove Street and Crosby Lane on State Street was served by a shuttle service.

Augusta and Togus Railway

The Augusta and Togus Railway , founded on June 6, 1900, received the concession for a route to the National Soldiers' Home in Togus . Shortly after the concession was granted, Augusta, Hallowell & Gardiner took over this railway company and carried out the construction. The roughly nine-kilometer route went into operation on June 15, 1901. It branched off the existing route on Water Street, crossed the Kennebec River on Bridge Street and led out of the city through Cony Street, Stone Street and Hospital Street. From Hospital Street, just before the intersection of Piggery Road, the line turned east onto its own rail track and ended in Toguz near the station of the narrow-gauge Kennebec Central Railroad .

Augusta, Winthrop and Gardiner Street Railway

On July 1, 1901, Augusta, Hallowell & Gardiner was taken over by the Lewiston, Winthrop and Augusta Street Railway , which was renamed Augusta, Winthrop and Gardiner Street Railway on January 13, 1902 . The new owner planned to build a new line from Augusta via Winthrop to Sabattus , where an overland tram from Lewiston had ended on July 26, 1898 . For an unknown reason, however, the decision was made to only build as far as Winthrop, for which the concession was granted on March 24, 1902. The 23.5 km long route went into operation in sections. On July 1, 1902, the trains drove to the city limits of Winthrop, near the settlement of Island Park . On July 19, Dudley's Crossing was reached and on July 30, the remaining section of the route to the actual town of Winthrop was opened. In Augusta, the route branched off from the existing network at the intersection of State Street and Grove Street and led through Western Avenue. After about three kilometers, the line turned onto its own track and led over Granite Hill to Manchester , where it was in the road surface. Behind Manchester, another section began on its own track to Island Park and from Island Park to Winthrop. Within the town of Island Park, the tracks lay in the country road. The total track length of the network was now 44.915 kilometers.

Unrealized plans

In the first decade of the 20th century, several railway companies were founded in the area of ​​Augusta, the concession applications submitted to the state of Maine, but these lapsed. These were in detail:

  • 1902 Augusta and Waterville Railway (via East Vassalboro, Winslow) (later built, see below)
  • 1902 Augusta and Oakland Railway (via Sidney, Belgrade)
  • 1902 Gardiner Street Railway (city line in Gardiner to South Gardiner)
  • 1903 Lewiston and Kennebec Railroad (from Gardiner to Lewiston via West Gardiner, Litchfield, Monmouth, Wales and Webster) (partly built later, see below)
  • 1906 Augusta, Oakland and Waterville Railway (to Oakland via Sidney, but not via Belgrade)
  • 1906 Gardiner, Richmond and Topsham Street Railway (from Gardiner to Topsham via Richmond and Bowdoin)

Lewiston, Augusta and Waterville Street Railway

On April 24, 1907 the Augusta, Winthrop & Gardiner was bought by the Lewiston, Augusta and Waterville Street Railway , which also owned the Lewiston / Auburn tram and the Bath tram . She finally wanted to establish the connection to Waterville that had already been planned in 1902 . They therefore also bought the Augusta and Waterville Railway and their concession for the route via East Vassalboro and Winslow, which was renewed by the government. At the same time, the license for the connection to the network in Lewiston at Sabattus was applied for and obtained, but not via Winthrop, as planned in 1900, but via Gardiner. On June 12, 1907, this license was granted. The two routes went into operation in sections as follows:

  • June 27, 1908: East Vassalboro – Winslow
  • July 13, 1908: Gardiner – New Mills Village
  • September 15, 1908: New Mills Village – Sabattus
  • November 21, 1908: Augusta – East Vassalboro
  • December 15, 1909: Winslow – Waterville

In Augusta, the new route began at the corner of Cony Street and Bangor Street on the line to Toguz and led north through Bangor Street. About partly own railroad body they reached East Vassalboro, from where they led on the road to Waterville. In Waterville there was a track connection to the local tram .

On November 23, 1910, the railway company opened a new bridge built jointly with the City of Augusta, the State of Maine and the Maine Central Railroad on Grove Street in Augusta over the Brunswick – Skowhegan railway line and was able to eliminate the late-prone level crossing. The other level crossing between Augusta and Gardiner remained, however.

The Augusta pendulum line along State Street ceased operations in 1918 and the 975 meter stretch from Grove Street to Crosby Lane was closed. The track condition had deteriorated so much that the line would have had to be extensively renovated.

Androscoggin and Kennebec Railway

After the bankruptcy of the railway company this was reorganized on September 30, 1919 in Androscoggin and Kennebec Railway . After the number of passengers fell rapidly, the fares had to be increased to cover costs, the track situation deteriorated and the city wanted to expand Western Avenue, the railway shut down the line to Winthrop on August 23, 1928. At the end of 1931, the state of Maine wanted to expand today's Route 201 from Augusta to Waterville. The tram was in the way for this and would have had to be relocated to a new route at great expense. It was therefore decided to shut down all operations. On July 31, 1932 the last trams drove through Augusta, the remaining lines to Gardiner and Togus and the Lewiston – Waterville line were discontinued on that day and the tracks were dismantled shortly afterwards.

literature

  • First Annual Report, Public Utilities Commission, State of Maine. Sentinel Publishing Co., Waterville ME, 1915. Pages 182-4.
  • OR Cummings: Trolleys to Augusta, Maine. (Transportation Bulletin 76) Warehouse Point, CT: National Railway Historical Society, 1969.