Skowhegan – Madison tram

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The tram Skowhegan - Madison was a Regional tramway in Maine ( United States ).

history

In the 1850s, the Brunswick – Skowhegan railway line was built along the Kennebec River . The original plans to extend this route further to Madison, however, were not carried out. To make the connection to Madison, the Somerset Traction Company received a concession in January 1895 to build an electric tram line. The company was formally set up in June of that year and construction began. A year later, on June 6, 1896, the section from Skowhegan to Hayden Brook - about half of the route - went into operation. The remaining section of the standard-gauge railway to the terminus in Madison at the church was opened six days later. On September 24, 1897, the route in Madison was extended by about 400 meters to the post office.

In 1902 the Lakewood railway company opened a park with a hotel and an open-air theater on Lake Wesserunsett , which was intended to attract additional passengers. This facility is now the Lakewood Theater . The railway had in Skowhegan connection to the aforementioned railway line in the direction of Brunswick and in Madison to the Oakland – Bingham railway line . In Skowhegan there was also a connection to the Skowhegan – Norridgewock tram . The route largely followed today's US Highway 201 to Lakewood and from there the Golf Course Road and ran along Maine State Route 43 to Madison. The depot and headquarters of the railway was in Skowhegan on Madison Avenue. The depot had three sidings and a workshop track.

The railway lost the competition against the road and was shut down in May 1928. It wasn't until 1940 that the last tracks were dismantled and scrapped.

business

In winter there were ten trips on weekdays and eight on Sundays in each direction, in summer there were approximately hourly trips with additional trips to events in the Lakewood Theater or on public holidays. The operating hours extended from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. in winter and until 9 p.m. in summer. The railway also carried general cargo, wood, agricultural products and mail. The fare was five cents per zone. The route was divided into six zones. 40-trip tickets for one dollar were issued for traffic within Madison or Skowhegan.

Sources and further information

Individual evidence
  1. ^ Homepage of the city of Madison
literature
  • OR Cummings. Toonervilles of Maine. The Pine Tree State. Newburyport MA, 1955. Pages 29-37.
  • First Annual Report, Public Utilities Commission, State of Maine. Sentinel Publishing Co., Waterville ME, 1915. page 185.
  • Poor's Manual of Railroads. 44th Edition (1911), page 2071.