ShortlinesUSA
03-09-2010, 09:24 PM
Maine's two senators appear to have gotten the US Dept of Transportation to agree to pony up some money to keep the northern end of the MMA alive. The state of Maine and affected parties are required to draw up an action plan, and funding would then follow as long as it is approved.
MMA has made no indication that they plan to do anything other than cease operations over the 241 miles between Millinocket and Madawaska by summer. Even if the feds and/or state wind up buying the line, there is still the possibility MMA will not be the operator. So, time may be running out to photograph the MMA in northern Maine.
A trip up there can be very rewarding, as I found out last week. There are still plenty of trains to be found, just not in the mass quantities of other railroads of this size. Here is a quick rule of thumb of what you'd find on the segment up for abandonment:
Millinocket-Oakfield: All three days (Thu-Sat) I was up there, something moved between these points, either one direction or both. No solid call time that I could determine.
Squa Pan: Train 120 on duty 0800 M-Sa. Works north to Portage M-W-F, the Presque Isle, Caribou, and Easton branches T-Th-Sa. May work any of these branches any day. They tried for all 3 on Thursday, only to go dead in Presque Isle, making Friday's start from there instead of Squa Pan.
Oakfield-Madawaska: Moves between these points are typically made during night time hours. Never heard or saw a movement during my trip.
On the not to be abandoned segment, train #2 from Montreal to Millinocket can be found coming east into Millinocket anytime from sunup to 10 am on Tu-Th-Sa, depending on how much work they've done along the way. With longer days approaching, catching them in daylight from Brownville Jct. east is a pretty good possibility. I saw them into Millinocket at 9:30 am on Thursday, yet they made it in at 6:15 am on Saturday because they did not do enroute work at Jackman. The westbound #1 leaves Millinocket at 10 pm, and is under the cover of darkness pretty much throughout Maine. Possible to find them at Megantic in the early morning hours.
It's my understanding the turn from Northern Maine Jct to Searsport is now done during night time hours. NMJ to Millinocket and/or Brownville Jct can be handled in a number of ways, and apparently not on a set schedule. For instance, Saturday found a job out of NMJ to BJCT at 9:30 am. Ran back to NMJ after switching BJCT. Sunday, they were going to run a job from Derby to S. Lagrange (GP woodchip mill) then north to Millinocket with a call time of noon.
There is also the Eastern Maine Railway (New Brunswick Southern) train that comes on duty around 7-9 am at BJCT (depending on when MMA 2 gets their connection to them) Tu-Th-Sa.
So, for any of you looking at spring travel plans that have had the MMA in mind, it is definitely worth your while. Just be prepared to drive to where the trains are. I put 1100 miles on a rental car in under 72 hours. Photos to come later on in the week.
MMA has made no indication that they plan to do anything other than cease operations over the 241 miles between Millinocket and Madawaska by summer. Even if the feds and/or state wind up buying the line, there is still the possibility MMA will not be the operator. So, time may be running out to photograph the MMA in northern Maine.
A trip up there can be very rewarding, as I found out last week. There are still plenty of trains to be found, just not in the mass quantities of other railroads of this size. Here is a quick rule of thumb of what you'd find on the segment up for abandonment:
Millinocket-Oakfield: All three days (Thu-Sat) I was up there, something moved between these points, either one direction or both. No solid call time that I could determine.
Squa Pan: Train 120 on duty 0800 M-Sa. Works north to Portage M-W-F, the Presque Isle, Caribou, and Easton branches T-Th-Sa. May work any of these branches any day. They tried for all 3 on Thursday, only to go dead in Presque Isle, making Friday's start from there instead of Squa Pan.
Oakfield-Madawaska: Moves between these points are typically made during night time hours. Never heard or saw a movement during my trip.
On the not to be abandoned segment, train #2 from Montreal to Millinocket can be found coming east into Millinocket anytime from sunup to 10 am on Tu-Th-Sa, depending on how much work they've done along the way. With longer days approaching, catching them in daylight from Brownville Jct. east is a pretty good possibility. I saw them into Millinocket at 9:30 am on Thursday, yet they made it in at 6:15 am on Saturday because they did not do enroute work at Jackman. The westbound #1 leaves Millinocket at 10 pm, and is under the cover of darkness pretty much throughout Maine. Possible to find them at Megantic in the early morning hours.
It's my understanding the turn from Northern Maine Jct to Searsport is now done during night time hours. NMJ to Millinocket and/or Brownville Jct can be handled in a number of ways, and apparently not on a set schedule. For instance, Saturday found a job out of NMJ to BJCT at 9:30 am. Ran back to NMJ after switching BJCT. Sunday, they were going to run a job from Derby to S. Lagrange (GP woodchip mill) then north to Millinocket with a call time of noon.
There is also the Eastern Maine Railway (New Brunswick Southern) train that comes on duty around 7-9 am at BJCT (depending on when MMA 2 gets their connection to them) Tu-Th-Sa.
So, for any of you looking at spring travel plans that have had the MMA in mind, it is definitely worth your while. Just be prepared to drive to where the trains are. I put 1100 miles on a rental car in under 72 hours. Photos to come later on in the week.