This line is scenic, but very expensive and difficult to maintain due to the hilly terrain and many bridges that cross the inlets and rivers along this rugged section of coastline.
I thoroughly enjoyed watching your video-it was incredibly well done! . I think I can speak for many rail enthusiasts when I say that seeing this back in business would be a dream come true. Your video does a fantastic job of highlighting just how special it is, and it inspires hope that one day it might return to its former glory. Keep up the great work!
It must be. I have no knowledge of this area at all, but looked at Google Maps of it after watching. From a freight stand point I can't imagine it's got a chance without the cement plant. Excursions maybe, but it just doesn't look like a real tourist draw. Who knows, we'll watch and see...
it needs consistent and compensatory freight in order to keep it open. With Dragon gone, it will be an uphill battle of numbers to get the other freight back, if ever. I am not from there, but what was the reason for Dragon closing.
With most customers in Maine being driven (and some rather begrudgingly) from rail by the likes of MM&A and Guilford, the new operator really has to put on a heck of a show, and pile on the customer service and charm to get any reasonable revenue back out of it.
We took a trip by car to Maine and stayed in Rockland. Stayed at the Berry Manor Inn. Great place, wonderful staff and all the pies are delicious. Went down to the station one night to have dinner. No train at the time, but hope it returns again soon. Thanks for sharing.
Would love you to do a video on the issues on the Portland Narrow gauge and having their tracks ripped up by a developer. I’ll be shocked if that track gets placed back in the ground.
Great news if they can get it reactivated! Station is beautiful; roundhouse and turntable look in excellent shape as well. The right-of-way looks in great shape other than needing some attention from a brush cutter. Hopefully I’ll see you at the Amherst Railway Show this weekend! 😊 Tom
I had ridden the Rockland Branch under Maine Eastern from Rockland to Brunswick and back. My wife and I caught the train during the summer festival back around 2014. It was a good excursion and reasonably priced. Shame to loose the Maine Eastern.
I never got a chance. It never lined up with my schedule, so i had to take the bus. But when i was having dinner at some restaurant in that area (and i haven’t a clue which one, but on a small cove) the train zipped on by across the bridge. Sounded fantastic, looked gorgeous.
This older footage? I live in Wiscasset,,, Its all Welded rail , and no trees over the rail... The track is mint.. I hope it all works out with Maine Switching service ( aka Belfast & Moosehead lake)..
It’s all grown in now. The DOT hasn’t bothered to finish brush cutting since dragon shut down. The line needs a lot of work. It needs tie and surfacing work and the bridge at Bath needs to be completely replaced.
With MEDOT owning it, they’re going to. Outside of the bus, it’s tough getting up there, and it’s still only midcoast. Add in the port for the islands, there’s certainly the traffic.
The main line always ended at that location. However, a 2-mile branch line was built from about a half a mile before the station to the wharves. Much of it still appears to be maintained, but not used.
Those tracks did cross Union Street at one point, but didn’t go very much farther. There’s a big drop off in elevation just the other side of South Main Street. The tracks serving the waterfront spilt off from the main line east and west of the upper yard. These branches wrapped most of the way around the harbor, servicing the lime quarry, lime kilns, fishing piers, shipyards, and a steamer dock. The whole northern loop got torn up during the depression, as did a large part of the southern.
It already does connect to the CSXT mainline... a lack of traffic due to the main customer generating 95% of the carloads shutting down is why the last operator called it quits. A mainline connection means nothing if your only remaining customer ships
Add in the prior history with hot potato railroads, especially the several companies between the Bangor and Aroostock, and Guilford, the majority of shippers of any volume got irritated with their rail service. It would take considerable effort, customer service, and good will, for the volume to return, as opposed to trucking product either to Quebec, or Portland.
With MEDOT in command, absolutely. It was possible with more favourable companies like Maine Eastern (letting that lease expire was a cockup), yet unlikely with CP. But as long as the state owns it, they could host Amtrak service without any freight at all.
@jaysmith1408 they didnt let the lease exipire... they foolishly chose an operator who moved the same freight traffic and dumped the passenger service.
01/24/25: Our condolences ... Ripley's Believe It Or Not will never believe that there are narrators out there who aren't in love with the sound of their own voices.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the Rockland Branch. However at some point the state needs to stop putting money at it. Without the cement business there is no point to keep dumping money into it. With how much they dumped into the rebuild, we have only got minimal results. It would have been just as good if they had thrown enough ties and ballast into it to keep things 10 MPH during Safe Handling. The 115LBS CWR is completely over the top. In my opinion it would be a better use of resources to remove the rail when the line eventually folds and reuse it up north on Maine Northern. It has very little wear and would be a wise investment, since traffic is rapidly growing up there and they need heavier rail.
While I respect your opinion and agree at times I think they should at least run the Amtrak pilot first. I wouldn’t hold my breath on this either but it’s always possible the cement plant could come back online with tariffs or restrictions put on foreign imports. With the new ownership and administration this recently functional facility would be a prime target to be reactivated if needed given the resources and refocus on domestic product. It would be premature to remove infrastructure at this point but if all else fails (after being tried) then it may be time to reevaluate the rail. We’ll see though as it definitely has had a bit of history with several operators.
@ for what it’s worth, the plant probably won’t reopen. Without the natural gas line, no one is going to put money into it, it’s just not worth it. The plant was run into the ground during the big dig, the various owners have babied it along for the past 20 years, but at this point it’s almost beyond saving. If it were to reopen tomorrow it would need close to $20 million in repairs to resume production. To modernize it, the cost is much higher. I am hopeful that the new owner will do something with it.
115lb rail? Yeezy creezy. Certainly a good thing to have, but it is a bit much for current traffic without the unit cement trains. That said, i think they’ve quit while they’re ahead, instead of derating the line, only at the expense of Amtrak, their primary intended client, and would be attractive to any freight service, should there be any.
![Noob To Max With DRAGON REWORK In Blox Fruits [FULL MOVIE]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LnBMOinoOvA/mqdefault.jpg)
We need to expand & preserve our rail line services. Hope this works out. Thanks!
As a retired railroader myself (Soo Line/Canadian Pacific), I agree and indeed, hope it works out.
This line is scenic, but very expensive and difficult to maintain due to the hilly terrain and many bridges that cross the inlets and rivers along this rugged section of coastline.
Thanks for watching!
I thoroughly enjoyed watching your video-it was incredibly well done! . I think I can speak for many rail enthusiasts when I say that seeing this back in business would be a dream come true. Your video does a fantastic job of highlighting just how special it is, and it inspires hope that one day it might return to its former glory. Keep up the great work!
Such a frustrating uphill struggle to keep this line viable.
It’s not even viable, except for 2022 and 2023 the state has been loosing money on it
It must be. I have no knowledge of this area at all, but looked at Google Maps of it after watching. From a freight stand point I can't imagine it's got a chance without the cement plant. Excursions maybe, but it just doesn't look like a real tourist draw. Who knows, we'll watch and see...
it needs consistent and compensatory freight in order to keep it open. With Dragon gone, it will be an uphill battle of numbers to get the other freight back, if ever. I am not from there, but what was the reason for Dragon closing.
Without freight customers how are they going to survive unless the state subsidizes them
With most customers in Maine being driven (and some rather begrudgingly) from rail by the likes of MM&A and Guilford, the new operator really has to put on a heck of a show, and pile on the customer service and charm to get any reasonable revenue back out of it.
I love these types of documentary rail videos! glad to see what the near future brings, lots of projects going on up here! keep up to good work.
Thanks for watching!
Wow, that's amazing news. I was really worried the line would be ripped up.
Thanks for watching!
Thanks for covering this!
Thanks for watching!
We took a trip by car to Maine and stayed in Rockland. Stayed at the Berry Manor Inn. Great place, wonderful staff and all the pies are delicious. Went down to the station one night to have dinner. No train at the time, but hope it returns again soon. Thanks for sharing.
Would love you to do a video on the issues on the Portland Narrow gauge and having their tracks ripped up by a developer. I’ll be shocked if that track gets placed back in the ground.
Great news if they can get it reactivated! Station is beautiful; roundhouse and turntable look in excellent shape as well. The right-of-way looks in great shape other than needing some attention from a brush cutter.
Hopefully I’ll see you at the Amherst Railway Show this weekend! 😊
Tom
I had ridden the Rockland Branch under Maine Eastern from Rockland to Brunswick and back. My wife and I caught the train during the summer festival back around 2014. It was a good excursion and reasonably priced. Shame to loose the Maine Eastern.
Thanks for watching!
I never got a chance. It never lined up with my schedule, so i had to take the bus. But when i was having dinner at some restaurant in that area (and i haven’t a clue which one, but on a small cove) the train zipped on by across the bridge. Sounded fantastic, looked gorgeous.
Wow, that’s very awesome news! More abandoned and out of service railroads need to be restored and back to life a lot!
Thanks for watching!
I've said it before, and I will say it again: It's always a good thing when these short lines are reactivated. 🤔😁❤️
Thanks for watching!
Here’s to hopefully great success! Nice history given ! CSX had given better service connection from the Southwest until Dragon Closed!
This older footage? I live in Wiscasset,,, Its all Welded rail , and no trees over the rail... The track is mint.. I hope it all works out with Maine Switching service ( aka Belfast & Moosehead lake)..
It’s all grown in now. The DOT hasn’t bothered to finish brush cutting since dragon shut down. The line needs a lot of work. It needs tie and surfacing work and the bridge at Bath needs to be completely replaced.
Great video
Thanks for watching!
Great video it's nice to see rail lines being restored & i'm back & subscribed to your channel my name is Austin
Thanks for watching!
@SouthCoastRailVideos You're very welcome
great video love the update and hopefully they will let amtrack use it !
Thanks for watching!
With MEDOT owning it, they’re going to. Outside of the bus, it’s tough getting up there, and it’s still only midcoast. Add in the port for the islands, there’s certainly the traffic.
Best wishes ❤❤
Thanks for watching!
Did the track always end at the train station or did it continue over the road.
It ended there. There was a small yard at one point, tracks were removed down to it years ago and relayed during the Rockland branch rebuild.
I assume the tracks continued past that station at the end of the video at some point?
The main line always ended at that location. However, a 2-mile branch line was built from about a half a mile before the station to the wharves. Much of it still appears to be maintained, but not used.
Those tracks did cross Union Street at one point, but didn’t go very much farther. There’s a big drop off in elevation just the other side of South Main Street. The tracks serving the waterfront spilt off from the main line east and west of the upper yard. These branches wrapped most of the way around the harbor, servicing the lime quarry, lime kilns, fishing piers, shipyards, and a steamer dock. The whole northern loop got torn up during the depression, as did a large part of the southern.
when cp was an owner, did they leave that 8 axle locomotive behind?
Nope, it was dedicated the line, once they finally left, it ran it. And it’s only a four axle Geep.
How hard to connect to a main line that would be the magic revenue sauce
It already does connect to the CSXT mainline... a lack of traffic due to the main customer generating 95% of the carloads shutting down is why the last operator called it quits.
A mainline connection means nothing if your only remaining customer ships
@ sorry we had the nerve to comment
@@OnDownTheRoadProductions simply answering the question... relax lol.
Add in the prior history with hot potato railroads, especially the several companies between the Bangor and Aroostock, and Guilford, the majority of shippers of any volume got irritated with their rail service. It would take considerable effort, customer service, and good will, for the volume to return, as opposed to trucking product either to Quebec, or Portland.
Can’t believe it’s taken this long for the Downeaster to get extended to Rockland. Do you think it’ll ever happen?
I sure hope so!
With MEDOT in command, absolutely. It was possible with more favourable companies like Maine Eastern (letting that lease expire was a cockup), yet unlikely with CP. But as long as the state owns it, they could host Amtrak service without any freight at all.
@jaysmith1408 they didnt let the lease exipire... they foolishly chose an operator who moved the same freight traffic and dumped the passenger service.
Did I see a consist with both passenger and freight cars? That would be an awesome tour.
The freight was in the process of delivering the passenger car and it was just tacked on the end without passengers
Ontario Northern still runs a mixed train, VIA Rail might, and Alaska Railroad positively has one.
Awesome
Thanks for watching!
Sad it wasn’t connected to CP. that would give the line more options. Is it connected to any class ones?
It is connected to CSX at Brunswick
@@cmphighpower CP wanted nothing to do with the line, hence why they dumped it to FGLK. They took it because of the CMQ acquisition.
My current stomping grounds! I live not too far (for Maine standards) from Rockland!
Thanks for watching!
Let's hope someone takes over any contract that becomes available
Thanks for watching!
Beyond thrilled to see this!!
Thanks for watching!
I enjoyed the video
Man, this line has really gone to crap since I rode the Maine Eastern to Rockland back in 2015!
Thanks for watching!
Great
Thanks for watching!
keep the RAIL and the right of way open.
Thanks for watching!
Do you know if Harding's is still getting deliveries?
Nobody on this line is getting shipments at all. It is out of service.
@ Well you could have said the names of the damn places, not just “steel manufacturer”
Google it if you’re so pressed to know, damn
@@SouthCoastRailVideosYou were literally being a dick about it first. I was pressed cause you were
@@SouthCoastRailVideosgrow up
Runs east, not north.
Thank you for the correction!
I'm a former operator on this line
If you can recall, what was timetable speed on it, they seemed to do a good clip.
@@jaysmith1408 When I operated 35mph freight 40mph passenger. That's just what the operation limits were. I think track limits had it around 45mph.
If it remains dormant, hopefully it gets railbanked for future use. Too many damn trucks on the highways.😡
The State of Maine owns it, they have a much larger interest in keeping the rail intact and current.
01/24/25: Our condolences ... Ripley's Believe It Or Not will never believe that there are narrators out there who aren't in love with the sound of their own voices.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the Rockland Branch. However at some point the state needs to stop putting money at it. Without the cement business there is no point to keep dumping money into it. With how much they dumped into the rebuild, we have only got minimal results. It would have been just as good if they had thrown enough ties and ballast into it to keep things 10 MPH during Safe Handling. The 115LBS CWR is completely over the top. In my opinion it would be a better use of resources to remove the rail when the line eventually folds and reuse it up north on Maine Northern. It has very little wear and would be a wise investment, since traffic is rapidly growing up there and they need heavier rail.
While I respect your opinion and agree at times I think they should at least run the Amtrak pilot first. I wouldn’t hold my breath on this either but it’s always possible the cement plant could come back online with tariffs or restrictions put on foreign imports. With the new ownership and administration this recently functional facility would be a prime target to be reactivated if needed given the resources and refocus on domestic product. It would be premature to remove infrastructure at this point but if all else fails (after being tried) then it may be time to reevaluate the rail. We’ll see though as it definitely has had a bit of history with several operators.
@ for what it’s worth, the plant probably won’t reopen. Without the natural gas line, no one is going to put money into it, it’s just not worth it. The plant was run into the ground during the big dig, the various owners have babied it along for the past 20 years, but at this point it’s almost beyond saving. If it were to reopen tomorrow it would need close to $20 million in repairs to resume production. To modernize it, the cost is much higher. I am hopeful that the new owner will do something with it.
Good points…hopefully they don’t remove anything prematurely
115lb rail? Yeezy creezy. Certainly a good thing to have, but it is a bit much for current traffic without the unit cement trains. That said, i think they’ve quit while they’re ahead, instead of derating the line, only at the expense of Amtrak, their primary intended client, and would be attractive to any freight service, should there be any.
make it a regional rail instead to allow two way traffic.
Thanks for watching!
@@SamSitar there already was "two way traffic" on the line....
No companies are going to use this line for freight unless owners get their sh1t together and stop playing hot potato withe the railroad.
@buixrule nobody is playing "hot potato"... 😆😆 The last operator would still be there if 95% of the freight traffic hadn't vanished.
Interesting information--BUT--YOUR VIDEO IS PATHETICALLY MINIMAL AND REPETITIVE.--so minimally useful production---TOO BAD
Glad you enjoyed the video!! Thanks for watching!
@@mainesail3097 can't wait for yours, then... 😆