Question about railway history of Houlton, Maine

[MidlandMike]

The MEC operated in southern Maine, and the BAR operated in northern Maine.  Much of BAR's traffic was exchanged with MEC to be forwarded south.

[Engi1487]

MidlandMike

BAR's yard was near the bridge, and as many derailments happen during switching, it might not have involved a crash.

 

I see. I realize now thats what I meant to say. I was in a hurry to type. Why didnt the Maine central own the yard? I am guesing the Bangor and Arrostock railroad was its maine rival in Maine?

[MidlandMike]

BAR's yard was near the bridge, and as many derailments happen during switching, it might not have involved a crash.

[Engi1487]

MidlandMike

The US 1 bridge is a few blocks down from the BAR rail bridge, and a derailment on or near the bridge could have sent a car into the river, and been carried down over flood stages.

 

Now that you say this, that is a plausable explination. Prehaps if I am over across (I'm Canadian, cant visit the USA because of Covid-19) I could look in the newspaper arhcives to find if any crashes occured.

[MidlandMike]

The US 1 bridge is a few blocks down from the BAR rail bridge, and a derailment on or near the bridge could have sent a car into the river, and been carried down over flood stages.

[MMLDelete]

Info about Jerry Angier:
http://rlhs.org/General/Officers/secretary.shtml

[MMLDelete]

https://www.470rrclub.org/

[MMLDelete]

I'm in Maine (not near Houlton), and I have never heard of that.

You might try to find a contact in the 470 Railroad Club (named after the last steam locomotive to run on the Maine Central) in Portland. I'm pretty confident someone in that group would know. If I can find a contact , I'll let you know.

You might also try to find a guy named Jerry Angier; he wrote a book about the BAR, and AFAIK he knows about all things railroad in Maine.

[Engi1487]

For those of you who are framiler with the state of Maine and its railway history I am in need of your help. I visit the town of Houlton Maine at times, and when walking on the well known Gateway bridge in the centre of down that crosses the river then runs thru it I noticed when crossing t and looking into the water below, a single wheel set that I can tell once belonged in the truck of a railway freight car.

Does anyone know familer with the town area or the bridge who has walked on it and look at the water below know what I am talking about? Any idea of it might have ended up there? Its nowhere near where the current railway tracks are so I have to ask why a two or one tone railway wheelset ended up in the river.