FOURTH OF JULY (Day 6 - part 4)
The Stephen King house...
... complete with gargoyles...
... and a carved tree of books and animals.
Wide streets ... Tourists have gathered in front of the King house.
On our way out of town, we drove past Paul Bunyan again.
Eventually we arrived at the Downeast Scenic Railroad. I had already purchased tickets in advance for a 1:30 trip.
The Downeast Scenic Railroad is a heritage railway in Hancock (near Ellsworth) that operates over the historic Calais Branch, which was once part of the Maine Central Railroad and ran 127 miles, connecting Brewer (near Bangor) to Calais. Its passenger service operated from 1898 to 1957. It provides a 12-mile roundtrip excursion (around 90 minutes) from Washington Junction to Ellsworth Falls. Plans are to eventually extend the line to Green Lake. The crew consists entirely of volunteers.
Before boarding the train, we took a quick look around the old train yard.
The Russell Snow Plow #82 was built in 1952 in Pennsylvania. After many years of service, it ceased operation in 2018. Restoration work has included fixing broken windows and doors and applying fresh paint. Further repairs will be adding lettering and restoring the interior and mechanical controls. In the background is the red Caboose #2608, built in 1926 in Pennsylvania. It was brought here in 2008.
A water tower
The train (back to front):
- Green Lake combination passenger and baggage car #102
- McNeil Point passenger coach #155
- Downeast Breeze open-air car #124 (where we boarded)
- Union River passenger coach #123
- Diesel locomotive #1055
The end of the baggage car
We then explored inside the train after first grabbing a spot on a bench in the open-air car.
The Downeast Breeze open-air car #124 was built in 1964 as a flat car to transport pulpwood to the paper mills of Northern Maine. Known as Pulp Racks, these cars had V-shaped floors. In 1969, many of these cars were rebuilt with flat floors and used for transporting lumber. This car was modified to be a scenic passenger car with a shade canopy, bench seats and picnic tables by the Belfast and Moosehead Lake Railroad. It was purchased by the Downeast Scenic Railroad in 2008.
First, walking to the front of the train...
The Union River passenger coach #123 was added in 2009. Built by the Pullman Company in 1917 (as #663), it is an early example of all-steel construction. It served in the New Jersey commuter service for decades.
In 1930, it was converted into a trailer car as part of a multiple-unit (MU) that ran on electricity and was renumbered #2315. A MU differs from a traditional train in that onboard motors are spread among several of the cars as opposed to being pulled or pushed by a single locomotive. It's essentially a self-propelled train set. This provides better acceleration and braking. The train can also be driven in either direction without having to move a locomotive around. It's better for short-haul passenger service, although it can be noisier and have more vibrations due to underfloor machinery. This MU made its first run with Thomas Edison at the controls for the first mile, since this was one of the first trains using Edison Electric Company direct current (DC) propulsion.
In 1961, it became #3315, and then a bit later it was #4315. Starting in 1986, it spent some time working for a scenic railroad in Florida, and in 2000 it became part of a tourist train in Michigan. It was finally acquired by the Downeast Scenic Railroad in 2009. It was restored to its original condition and in 2010 got its current number and name... Union River #123.
Thomas Edison at the controls
Diesel locomotive #1055 was built in 1950 and was used in Portland (Maine) for switching freight cars in the local rail yards and warehouses. In 1981, it was purchased by the Conway Scenic Railroad (New Hampshire) and used on some of their passenger excursion trains. In 2010, they acquired two larger locomotives and sold the #1055 to the Downeast Scenic.
Looking in at the controls
I passed back through the open-air car to the back end of the train...
The McNeil Point passenger coach #155 was built in New Hampshire in 1910. The wooden, enclosed day coach was turned into a workmen's bunk car in 1947. It caught fire twice from overheated coal stoves, resulting in damage to the interior. In 1978, it was converted into an open-air car by the Conway Scenic Railroad. They removed all of the windows and installed seats salvaged from retired passenger coaches. In 2008, it came here. Volunteers spent two years rebuilding both the interior and exterior.
Passengers can move the flip-over seats to face either direction.
Historic photos of Ellsworth
An old timetable
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