Author Topic: Eagle Lake & West Branch PICS (Read 94277 times)

Terry Harper · « **Reply #45 on:** February 03, 2011, 08:40:07 AM »

The steam Lombard you saw at Scribner Mills was the late Harry Crooker's. To our benefit its now working under steam rather than compressed air. In fact you can see it under steam at the Owls Transportation Museum's Winterfest. Feb. 26 & 27th.

Duncan Mackiewicz · « **Reply #46 on:** February 03, 2011, 02:55:50 PM »

Yes, I was hoping it would regain the ability to be run under steam again. It was impressive just to see it run under compressed air. Who knows, perhaps at some future assemblage at Scribner's Mill the Lombard will return and be steamed-up again.

Ed Deere · « **Reply #47 on:** February 04, 2011, 06:35:43 AM »

Going back a moment to the video of the rail car that Terry posted. The woman in the Video is Dorothy B. Kidney. My wife was able to identify her because she was a school teacher in the town of Washburn, Maine. One of the men most likely is her husband Milford Kidney. Here is a link to their obituaries http://freepages.folklore.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~jankidney/MilfordKidney.htm . Dorothy wrote about living their summers at Lock Dam, just a short distance from where the two locomotives are now sitting.

In the video is a cabin. Now maybe Terry can help me here. At first I thought it possibly was the cabin at Lock Dam. But I think the porch was added years later than the sixty’s. And the two up-stair windows do not look right to me. Plus there is what I think is a Forestry Service sign, on the cabin, in the video. Now the biggest part was they show the rail car right behind the cabin. I do not believe the tracks ever came over to Lock Dam. Having in the summer of 2006 exploring some of the area, Can you fill me in where this cabin is or was?

Ed Deere

Terry Harper · « **Reply #48 on:** February 04, 2011, 09:26:40 AM »

Hello Ed,

I use to carry groceries for Dorthy and she taught for my Dad when he was Principle in Washburn. They were Great people.

The camp is the Forestry camp at Tramway. It was burned in 1969. The Kidney's camp at Lock Dam is still there.

As for the track - After the railroad closed they removed part of the Wye (The section running east/west behind the boarding house) and relaid it from the switch at the mouth of the cut down to the water. In fact, if you follow the west leg from the mainline switch you can see where it runs off the roadbed.
Whether the Forest Service did this or Lacroix's men when they were moving stuff out has not been determined.

Below is a color view looking south from the water. To the left of the Forest service camp you can see the shelter over the well, The east/west leg of the wye ran just behind the buildings from left to right. The tail of the wye would have been on the far right. The boardinghouse is just out of sight on the far left.

This Photo below is looking slightly northeast towards the lake. The large building is the boardinghouse the east/west leg of the wye ran east/west past the boardinghouse and well shelter between where the photographer was standing.

And finally here is a view below of No. 2 sitting on the wye by the well shelter. (this is looking south west) It's in position to back west down the Wye and then forward up the west leg out to the maineline. The track seen in the film (and still in place today) cuts across just behind the tender. The Forestry camp is out of site to the right. Note the hose from the steam dome and running towards the well. Any idea? Steam cleaning the boarding house? (Ha, ha) I do have a letter from Lacroix saying that it was infested with bedbugs!

Dana Deering · « **Reply #49 on:** February 04, 2011, 02:41:44 PM »

This is a great thread! I have been enjoying reading it and looking at the photos. Please keep it coming! And yes, the WB&EL rail was laid from just a bit north of Humason trestle to Trask Crossing, or just shy of it. Some of it was badly bent or kinked and we've replaced a few sticks but it sure was a godsend at a time when money for rail was hard to come by. Harry Crooker offered us that Plymouth Loco and I went down with a few of the guys to look at it and the rail and the loco was in sad shape and we declined the offer and took just the rail. The loco may still be sitting in the gravel pit near Harry's house, who knows? There were a couple of very old trucks sitting there, too, in an advanced state of deterioration.

Terry Harper · « **Reply #50 on:** February 04, 2011, 04:34:09 PM »

Dana,

I would love to see the Plymouth and of course the old trucks. Do you have any contacts with the Crooker family?

Terry Harper · « **Reply #51 on:** February 04, 2011, 06:20:40 PM »

Here is a map of Tramway I created a number of years ago. It was published with an article I wrote for The Narrow Gauge & Shortline Gazette. July/Aug. 2007

Here is part of a Plan/Profile Dated March 1927. I have a full set from Tramway to Umbazooksus plus engineering drawings for the clear spans of the trestle. Note that these drawings were produced by Great Northern Paper. In the profile section at the top of the page you can see the 2.1% grade out of Tramway through the "Big Cut" The switch at the gravel pit and siding is a three-way stub switch while with the exception of the engine house track all others are point switches.

Terry Harper · « **Reply #52 on:** February 04, 2011, 06:45:12 PM »

Did you know there was a "Narrow Gauge railroad" at Tramway?

Edwin Robichaud and his brother built this little coaster railroad behind their Great Uncle Sam's cabin. They used two trucks from the Tramway (22" gauge) joined together (with the help of the blacksmith) and some old Tramway rail with the help of Old John the horse to move them. Edwin called it his "Scenic railroad". Amazingly the little "Locomotive" still survives in a private collection and when we were poking around where Sam's camp was we found a length of Tramway rail.

So you will have to add the "Tramway Scenic Railroad" to the Narrow gauge list.

I love finding Little gems like this that bring history alive and make it human.

Glenn Byron · « **Reply #53 on:** February 04, 2011, 07:42:17 PM »

Just think about what has happened here in the past few days. People who had no previous contact with each other have reconstructed facts not revealed elsewhere. Our very alive site has brought items into the picture that were lost in time. We've added two pages to a year old discussion, stuff not ever brought into the frey. Folks, This Discussion Forum has to be one of the best. How fortunate we are to have a platform where history can be viewed while a snowbank holds us captive. And to get a first hand player involved is as good as it gets. Long Live The WW&F Railway Museum!

Ed Deere · « **Reply #54 on:** February 04, 2011, 08:49:56 PM »

Wow Terry, You sure have filled in some blanks. Thanks for sharing your photos and drawings. My wife and I are thinking we need to go back again. When we went before we camped at Indian Stream and canoed up Eagle to the tramway. That last 1/2 mile of paddling into the wind was real work. I understand you can drive in, with-in a mile, and walk in from the north.

And my wife remembers Principle Harper

Ed Deere

Terry Harper · « **Reply #55 on:** February 04, 2011, 10:05:50 PM »

Ed, Ys you can drive within two miles. Once on the trail its not too hard to follow.

Ok, one more tidbit:

For many years - well into the 1950's - the Tramway boardinghouse sported a fancy weathervane. Edwin Robichaud first mentioned it to me. It wasn't until last month that I found proof of it in several photos of the boardinghouse. Here it is below - its hard to makeout but it is indeed a locomotive and tender. By the time the boardinghouse collapsed in the late 1960's it was gone. I wonder where it is today?

And here is a application to Lacroix for employment on the railroad. I beleive Mr. Vachon ended up as an engineer but I will need to recheck my records.

Mike Fox · « **Reply #56 on:** February 05, 2011, 09:32:29 AM »

Thank you Terry. Those maps help place things for me better. And I love those pictures. I will play with the weathervane one to see if I can make it bigger.

Ed Deere · « **Reply #57 on:** February 11, 2011, 11:03:36 AM »

Went over to the Great Falls Model Railroad Club's library last night and signed out a copy of the July/Aug 2007, Narrow Gauge and Short Line Gazette. The 5 page article (Maine's Eagle Lake & West Branch Railroad) that Terry wrote is excellent. It has not only the historical facts but, local individuality and flavor. The side account of the pilot who lands his plane, and exclaimed he followed the railroad to both ends is countless. (I will not deprive the punch line). If you have access to the publication, and you have interest in the Eagle Lake & West Branch Railroad, I would recommend you check this out.

Ed Deere

Terry Harper · « **Reply #58 on:** February 14, 2011, 02:10:44 PM »

Thanks Ed,

Like most research projects since that article was published a lot more has come to light. Some mysteries have been solved while others have been created!

For instance:

If your standing at the switch that leads to the individual engine stalls you will notice that the track that should lead to No. 1 simply does not line-up with where No. 1 is resting. In addition the track ends just behind No. 1's tender while the track for No. 2 continues for some distance.

Thats as things are today. Now here comes the twist. Photo's taken in the 1960's clearly show that there was no door in front or behind No. 1!! Its as if the enginehouse was built around it.

Yet..... I have photos taken just before the end of operations which also shows no door in front of No. 1 while the photos clearly show No. 1 sitting behind the enginehouse. Yes I suppose a temporary switch could have been installed behind the enginehouse but.....why are there no doors? Its as if once moved into place they boarded it in!

Below is a photo looking at the front of the enginehouse. The track and doors are in front of No. 2. The hinges etc. for the doors in front of No. 1 should be clearly visible near the sapling on the right. But all we see are the hinges for one leaf of No. 2's door

This photo is looking at the back of the enginehouse - again, the doors shown are directly behind No. 2. If there was a door behind No. 1 it would be too the left. There is nothing (butted boards etc) to indicate that there was ever a door there.

Here is a view looking from the inside: Note the full height studs etc. in front of No. 1. To the far right you can see the hinges and door (partially open) in front of No. 2. Note that the doors in front of No. 2 are off center - in other words the opening extends beyond the center of the building and how close the jamb is in relation to No. 1. In my opinion there was never a door there!

Mike Fox · « **Reply #59 on:** February 15, 2011, 04:36:43 PM »

Pictures really don't show how the tracks lined up. When was the enginehouse built?

And the doors look wide enough to accomodate two tracks in the first photo. Any other angles?

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