Author Topic: Visited the Junction  (Read 13125 times)

Rob Carignan

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Visited the Junction
« on: August 26, 2012, 06:51:36 PM »
My family and I were up to camp in Fryeburg this past week and my son and I took an afternoon to chase down the B&SR roadbed from Hiram to Bridgton. We found the junction easy enough and were thrilled to even locate the turntable pit and engine house foundation.

We walked down the dirt road to the abandon MEC line the followed it until we recognized the passenger roadbed curving away. Following that we came across the engine house foundation and turn table pit. Back up towards the MEC line, where I assumed the station was located (due to the fact that the passenger spur paralleled the MEC) I came cross from granite blocks. Are these same same blocks as seen on page 208 of Jones' Two Feet to the Lakes?

The yard was quite over grown except for a couple of open areas. We didn't explore those but kept to the passenger spur.

Rob Carignan
Portland, Maine
« Last Edit: August 26, 2012, 07:52:50 PM by Rob Carignan »

James Patten

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Re: Visited the Junction
« Reply #1 on: August 26, 2012, 07:41:46 PM »
On my way to the Fox wedding last weekend my wife and I traveled up alongside the Mountain Division.  I saw the town sign for Hiram, but before I could even think to look for the junction we rolled through what had to be the town, and crossed the river.  We didn't come back the same way, so I didn't get to try for a second chance.  How far south of the town/bridge is the junction?

Rob Carignan

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Re: Visited the Junction
« Reply #2 on: August 26, 2012, 07:52:20 PM »
Heading south from the bridge on 117 it's about 1500 feet. As the road begins to climb the hill and veer away from the river, there is a dirt road on the right.

Here is a Google street view link.
https://maps.google.com/maps?q=hiram+maine+historical&hl=en&ll=43.871983,-70.801252&spn=0.000564,0.001106&hq=historical&hnear=Hiram,+Oxford,+Maine&t=h&fll=43.871841,-70.800973&fspn=0.002239,0.004426&z=20&layer=c&cbll=43.871983,-70.801252&panoid=1bU6Lip_XNB69M3wzuBIFQ&cbp=12,188.5,,0,10.04

Oddly enough, our Delorme GPS labeled the dirt road "Train Street".

Mike Fox

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Re: Visited the Junction
« Reply #3 on: August 27, 2012, 06:31:10 PM »
Rob, yes those are the same blocks. The MEC rebuilt the bridge over the Saco in the Late 30's or early 40's. The extra blocks were left someplace handy. Now they make a great reference point when viewing the area.

Hope you found Hancock Brook Arch. That is fascinating.
Mike
Doing way too much to list...

Rob Carignan

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Re: Visited the Junction
« Reply #4 on: August 27, 2012, 07:12:18 PM »
No, I didn't, but I plan to head back up there with a GPS and tape measure.

Glenn Christensen

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Re: Visited the Junction
« Reply #5 on: August 27, 2012, 11:22:10 PM »
Hi Rob,

Congratulations on finding the area of the Junction yard!  Sure looks different from when I first laid eyes on it almost 40 years ago.

When you go back there, the right of way for the B&SR mainline actually crossed Rt. 113 a few hundred feet west of where the Google link took me.  It was within 300 feet west of the white house you can see if you turn the picture to a westerly view.  This house shows up briefly in Steve Hussar's B&SR video.  The area is overgrown now and the uphill grade was dug for gravel some years ago, but the gap in the trees remains if you know where to look as you cruise by on Rt.113.  I seem to recall there is a telephone pole there too but I could be "misremembering".
 
The first time I was there, I was able to walk the grade almost to Smalls.  There were even a few ties along this stretch.  Just west of where the right of way crossed Route 113, the highway takes a slight right-hand curve and starts a slight downgrade.  A small dirt road cuts off to the right of 113.  This "roadlet" actually turns into an area that was dug for gravel  The grade actually angled through here on a 2% grade at a higher level, keeping to the flank of what was then the hill.  But the present level of the road is lower than the grade was for some distance.

Next time you explore the junction, see if you can find the place where the main line right of way was bulldozed by Atwood's movers to make a dandy little ramp.  This was where the stored equipment was loaded onto trailers for the move to Edaville.

I love the area and I'm envious of your visit.  Enjoy!


Best Regards,
Glenn

Ed Deere

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Re: Visited the Junction
« Reply #6 on: August 28, 2012, 04:16:48 AM »

My wife and I walked the Jct back on the fourth of July. I plotted with my GPS the engine house, turn table, and telephone pole at the station platform. I also plotted the mainline right away from the station to 113. The mainline travels through someones garden near the road. Also poision ive is present here.These numbers I entered into Google Earth and really gave me a lay of the land from above.  Now I really should learn how to get it on this forum.
Ed Deere.

Mike Fox

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Duncan Mackiewicz

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Re: Visited the Junction
« Reply #8 on: September 10, 2012, 03:14:03 PM »
Glenn,
The roadbed that was cut to allow for loading of the rail cars was still evident the last time I was there about 7 or 8 years ago. If you have ever seen the pictures taken at the time the cars were removed, it is amazing how little had changed to the present day.
Duncan