Mapping the W&Q and the WW&F

[Paul Levesque]

A little big project I have been working on is converting any maps I can into drawing files that can be converted into files that can be viewed in google maps and google earth and can be modified using more advanced software.

The first map I want to present is that of the W&Q crossing of the Maine Central Railroad Belfast Branch.  The map is derived from a photo mosaic of the original plans dated November 1897.  I also have jpg and pdfs of these with more details that I can e-mail, so message me and they will come your way.  They are print quality and formatted to be printed on 36X48 and cropped to 24X48.  Bring it to Staples, the copyright release is on the plan because some stores make a big deal over having a release.  Get it in black and white and it will cost you about $5.  I plan on hand coloring some that are framing quality and making them available later this summer.

More maps are forthcoming including a map of the entire railroad as built (as closely as can be drawn using a variety of sources), and as proposed (this is drawn in in AutoCAD but needs adjusting to account for the earths curvature).

Enjoy, and let me know of any errors either loading the page or technical.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1CADkRMDCf9yHz9x8rhuLtGZb8aI&usp=sharing

[Tom Casper]

I TRIED IT AND THE LINK IS NOT GOOD.  ADDED THE MISSING END AND GOT A

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Please contact the owner directly.

Tom C.

[Mike Fox]

I tried the link and it took me to the crossing, but there wereno added lines for the Narrow Gauge

[Paul Levesque]

Well, that is no good....

Try this one, it was set to private, sorry for that.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1CADkRMDCf9yHz9x8rhuLtGZb8aI&usp=sharing

[Glenn Christensen]

WOW, Paul!

This is the first time I've ever seen a map of the various options for the W&Q and Belfast branch crossing in Burnham.

Sweet!


Thanks and Best Regards,
Glenn

[Mike Fox]

Awesome. I was up there a few years ago, and this matches what I discovered.

[James Patten]

If you scroll further north a little bit, you find what looks like could be grading alongside the west bank of the Sebasticook River, going almost all the way to Newport, which I theorize to be W&Q grading. 

[Paul Levesque]

So, the most exciting part for me when this was merged was that the southern end matched perfectly with the trail that runs in a near perfect tangent towards Unity Plantation and that the stone wall indicated on the map fell right where that tree line is.

The survey in the archives has the 0+0 station (red line) as being about where the house with the blue roof is on the north side of the Troy Road.  From there a preliminary survey (blue line) puts the 8+0 station (800') on the island and 12+00 on the land between the river and North Main Street across from the entrance to the log yard close to the river.

[Paul Levesque]

The map on the link has been updated to show the Pittsfield preliminary as shown on the Burnham to Albion plot.  Notes were added as well.

[Philip Marshall]

Wow, thank you for doing this! I have read the Railroad Commissioners' report of the crossing dispute but that didn't include any maps, so this finally puts it all in perspective.

[Paul Levesque]

The map has been updated.  Click a link above to get to the map.

1.)  The preliminary north of the Troy Road has been added.
2.)  The extension to Burnham from Albion has been added.
     The tangents were added using 2 foot contours and aerial images and in some cases using dimensions from the 1894 survey.
     The curves were added using the curvature information from the 1894 survey.  The radii and the span of the arcs are close, and in some cases exactly what was on the 1894 survey.  Diversions occur because of projection and topography sometimes but the data is very close.  You can assume broader curves are generally 2-4 degree curves (2864' to 1432' radius) and the sharper curves are 8 or 10 degree curves (716'-573' radius).

More is coming, please enjoy!

[Paul Levesque]

UPDATE:

1.)  Segment from just south of China Village to Albion has been added.
2.)  Segment from just north of Coles Crossing to Weeks Mills has been added including the wye.
 - Any input on the location of the back leg of the wye please let me know, the contours are a little ambiguous in that area so I have added my best interpretation based on what was given on the ICC maps in Narrow Gauge in the Sheepscot Valley.
3.)  Notes on variations in the map as drawn and the aerial photography have been noted.
4.)  A detail of the Horseback Road overhead crossing showing the topography in 2' intervals.
5.)  The approximate location of the China-Palermo town line was added to show the relationship of the station location to the location of the Branch Mills Village and the Town of Palermo.

Again, input and notes are welcome.
NEXT- Portions of the Winslow Branch, The existing bridge abutments over the Maine Central in Winslow and the possible extension over the Kennebec.

Enjoy
Paul

[Paul Levesque]

UPDATES

1.)  The Winslow Branch has been added in its entirety.
- There may be some variances in this.  The tangents were found using 2ft contours, aerial images, and CIR (Color Infrared) which makes some of the differences in vegetation really stand out.  Curves were drawn to fit based on the 2ft contours and aerial images using standard curves from 1 through 16 degrees.

2.)  The spur to the American Woolen Company Mill.
-  Referencing the maps from V3 of Narrow Gauge in the Sheepscot Valley and the layout of buildings and 2ft contours the approximate location of the spur into the mill yard was drawn.

NOTES:
Where the ROW crosses the Getchell Corner Road (also shown as Bog Road and Pope Avenue) the WW&F crossed the tracks of the AWG (later LA&W) Street Railway. The electric railroad ran parallel to the road along the south side of the ROW into the main village.  The crossing with the electric railroad would have been directly across the street from the East Vassalboro station which is the silver metal roofed structure at about a 30degree cant to the main roadway.  I will correct the line in this are to more closely match existing property lines, but this is pretty close.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1CADkRMDCf9yHz9x8rhuLtGZb8aI&usp=sharing

Paul

[Paul Levesque]

Does anyone have coordinates (approximate) of the TOM south switch and the theorized road crossing discussed in other areas of the forum?

[Paul Levesque]

Changes and updates.

Several points of interest and notes have been removed to make room for the additional layers added today.

The line should be complete:
Wiscasset to Albion
Weeks Mills to Winslow
Burnham Extension
Pittsfield Preliminary

While working on the Wiscasset to Weeks Mills segment I noticed that there were a couple of locations where the survey and the as-built was off more than it normally is, these deviations in the survey were added as a separate layer to the map to show how the original survey had the line laid out and how it was actually built.

1.)  Probably the best known was the route around the Head Tide Church.  This included a compound 5 to 3 degree curve south of the church.
2.)  The mud flats at Wiscasset.
3.)  North Whitefield.  The topography tells a different story than the simple tangent in the survey.