RETURN of the Bridgton and Saco River Railroad!

[Skyler Kimball]

The new Bridgton and Saco River Railroad museum now has a Facebook page!

https://www.facebook.com/BSRRM

[Bill Reidy]

And a web site, too.  https://bridgtonrailroad.org/

[Olin Anderson]

Not exactly new news (posted on their blog last November) this group has now purchased 5.1 acres on Home Run Road. Land is perhaps the most important early step in making a museum!

https://bridgtonrailroad.org/news/f/land-fundraising

-O.

[Olin Anderson]

Good news was posted on the blog for the B&SR. I will quote their announcement of news below:

The largest is that we have received our first building permit from the town of Bridgton! This permit is good for a few hundred feet of track along with a 15' x 40' open are pavilion structure. Additionally we have been given a proper address, our property is now officially 45 Home Run Rd, Bridgton ME, 04009.

They are planning activities throughout the year, which has previously often been to help preservation of B&SR equipment off-site. Other website updates on history are planned.

[Dave Buczkowski]

All,
Here’s an interesting article a friend sent me today: https://www.pressherald.com/2025/10/21/amateur-historians-seek-to-restore-historic-bridgton-railway/?uuid=2a54221f-0b6b-47eb-bc91-80b13f423a64&lid=169046?copylink=true
Dave

[Pete "Cosmo" Barrington]

Now I'm REALLY curious, ... and just a tad confused.
According to the article, they plan to go toward downtown Bridgeton! I had assumed they would be going the opposite direction once they reach the original ROW, ( but what do I know?)
After much less than a mile, the old ROW starts running behind businesses parallel to 302. Now, it LOOKS like it might be possible to shimmy through there with a 2' track, but ... well, maybe Connor can help  me better picture it.
Also, comparing the plan on the museum's website, the tail of their proposed yard points SOUTH. Do they intend to loop around tho the north, seesaw into their yard, or was the reporter mistaken?

[Bruce Wilson]

Hello Pete,

Only because I was at the Waterford Historical Society presentation this past April, am I aware of their plan to build back towards Bridgton. It was explained that a new routing will be used to do so, not quite on the old grade, but as close as possible.

Their gas-mechanical critter, which they have numbered as B.& S.R. Railroad no. 9, was once offered for sale to the W.W. & F. Ry. Museum. Along with a two foot gage Whitcomb. No. 9, the Plymouth is not two foot gage and the Bridgton guys are having to re-gage it. The Portland Press Herald reporter said that the Plymouth had been used on the cranberry bogs, that is not the case. After the owners of the two machines sold them to Jack Flagg, a contractor in Marshfield, Massachusetts, he painted them at his shop and had both displayed in his yard at the shop he ran. When Jack and his partners signed a contract with the Atwood Corporation (in 1999) the locomotives were moved to Edaville, and the Whitcomb repowered with a Cummins 250 diesel and a truck transmission.

The Plymouth was lettered up for the Cranrail Corp. which was the operating entity at that time. Following a surplus equipment auction, the Plymouth departed Edaville and may have gone to the Silver Lake Railroad in Madison, New Hampshire at that time. I believe that when the Silver Lake operation closed their doors, the Bridgton Railroad became the new owners.

Hopefully the Bridgton guys will jump in and add to what I have said and correct any inaccuracies I have made.

[Pete "Cosmo" Barrington]

Hi Bruce, thanks!
It just so happened I had an unexpected day off and was able to actually put boots on the ground in Bridgeton! I had passed through right after the FWW after spending the night at Silver Lake with my buddy Hank who is running railbike tours North from the depot. I didn't have as much time then as I did today.
I saw the worksite off of Home Run Road last time, not much there yet, as I understand equipment is being worked on off-site.
This time I got a better look at the old depot area around where the old memorial school building is now.
And, ... I do see some potential! As I said, from the air (Historic aerials.com) I can see a few potential ways to get past all the businesses ... there's room, but it'd be close!
But when you DO get close enough to town, there's an almost straight shot into the old terminal area.
I do wonder what the town intends to do with the old school building. If it's not torn down or condemned then there's some potential housing for the museum. If it is demolished, the museum should do anything they can to get the town to accommodate them. There would be some keen interest in a replica Bridgeton Depot, enough to help boost fundraising, and likely eligible for a grant or two. But now I'm just speculating.
I guess we'll see!

[Bruce Wilson]

Hello Pete,

From your post on rail bikes on the Silver Lake, can you provide any information about future plans at that location?

As you, I've been over to Home Run Road trying to find out about the Bridgton operation. In the fall of 2022, I knocked on doors of businesses trying to locate the volunteer headquarters. I had some fun discussions, but even the neighbors knew nothing. I went to the historical society, thinking that might be where the group was headquartered, but that was not the case. It may be so in the future as the historical society is moving from the old fire house to the former Methodist Church across the street. I worked as a volunteer at Bridgton Historical  Society for about 18 months and inventoried their railroad collection in such detail as to allow the inventory to be used for a preservation grant. I have been told that the railroad group will install a transportation museum in the former fire house, when the historical society is out.

As to the route back into town, they have a plan for that corridor. I am not sure about the former school building however.  That structure is being used by the Recreation Department currently. As has been said elsewhere in this forum, there are good observations of the old grade still visible and the location of the wye to Harrison still evident. When the leaves are off the trees, is the best time for exploring.

I've said this before also, but if you stand where the old Bridgton station used to be and look to town, you can see the fire department (hose drying tower) and the steeple of the Methodist Church. This will help orient one to the surroundings.

[Pete "Cosmo" Barrington]

Interesting! I'll have some things to look for next time I'm there.