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61

The Monson Blog / Monson's Unique Train Makeup

« on: September 22, 2011, 11:49:19 AM »

Monson’s Unique Train Makeup

        Have you ever noticed that there are a lot of pictures of the Monson engines in the middle of a string of cars?  Especially in the later years of the railroad?  I have always wondered why and I have a theory.
   It is well known that Superintendent Morrill was frequently badgered by the ICC to make modern improvements to the railroad.  Moody mentioned it several times in the chapters on the Monson. “The Monson trainmen seemed to be content no matter how their train was made up”.   However Moody may not have been aware of the ICC vs. Monson Railroad issues. The Monson trainmen may not have been too pleased! Morrill managed to stave off the ICC folks for years and made very few concessions, seemingly able to beat them at their own game.  Harold Morrill was a very smart and shrewd business man!
   As near as I can recall, ICC regulations at the time stated that two-track road crossings had to have either a signal man or some other device other than a sign for the double crossing, but not for one track.  I may be in error here.  I’m sure Allan Fisher could set us straight on that.  The Monson yard had a run-around siding.  But on pages 74, 92 and 125 of the Jones book there are pictures of the run-around cleanly cut to the north edge of Water Street.  I own another picture which verifies the same on the south side of Water Street effectively making two stub end sidings out of what was a run-around.
   My theory was that Morrill cut the siding (basically creating a one-track crossing) in order to beat the ICC….but it also meant that there was no way for the train crews to make up a train in the usual manner (locomotive in front) short of “poleing” especially if they had freight from the quarries.  But “the Monson trainmen seemed to be content” so they just ran to the Jct as is. 
   So back to the Monson yard siding which was cut.  Why else would they have disabled a operationally valuable section of track if it wasn’t for that?  Anyone want to chime in??

62

The Monson Blog / He Didn't Exactly Have Her Hooked Up To Center

« on: September 15, 2011, 07:50:38 AM »

He Didn’t Exactly Have Her Hooked Up To Center

      “He didn’t exactly have her hooked up to center.”  This is one of my favorite quotes from the Monson Railroad Chapter in Linwood Moody’s book on page 36. Moody was a master of understatement at times!
      Moody was talking about the grade between Monson Station and the Monson Maine Slate Company plant .57 miles north of the station………and the position of the Johnson Bar.  This was a lever in the cab which not only controlled the direction of the locomotive, but it’s power also. More on that later.
       With today’s wonders of technology (GPS, Google Earth, etc.) and the help of an old topo map, we can do a little figuring on this grade. It is about .57 mile from the plant to Monson Station and the first .3 mile was quite a steep grade.  Moody thought it looked like 10% but stated it was probably less.  From the Monson Maine Slate Company plant yard at 743 feet, the MRR had to climb 59 feet in the first .3 mile for an average of 3.7% to where it leveled off at around 802 feet in elevation.  Probably some sections of this grade were steeper for short distances, maybe even 5% confirming Moody’s observation and hinted at in Harold Morrill’s correspondence. For the rest of the .27 mile to the station, it went from 802 feet to 815 feet, a less than 1% grade.
         Anyway, back to the Johnson bar. When “down in the corner”, steam was admitted for most of the stroke of the piston for maximum power and when “hooked up to center”  steam was admitted for a small part of the stroke, using the expansive properties of steam when less power was needed. The engineer had to have had her “way down in the corner”  at full stroke to get the maximum power from the cylinders and the throttle pretty far open to get the power to push the two loads up from the slate plant.  And the fireman had to have a real hot fire too!
           The good news was that with the locomotives facing south and going uphill from the plant, the crown sheets were fully covered with boiler water much more than usual due to the tilt of the locomotive. It is interesting speculation that the reason why the locomotives were facing south and never turned may have been because of this.  Someone would have to work the geometry on this, but I bet if the locomotives were facing north going down that steep grade, the water over the crown sheets would be dangerously low, if any covering the sheets at all.
          Most of the pictures I have seen of the Vulcans climbing that grade show the engine pushing instead of pulling. In a letter to Geo. F. Barnard, general manager (transcribed by long time Monson historian Merwin Wilson) dated March 14, 1913, Harold Morrill stated that the new Vulcan #3 could easily haul two loaded cars of slate up from Monson Maine Slate Company. That seemed to be the test for Monson locomotives.

63

Monson Railroad / Re: Monson Maps

« on: September 10, 2011, 07:29:41 PM »

Thanks Allan.  I didn't know we had that.  I'm starting my Monson Blog.  Is it better here or next door where Ed made a special blog for me???

64

The Monson Blog / Wilmot L. Estabrooke: First Superintendent of the Monson Railroad

« on: September 09, 2011, 09:06:08 AM »

Wilmot L. Estabrooke: First Superintendent of the Monson Railroad

   This interesting piece came courtesy of the Androscoggin Historical Society from Sprague’s Journal of Maine History, Volume 2 dated February 1915.  Wilmot Estabrooke was the Superintendent of the Monson Railroad from 1883 to the time of his death in 1904 and was a highly respected member of the community. He was a member of Onaway Lodge # 106 IOOF.

Wilmot L. Estabrooke
     The following beautiful lines were from the pen of Prof. William Smith Knowlton of Monson, Maine, upon the death of the late Wilmot L. Estabrooke of Monson, who was for many years the popular Superintendent and Conductor on the Monson Railroad, a short line that connects Monson village with the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad.
   He died in Monson, August 22, 1904, and this was written by suggestion of Bangor Division, 403, Order Of Railway Conductors of which the deceased was a member, under the title of

"Wilmot L. Estabrooke, Promoted."

Brothers lament!  His last run is made.
    The red light shone bright on the track;
With the speed of the wind he made the last grade,
    And the train will never come back.

That heart that beat so kindly for all,
     In the casket lies silent today,
Bedewed are the flowers, the crepe and the pall
     As they bear it sadly away.


That kindly "All right" we shall hear nevermore;
      That smile shall nevermore see,
Till we enter the train for the evergreen shore
      And meet by the jasper sea.

"All aboard" will soon be the message to all,
      Our  "pass!' will be countersigned through;
God grant we be ready, whenever the call,
      With a heart as faithful and true.

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The Monson Blog / Monson RR Blog Site Startup

« on: September 06, 2011, 07:29:36 PM »

Hello everyone!  I started this back a few years ago, however life happened and I wasn't able to continue.  But I"M BACK!  I'll be posting some short articles periodically which hopefully you can enjoy, offer your opinion, criticise, tear apart or otherwise heat up this Monson RR site.  Forgive me if there are posting errors as I'm new at posting on this site.  Suggestions are welcome.  Lets get going...Whistle for Water Street Crossing, Johnson bar down in the corner, kick open the cylinder cocks, release brakes, crack open the throttle, bell ringing, ...see you at the Junction!

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Monson Railroad / The Peanut Roaster

« on: November 13, 2009, 09:51:22 AM »

Here’s a bit of worthless tidbit but never-the-less, part of the local lore of the Monson Railroad. Peanut roaster you say….what’s that got to do with the Monson?
 
Well it seems sometime after Vulcan 3 and 4 were purchased and after WWI, some of the locals started calling the train the “Peanut Roaster”.  Someone must have got on  the Monson Combine and rode to the junction, then the B&A, then the Maine Central, then the B&M and headed south…….way down to Dixie.

Down south they raise peanuts among other things.  Raw peanuts aren’t really that good but ROASTED peanuts are.  Now to roast those peanuts, you have to have a roaster.  Attached is a picture of a 100 year old peanut roaster and the front end of No. 3.  Now if you use your imagination, this roaster MIGHT look like the front end of the vulcans.  Forget No. 3’s stack, turbo gen and headlight. See a similarity?  I wonder if the peanut roaster was made by Vulcan too!

Anyway, the name caught on with the Monson folks and it stuck.  Useless info right???  But kind of fun anyway.

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Monson Railroad / Re: Monson RR Blog

« on: November 10, 2009, 06:51:11 PM »

I just found this site. Check it out! I didn't know you could use Microsoft Train Sim to model a two footer!!!
http://www.elvastower.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=7519&st=70

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Monson Railroad / Re: Monson RR Blog

« on: November 10, 2009, 03:46:53 PM »

Thanks everyone for the interest.  I'm not sure if this forum is the right place for a blog.  I'd like to post things that maybe could be kept on the site as well as possibly power point presentations.  I've never blogged before and I know there are a lot of sites to get you going.  What do you guys think?  What does the Facilitator (James) think??

69

Monson Railroad / Monson RR Blog

« on: November 09, 2009, 01:58:20 PM »

Hi all you two foot fans!  I'm thinking about a Monson Railroad Blog.  I've been a huge fan of the Monson for most of my life and did a book on the Monson back in 1988. There's been a lot of new info lately.  What do you folks think??  Is there enough interest??