Author Topic: 75 Years Ago- The Last SR&RL Train in Kingfield  (Read 4552 times)

Glenn Byron

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75 Years Ago- The Last SR&RL Train in Kingfield
« on: July 28, 2011, 08:39:19 AM »
I hadn't seen this notation elsewhere and thought we should stop a moment to contemplate:  Franklin Journal, Farmington, Maine Newspaper,July 26,2011, P.4, "Looking Back" compiled by Kim Ferrari.  75 Years Ago- 1936.  "The citizens in Kingfield were much pleased and surprised the first of last week to hear a train whistle, it being a work train from Phillips.  This will likely be the last time a train whistle will be heard here as the work of taking up the rails of the S.R. and R.L.R.R. is rapidly going forward, all the rails being up now from Kingfield to Carrabassett and work has been started on the Kingfield to Strong line. The rails from up river are being hauled by truck to Farmington and later are to be shipped to Japan."

And from our standard reference source, The Maine Two Footers, by Linwood Moody, 1959, Howell-North, P. 121: " It was on August 13, 1936, that the last F.&M. (Franklin& Megantic) rail was ripped loose at Strong.  The train moved quickly to Phillips to begin there the next morning."-----
P. 122   "The Sandy River (SR&RL) is gone.  But they say, and there are folks who will swear to it, that on windy nights when the sky is black you may see a pencil of light flickering among the trees, and vaguely hear on the treetop wind the sweet shrill whistle of a Lilliput train."  No Wonder we still love to read these words 52 years after he put them down and a life time has passed since it happened. Those that had a direct connection to The SR&RL are very few today.