Sebasticook & Moosehead Railroad

[Andrew Laverdiere]

https://www.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=213270298552370336255.0004cbc1348ed38c7ff7d&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=11&vpsrc=1

Here's another fallen flag. Lost but not forgotten. The most annoying part about this investigation was the inability to reach the remains of trestle a short distance North of Hartland over the Sebasticook because of private property. A video will be forthcoming shortly.

An interesting tidbit, was the idea that plans had been made to connect this to the Monson RR and thence to Moosehead Lake, and they actually got a charter, but couldn't come up with the financing.

[Duncan Mackiewicz]

Andrew,
Your pictures and research have answered questions I had many years ago. Back in the '70's and early '80's, my family and friends vacationed in the area of Harmony on the shores of Great Moose Lake. I noticed the ROW but had no details about it and the folks we knew from that area had little knowledge of or interest in railroads.
Thanks for filling in a few gaps.
Duncan

[Andrew Laverdiere]

Andrew,
Your pictures and research have answered questions I had many years ago. Back in the '70's and early '80's, my family and friends vacationed in the area of Harmony on the shores of Great Moose Lake. I noticed the ROW but had no details about it and the folks we knew from that area had little knowledge of or interest in railroads.
Thanks for filling in a few gaps.
Duncan

You're welcome. I'm rather surprised that I found as much as I did considering that I had only cursory knowledge of the line and only vague knowledge of where the ROW went. Researching this after I located it didn't bring up very much info. It was quite a fun investigation.

[John McNamara]

In "All Aboard for Yesterday" (Down East Books 1979), there's an article called "When All Was Not Harmony On The Harmony Line" by Albert O. Porter on pages 87 through 90 that tells a few interesting stories about the Sebasticook and Moosehead line.

[Andrew Laverdiere]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7o7t3jsC0A8

The video is finished. Hope you all enjoy.

[Duncan Mackiewicz]

Andrew,
That is an interesting video. You certainly have spent a great deal of time researching and walking in order to make that video. Thanks for posting and sharing.
I would like to suggest the "lava" and "pumice" you found are likely just the remains of burned coal that was used as ballast on that line years ago.
Duncan

[Stewart "Start" Rhine]

Duncan is correct, you found coal ash and cinders.  They came from the ash pan and smoke box of a steam locomotive.  They are often found where a water tank was located.  When the crew stopped to take water they would spark the engine, sending cinders out the bottom of the smoke box.  Cinders also came from the ash pan drop.  One use for cinders on the r-o-w was to spread them on a fill to help hold the soil together.  Most steam era yards have cinders all over the place.

Stewart

[Mike Fox]

Clinkers look like lava rock when they cool down. Very well could be from dirty coal.

[Keith Taylor]

Duncan is correct, you found coal ash and cinders.   Cinders also came from the ash pan drop.  One use for cinders on the r-o-w was to spread them on a fill to help hold the soil together.  Most steam era yards have cinders all over the place.

Stewart

The Central Railroad of New Jersey's L&S (Lehigh and Susquehanna) Division was ballasted with cinders. It was cheap (read free) but it made for a poor base for railroad track. Even after the railroad was rebuilt with stone ballast, the cinder base allowed the tracks to shift and irregular cross elevation was a constant problem.

Keith

[Andrew Laverdiere]

Duncan is correct, you found coal ash and cinders.  They came from the ash pan and smoke box of a steam locomotive.  They are often found where a water tank was located.  When the crew stopped to take water they would spark the engine, sending cinders out the bottom of the smoke box.  Cinders also came from the ash pan drop.  One use for cinders on the r-o-w was to spread them on a fill to help hold the soil together.  Most steam era yards have cinders all over the place.
Stewart

Ah! OK. That really makes sense.  Glad to learn about another aspect of steam technology. Can't say that I saw any trace of the water tower, but I didn't look very carefully after my 6 mile hike. I better add that info on my video.