Author Topic: Burnham Overhead Crossing  (Read 17717 times)

Paul Levesque

  • Flagman
  • *
  • Posts: 49
  • Too many interests too little time.
    • View Profile
    • My FB Page (this is it for now)
Re: Burnham Overhead Crossing
« Reply #15 on: October 13, 2017, 06:14:07 PM »
Add a grist mill (found on an 1879 map), and anything associated with agriculture.  Albion was, and still is, a largely agricultural community, hay, milk, grains, etc.  Being near Clinton it's possible that the dairy industry was significant, Clinton is the largest dairy town in the state (13%), and last I knew cattle out numbered people 2:1!
From a 1908 business directory there were the following,
Cyr Besse - Butcher
R P Clark - Bicycles
A M Stratton - Bicycles
Charles W Abbott - Blacksmith
L Wesley Drake - Blacksmith
John Hussey - Cattle Dealer
L Libbey & Sons - General Store
Drake & Crosby - General Store
A M Stratton - Horse Dealer
A W Abbott - Hotel
J C Chalmers - Saw Mill
R P Clark - Saw Mill
A M Stratton - Saw Mill
Everette G Wing - Undertaker
Harding Brothers - Wagon Maker
P. Levesque
Fairfield, ME

Russ Nelson

  • Museum Member
  • Baggageman
  • **
  • Posts: 125
    • View Profile
Re: Burnham Overhead Crossing
« Reply #16 on: October 14, 2017, 06:50:12 PM »
There were two potato houses, an icehouse, Bessey tannery, Chalmers Mill and a canning factory.  All of these were at the Albion terminus but not all at the same time.
So my guess is:
Outgoing cars: potato houses, ice house, finished tannery goods, finished mill products and canned goods.
Incoming cars: bark (possibly, but more likely from the Chalmers Mill), hides (more likely, coming from a slaughterhouse), tin for the cans.

Following up from Paul's post, there must have been a freight house to serve all those businesses. The bicycle makers would have needed steel tubing, tires, hubs, spokes, rims, seats. The agricultural customers would have needed grain coming in. The general store would have needed goods of all sorts, which probably came in barrels made in a cooperage (not here). Undertaker would have needed coffins. Might have made his own, or bought them locally, but I expect there are on-line coffin makers.

There were probably four or five spurs, and a run-around track because it was the end of the line.
« Last Edit: October 14, 2017, 11:37:55 PM by Russ Nelson »

Jeff Schumaker

  • Museum Member
  • Inspector
  • ******
  • Posts: 1,350
    • View Profile
Re: Burnham Overhead Crossing
« Reply #17 on: October 15, 2017, 09:56:42 AM »
I'm wondering if the bicycle businesses sold bicycles, rather than manufactured them.

Jeff S.
Hey Rocky, watch me pull a moose trout out of my hat.

Pete Leach

  • Museum Member
  • Gandy Dancer
  • *
  • Posts: 24
    • View Profile
Re: Burnham Overhead Crossing
« Reply #18 on: October 16, 2017, 08:56:57 AM »
The Turner Centre Dairying Association had a significant creamery along the waterfront in Wiscasset that was served by the WW&F.  The dairy had a ramp and employee house in Albion. The morning train left Albion with one of the employees aboard the dairy car to pick up the cans of milk along the 40ish mile trip to Wiscasset.  The employee would return later in the day, dropping off empty cans for the locals along the way. The run normally included the TCDA car No 65 (recreated by the museum and placed at the site of the original creamery in Wiscasset.) 
It is pretty safe to say that milk was an important commodity for the railroad.  It and the mail would have provided a small, but steady flow of cash to the railroad.
The Portland Cannery had a canning facility near the end of track on the far north end of Albion.  They canned the various vegetables as they came into season.
Much of this information in in the Gary Kohler/Chris McChesney book series on the Narrow Gauge in the Sheepscot Valley.  I am finding the whole this fascinating!
Pete Leach - Modeling a small version of the WW&F in On30 .

Bill Sample

  • Museum Member
  • Fireman
  • ****
  • Posts: 344
    • View Profile
Re: Burnham Overhead Crossing
« Reply #19 on: October 18, 2017, 10:30:26 AM »
Russ, Albion is an interesting place to visit for both the existing station and the remnants of what once was.