Calais Branch Recon

The leaves were just starting to pop out. The weather was decent. So, why not a trip to Calais? Well, you could come up with something more exciting but this was relatively uncharted territory for the DT&I Fan and I. So, why not? Besides, he collects counties like The Wheelman and needed Washington County. Pan Am shut down Calais/Woodland operations the day before, so it's some of the usual "day late and a dollar short" railfan fate we've both had in Maine, but there was still some fossil hunting to be had. The shot to the left is essentially what we drove all the way to get; empty tracks in Calais the day after the shut down.

The usual stops on the way to NMJ netted little of note. Leeds Jct. and Waterville were semi-quiet, though we spotted trains EDNM and NMED "side by each" in Waterville. EDNM had wind generator equipment toward the front of the train and we later saw the same train in NMJ on the return voyage.

Our first non-usual stop was Ellsworth. We stopped by the old depot then headed over to Washington Jct. to look over the recently established Down East Scenic Railway. There were a few workers about and a few nicely painted cars. The old B&ML 70 Tonner #54 was handy but boarded up. We didn't linger long since we didn't see anyone we knew and they clearly marked the place with no tresspassing signs. The roadbed in either direction looked to be clear of brush and washouts, so they have worked on the track to get things started. Track seemed good back toward Brewer but not very far to the east. Good being relative since it was 85lb rail on gravel roadbed 20 plus years ago when it was last used. We saw evidence of tie work back west to the outskirts of Ellsworth but that's where the newly installed crossbucks stopped so that might be the limits for now. I'll leave further speculation to the experts.

Continuing on, we followed the empty Calais branch east. We had to do some zig-zag maneuvers down lesser roads to follow the line at times. A DeLorme Atlas made this child's play. With the nice day and low foliage we had great visibility for the downeast scenery and following tracks. We stopped in Harrington to see what we could find. We found the start of the rail trail and the home of the Worcester Wreath Company, known for donating wreaths to Arlington Cemetery every year. We were also deep in wild blueberry country, so the barrens were newly burned in some places. Eventually we reached Machias. There we found the depot and an MEC boxcar, both of which have seen some attention though the rail trail construction has removed the tracks. Directly across the street was Helen's Restaurant. A local landmark. We had to eat there.

The next photos are of rail-trail construction. A truss bridge in Dennysville was getting some new decking and railings so the materials are stacked nearby for the job. At Ayers Jct. we see the end of track with the DT&I Fan checking the dates on the rail (early 1900's). Ayer's Jct. was particularly interesting for us out-of-towners. The Eastport branch took off from here. I photographed the recently pulled up line in Eastport back in the day, but did not trace it to here. A short runaround siding and a short stub is all that is left of the branch trackage. Of course the rail-trail chops off that small piece at the same road as the Calais line, so the connection is lost.

From Ayers Jct. we headed to Charlotte along the old trackage and found Depot Rd. Apparently this once had a depot but the siding is still present. We couldn't see obvious evidence of the building but guessed where it might have been. The main road continued to Calais so we did too. We eventually rejoined Route 1 and could see Canada across the river. After poking around downtown Calais and visiting the Irving station at the border crossing, we followed the line toward Woodland as best as we could. It's not easy to lose but it's not easy to see.

Poorhouse Rd. looked promising and boy was that a good guess. We ran right into a masonry roundhouse and the small yard pictured above. This is just beyond (RR east) the bridge where cars are shoved over the border to the NBSR. For those who might try to find this spot, you will see the NBSR and the bridge from Rt. 1 on the west side of Calais. You won't have trouble finding the river that is the border either.

Our final stop in the area was the Domtar mill in Woodland. It is shut down and the railroad in turn is shut down but we thought we might find some fossils or soon-to-be fossils. Logic said that if we stay on our side of the river we should encounter tracks at either end of the plant. Guess again! The west end of the plant yard only has enough of a stub to switch on. There is no east end either. The tracks cross the river somewhere inside the plant property. Oh well. I got this "driveby" shot of the chip plant with the very empty four track yard in the foreground just to have something. Plant security at these places is sometimes overzealous though I probably could have done much better if something of note presented itself.

The Domtar plant is closed indefinitely according to news reports. That means it could reopen eventually or it could be all over. Stay tuned. I'm sure someone will forward news to the listservs.

It was a perfect day for an outing. After exploring the last corner of the state that we haven't railfanned before, we'll probably head west next. You know, those wild west towns over to Vermont!

BC