Somerset Railroad (Maine)


The Somerset Railroad was built to serve Kennebec River communities and later extended through timberlands to a large wooden Victorian era destination hotel on Moosehead Lake. The railway became part of the Maine Central Railroad in 1911; and a portion remained in intermittent operation by Pan Am Railways until 2013.

History

Somerset Railroad was chartered in 1860 to build north along the Kennebec River from the Maine Central Railroad "back road" at Oakland, Maine. The line originally shared the Maine Central Portland gauge of 5 ft 6 in. Construction reached Norridgewock in 1873, Madison in 1875, and North Anson in 1877. The company defaulted in 1879 and was reorganized as the standard gauge Somerset Railway in 1884 before construction continued to Solon in 1889 and Bingham in 1890. The reorganized company extended the line to Moosehead Lake in 1906 and built a large resort hotel called the Mount Kineo House. The railroad had fifteen plush upholstered coaches, nine baggage cars, and twelve combination smoking-baggage cars with leather seats in the smoking section. Hotel patrons arrived on through Pullman cars from large eastern cities, and reached the hotel by steamboat from the railroad terminal at Kineo Station. Maine Central railroad purchased the Mount Kineo House with the Somerset Railway; and the railway became the Kineo branch of the Maine Central Railroad in 1911. Aboriginal forests had been converted to lumber and pulpwood before the last passenger train over the branch ran in September, 1933; and the line north of Bingham was dismantled that year. The Mount Kineo House was razed in 1938.
Mount Kineo was not the only destination sought by passengers on the Old Somerset Railroad. Many prominent figures of the time, such as Theodore Roosevelt and Henry David Thoreau, ventured to Maine's Somerset County in search of wilderness. Lake Moxie Station became the jumping off point for sporting camps and remote destinations north along the current U.S. Route 201 all the way up to The Forks, Lake Parlin, and Upper Enchanted Township.
Bingham became an important loading point for pulpwood floated down the Kennebec River to Wyman Dam until environmental regulations curtailed log driving in the 1970s. A paper mill at Madison was the last major customer on the branch originating or terminating 3,000 annual
carloads in 1973. A portion of the line from Oakland to North Anson remained in operation by Pan Am Railways until being abandoned in 2013.

Railway mileposts

NumberNameBuilderTypeDateWorks numberNotes
General VeazieKerkformer European and North American Railway locomotive leased from Maine Central Railroad during initial railway construction
SomersetHinkley Locomotive Works4-4-0purchased used after service on the Portland, Saco & Portsmouth and Eastern railroads; replaced by Caratunk
1CaratunkHinkley Locomotive Works4-4-0used locomotive purchased to replace Somerset
2Black Dinahused as a yard shunter after delivery of Old Point
2Old PointPortland Company4-4-01869150purchased 1875
2Manchester Locomotive Works4-4-019011760last locomotive to bear this number; became Maine Central Railroad # 84
3Norridgewock4-4-0
4Carrabassett4-4-0
5Moxie4-4-0
6Bombazeen4-4-0
7MessalonskeeManchester Locomotive Works4-4-019001743purchased new; became Maine Central Railroad # 85
10American Locomotive Company 4-4-0190741438purchased new for passenger service; became Maine Central Railroad # 86
12American Locomotive Company 4-4-0190741439purchased new for passenger service; became Maine Central Railroad # 87
20Baldwin Locomotive Works4-6-0190526269purchased new for freight service; became Maine Central Railroad # 106
21Baldwin Locomotive Works4-6-0190526270purchased new for freight service; became Maine Central Railroad # 107
22American Locomotive Company 4-6-0190641437purchased new for freight service; became Maine Central Railroad # 108
23American Locomotive Company 4-6-0190641437purchased new for freight service; became Maine Central Railroad # 109