Maine Central Railroad Company - Predecessor Lines

Predecessor Lines

• The Androscoggin Railroad was chartered in 1848, and completed a Portland gauge railroad from Leeds Junction to West Farmington in 1859. The line was converted to standard gauge upon completion of a standard gauge extension south from Leeds Junction to Brunswick in 1861 with a branch from Crowley's Junction to Lewiston. A bridge across the Sandy River brought the railroad to Farmington in 1870. It was leased as the Maine Central Farmington branch and Lewiston branch in 1871 and purchased in 1911.
• The Androscoggin and Kennebec Railroad was chartered in 1845; opened a Portland gauge railroad from Danville Junction to Waterville in 1849; was merged into the Maine Central in 1862; and later became the "back road" mainline.
• The Belfast and Moosehead Lake Railroad was chartered in 1868; opened from Belfast to Burnham Junction in 1870; and leased as the Maine Central Belfast branch from 1871 to 1925.
• The Buckfield Branch Railroad was chartered in 1847 and opened a Portland gauge railroad from Mechanic Falls to Buckfield in 1850. It was reorganized as the Portland and Oxford Central Railroad in 1857 and extended to Canton in 1870. It was reorganized as the standard gauge Rumford Falls and Buckfield Railroad in 1874, extended to Gilbertville in 1879, and leased by the Portland and Rumford Falls Railway in 1890.
• The Bucksport and Bangor Railroad was chartered in 1873 and opened from Bangor to Bucksport in 1874. It was reorganized as the Eastern Maine Shoreline Railway in 1882 and leased as the Maine Central Railroad Bucksport Branch in 1883.
• The Calais Railway was chartered in 1832, and opened 2 miles from Calais to Salmon Falls in 1839 using horses until abandoned in 1841. It was reorganized as the Calais and Baring Railroad in 1849, extended from Salmon Falls to Baring in 1852, and merged into the Saint Croix and Penobscot Railroad in 1870.
• The Coos Valley Railroad was chartered in 1847 and completed in 1891 to connect the Upper Coos Railroad to the Maine Central Mountain Division. It was leased as the south end of the Maine Central Quebec Division and purchased in 1931 as the south end of the Beecher Falls branch.
• The Dexter and Newport Railroad was chartered in 1853, and opened from Newport to Dexter in 1868. It was leased as the Maine Central Foxcroft branch in 1869, and the Dexter and Piscataquis Railroad was chartered in 1888 to extend the branch to Dover-Foxcroft in 1889.
• The Essex County Railroad was chartered in 1864 and opened from Saint Johnsbury to Lunenburg, Vermont in 1875. It was purchased by the Maine Central in 1912 as the west end of the Mountain Division.
• The European and North American Railway was chartered in 1850, and opened from Bangor to Vanceboro in 1871. It was leased as the Maine Central Eastern Division mainline in 1882, and purchased in 1955 for $125 per share or $3,114,500 payable in cash or bonds at the election of the E&NA shareholders.
• The Hereford Railway was chartered in 1888 to acquire the Dominion Lime Company railroad from Dudswell, Quebec to Lime Ridge and extend it to connect with the Upper Coos Railroad in 1889. It was leased as the north end of the Maine Central Quebec Division from 1890 to 1925.
• The Kennebec and Portland Railroad was chartered in 1836, and completed a standard gauge railroad from Portland to Augusta in 1851. It was reorganized as the Portland and Kennebec Railroad in 1862, leased as the Maine Central "lower road" mainline in 1870, and purchased in 1874.
• The Knox and Lincoln Railroad was chartered in 1864, and opened from Rockland to a ferry connection at Woolwich in 1871. It was leased as the Maine Central Railroad Rockland Branch in 1891 and purchased in 1901.
• The Lewy's Island Railroad was chartered in 1854, opened from Baring through New Brunswick to Princeton in 1857, and merged into the Saint Croix and Penobscot Railroad in 1870.
• The Maine Shore Line Railroad was chartered in 1881, opened from Brewer Junction to the Mount Desert ferry under lease to the Maine Central in 1884, and became the Bar Harbor branch in 1888.
• The Penobscot and Kennebec Railroad was chartered in 1845, completed a Portland gauge line from Waterville to Bangor in 1855, was leased to the Androscoggin and Kennebec in 1856, and merged into Maine Central as the eastern end of the Portland Division mainline in 1862.
• The Portland and Ogdensburg Railroad was chartered in 1867, opened from Portland to Lunenburg in 1875, leased as the Maine Central Mountain Division in 1888, and purchased in 1943.
• The Portland and Rumford Falls Railway was chartered by Hugh J. Chisholm in 1890 to lease and extend the Rumford Falls and Buckfield Railroad to serve paper mills along the Androscoggin River. The line was extended from Gilbertville to Rumford Falls in 1892, from Mechanic Falls to connect with the Maine Central at Rumford Junction in 1894, and from Canton to the Maine Central Farmington branch at Livermore Falls in 1899. The line was leased as the Maine Central Rangeley branch and Livermore Falls branch in 1907 and purchased in 1946. Portions of the line form the present Rumford Branch.
• The Rangeley Lakes and Megantic Railroad was chartered in 1909 to extend the Rangeley branch north from Oquossoc. The line was completed to Kennebago in 1912 and purchased by the Maine Central in 1914.
• The Rumford Falls and Rangeley Lakes Railroad was chartered in 1894 to extend the Portland and Rumford Falls Railway north from Rumford Falls. The line reached Oquossoc in 1902 and was leased as the north end of the Maine Central Rangeley branch from 1907 to 1936.
• The Saint Croix and Penobscot Railroad was formed by the 1870 merger of the Calais Railway and the Lewy's Island Railroad and purchased by the Washington County Railroad in 1898.
• The Sebasticook and Moosehead Railroad was chartered and opened from Pittsfield to Hartland in 1886. It was leased as the Maine Central Harmony branch in 1910, purchased in 1911, and extended to Harmony in 1912.
• The Somerset Railroad was chartered in 1860, opened from Oakland to North Anson in 1875, extended to Bingham in 1890, and completed to Moosehead Lake in 1907. It became the Maine Central Kineo branch in 1911.
• The Somerset and Kennebec Railroad was chartered in 1848, completed from Augusta through Waterville to Skowhegan in 1856, leased to the Portland and Kennebec Railroad in 1864, and leased by the Maine Central in 1870, to become the Skowhegan branch and northern end of the "lower road" mainline in 1874.
• The Upper Coos Railroad was chartered in 1883; opened from North Stratford, New Hampshire to a connection with the Hereford Railway in 1888; leased as the Maine Central Quebec Division in 1890; and purchased in 1931 as the Beecher Falls branch.
• The Washington County Railroad was chartered in 1893, purchased the Saint Croix and Penobscot Railroad, and opened in 1898 from Eastport to a connection with the Maine Central Bucksport branch near Ellsworth. It became the Calais branch in 1911 after the Maine Central acquired majority stock control in 1904.