Railroad Survey Books and Profiles Collection

Collection

Identifier: SpC MS 0426

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection contains records of surveys done prior to building the Penobscot Central Railroad, a street-railroad operating in Bangor, Maine in the early 20th century. It also contains surveys for the Castine and Bangor Railroad, a line projected to run from Bangor to Castine, Maine. The records of the Penobscot Central include lists of subscribers to stock and delinquent subscribers, 1891-1892. The majority of records, however, are from various surveys done in planning to build the line. Included is a survey notebook of A.M. Devereux, whose name is associated with many of these records. Also included are level and transit books, other survey documents, and a detailed profile of the railroad. The Castine records include a notebook of minutes of the citizens of Castine, 1871-1872, attempting to develop a railroad in that town. Most records in this section date from 1887 and 1888 and contain level notes and transit books for a preliminary line to run from Castine to Brewer. The collection ends with a profile of the Bangor and Katahdin Iron Works Railway and an account book of a survey done in Sebec by A.M. Devereux.

Dates

Creation: 1871-1892
Creation: Majority of material found within 1887-1891

Restrictions on Access

Kept at Fogler Library's offsite storage facility. One week's notice required for retrieval.

Use Restrictions

Information on literary rights available in the repository.

Historical Note

The Penobscot Central Railroad was approved in 1893 by the Maine legislature. A petition to the Maine Railroad Commissioners in 1896 asks for approval to construct and operate an electric street-railroad from Bangor through the towns of Glenburn, Kenduskeag, Levant, Corinth, Exeter, Charleston and Garland, a distance of some 35 miles. The railroad appears to have had financial difficulties from the start. Sometime around 1900 a powerhouse was built at Kenduskeag, and the cars, which had formerly used gasoline motors, began operating with electricity. This expense caused a need for bonds to be issued and by 1905 the bondholders had foreclosed. The report of the Maine Railroad Commissioners for 1905, the last in which this railroad appears, shows an operating deficit and also indicates that the line was now the Penobscot Central Railroad Company of New Haven, Connecticut.

Historical Note

The collection also contains various items which document efforts to develop railroads in Castine, Maine. Included are minutes of meetings held by citizens of Castine in 1871 "to consider and promote such measures as will make Castine the western terminus of the proposed railroad from the St. Croix to the waters of the Penobscot." Later records include preliminary surveys done for the Castine and Bangor Railroad in 1887 and 1888. There is no indication that this line was ever built.

Historical Note

The Bangor and Katahdin Iron Works Railway, some twenty miles in length and running from Milo, Maine to the Katahdin Iron Works site, was built to lower transportation costs for the Iron Works, which operated until 1890.

Extent

1 cubic foot (3 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Organization and Arrangement

This small collection is divided into three sections: Records of the Penobscot Central Railroad Company, Records of Castine railroads, and Miscellaneous.