Farewell to Number 4. Trailing a string of original Maine 2-foot coaches and combines, Monson Railroad Locomotive #4 begins its last day of operation along the Portland waterfront, before being sidelined for a 1,472-day boiler inspection. In this view, the locomotive has just completed running around its train and is beginning its run back toward the museum headquarters, just over a mile away. The wooden coaches behind the locomotive this day date back to the late 1800s and early 1900s and had their origins with the Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes Railroad or the Bridgton & Saco River Railroad, which were two of Maine's largest 2-foot operations.
The Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Company and Museum runs its trains over a mile and a half stretch of an old Grand Trunk Line along the Portland waterfront, which has been re-gauged from 4 ft. 8 1/2 in. down to 2 ft to accommodate the narrow gauge equipment. The current line runs from Portland's Marine Terminal to the old Grand Trunk swing bridge that you see in the background on the left side of the photo. Run-around tracks are installed at both ends enabling the museum to run locomotive first in both directions.
This album seeks to portray classic New England and Upstate New York imagery. It showcases the most perfect examples of regional identity, with special attention to structures and landscape.
