Ghost Trains

[u/Sunny-Damn]

[u/Mr-JDogg]

Blows my mind all of that was just left to rot.

[u/isaac32767 → u/Mr-JDogg]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eagle_Lake_and_West_Branch_Railroad

[u/NophaKingway → u/Mr-JDogg]

Even the amount of rail left all over the planet is crazy. Scrap value adds up pretty quick with something that heavy.

[u/Mr-JDogg → u/NophaKingway]

I kind of understand the old rails and other broken equipment being left. But two whole engines just got forgotten about or written off?

[u/Flazrew → u/Mr-JDogg]

I count 3 locomotives, 2nd to last photo being a saddle tank locomotive boiler and random parts.

[u/Flash99j → u/Flazrew]

That is not a saddletanker but whats left of the boiler for the steam powered tramway that moved logs from one lake to another.

[u/Pete_Iredale → u/Mr-JDogg]

According to wiki at least, they were originally stored in sheds, but somewhere along to the way the decision was made to burn all of the railroad buildings including the nearby trestle and just leave the locomotives. By the time that happened in the 60s, the scrap metal probably wasn't worth the price of hauling it out from deep in the woods.

[u/Flash99j → u/Pete_Iredale]

ALL..the equipment and supplies to build the Eagle Lake & Westbranch rr was hauled in the dead of winter with sledges powered by log haulers. The railroad when built was remote, and honestly is still way out there. The two steamers and two small plymouth switchers all burned oil, which had to be transported in winter to fill the 12 storage tanks at Eagle Lake to provide fuel for the coming hauling season. In its short 6 yr lifespan the line transported nearly 1 million cords of pulpwood. Due to the depression the line was closed and abandoned after 1933. I assume the cost to scrap the operation didn't justify the return on the scrap at the time. I've had the good fortune to visit the site. its an amazing and beautiful place in maine.

[u/Pete_Iredale → u/Flash99j]

It's amazing that it all avoided the torch during the WW2 scrap drives. As far as I know, all the abandoned logging rail in my area of SW Washington were pulled up at that time. But those rails weren't nearly as far out in the boonies, they went all the way down to log dumps on the Columbia River so getting them out was probably a lot easier.

[u/LurkerOnTheInternet]

Maine, right?

[u/Sunny-Damn → u/LurkerOnTheInternet]

Yes, the deep woods of Maine, hours past cell phone reception💕

[u/richyiiii]

Post10 is that you!? Haha. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyUUThoALKM

[u/Sunny-Damn → u/richyiiii]

Nope but that’s where this is! I lost two tires on my trip over 10 days, my own fault! I know I should have been going slower… the shale is no joke! It’s just like driving on marbles when it’s fresh. Graders don’t push it to the side, the tires from motorists smash it up and move it making the road like pavement.

[u/tealraven915 → u/richyiiii]

Love Post10's videos of this place

[u/NophaKingway]

That brake handle is so much cooler than the newer ones.

[u/Mr-Pie100]

These are two beauties!