A Busy Friday in Monticello

In addition to its customers in Carleton and northern York Counties, the Carleton Railway also serves the agricultural industry in Aroostook County, Maine and interchanges with the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad in Monticello, where the Carleton Railway maintains a small yard. The company photographer recently captured a busy day in Monticello.

The main street in Monticello is especially busy near Anderson's Garage and the popular West End Diner. The three tracks in the foreground are the Carleton Railway's double-track main line and a siding; the track just past the garage is the BAR mainline:
Anderson's garage is a favourite of the locals--notice that they advertise a 7-minute oil change!
Although potato products are the main commodities shipped by the Carleton Railway, other agricultural products are also important. Here two Carleton Railway stock cars are ready for loading at the stock pen:
This bird's-eye-view shot of Monticello shows the Carleton and BAR main lines, the Carleton Railway yard, the passenger station, and one of the local potato warehouses. Passengers on the platform are waiting to board the Nor'easter -- the Carleton Railway's daily passenger train between Fredericton and Boston:

The narrow street through town is a busy spot to navigate with lots of trucks and railway crossings:

Monticello is represented by four modules that are assembled at shows with modules belonging to other members of the Saint John Society of Model Railroaders.

Grafton Work Begins

Now that the Carleton Railway's big crane has arrived on site and the skillful track gang has begun surveying the work to be done, construction of the Grafton spur should proceed quite rapidly.

The Last Frontier

Activity at the Grafton Spur!

For the past two years, train crews on the Northampton Subdivision travelling between Northampton and South Newbridge have noticed on the employee timetable that there is a location called "Grafton Spur" and there is indeed a turnout with the label "Grafton" on the nearby lineside sign, but the spur is very short! However, that is about to change.
Recently, a Carleton Railway work train arrived at the site. Townspeople from nearby Pembroke have perched themselves on the Hyram Myshrall overpass to see what will happen.
News-Advertiser reporter Freda Mulheron has learned that management is about to authorize the construction of the line to Grafton, where a major industrial area will provide ample freight traffic in return for the railway's investment. A bakery, a potato chip plant, a wholesale druggist, a piano manufacturer, and several smaller industries have already committed to locating along the line. Construction is expected to get underway soon.


Translation: I brought the plywood and lumber home this morning to begin working on the last unconstructed section of the Carleton Railway. The 9' spur to Grafton will be located directly under the Avondale locomotive servicing facility--and just above the refrigerator. To avoid aisle congestion, my plan is for the Northampton local to spot and pick up cars on the spur but not switch the industries. During an overnight shift (the midnight to 6 a.m. shift not included in the Carleton Railway's operating sessions), a yard switcher will work the Grafton industrial area. In other words, the 9' x 2' town of Grafton will be a challenging switching area that I can work at between operating sessions without throwing the rest of the layout into disarray.