Monday, July 2, 2018

The Importance of the Potato Industry 1 -- Monticello, Maine


Potatoes in Monticello, Maine
The VIA Atlantic cuts across Maine in this rural scene.  Those rows of potatoes will provide lots of revenue for the railway when harvest season arrives.  
This series of photos show the importance of potato shipping for the prosperity of the Carleton Railway.  In Monticello, Maine, the Carleton Railway crosses the BAR tracks.  During shipping season, the small yard is busy with lots of ice-bunker reefers ready to be moved to nearby potato sheds for loading.  The potato brokerage firms keep busy finding the best markets for this year's crop.

The Monticello Farms hip-roof potato house shown below is typical of many in Western New Brunswick and Northern Maine.  The smaller shed directly behind (Borderland Farms) is a more modern design.  These two warehouses are located just outside of town, near the NB border. 


The Maine Potato Growers warehouse in the heart of downtown Monticello is another example of the hip-roof style.  Those trucks are a reminder that the railway needs to provide efficient service in order to keep ahead of the competition!  
 These old farm trucks seems to be everywhere at harvest season, carrying barrels of potatoes to the warehouse in preparation for shipping.  
 All of the above scenes are located on my six modules that are part of the SJSMR modular layout (currently on display at the Lancaster Mall on the second Saturday of each month).

No comments: