RR Action in Monticello

The Carleton Railway's photographer recently recorded some of the busy railway activity in Monticello, ME:Locomotive #2492 pulls a wayfreight through town. In the background, it looks like a busy day at the West End Diner.

The caboose clears the crossing, allowing traffic to resume on Main Street.

The local switcher picks up a box car from one of the local industries.

The switcher moves the loaded box car across the grade crossing and into the yard.

A soon as the car clears the crossing, the crew will run into the diner for a quick snack.

Farmers are clearing out the last of the potato crop from the warehouses.

Just across the border in Aroostook Junction, NB, a string of BLR box cars have just arrived in the yard.

More Grafton Progress

I have been working on the structures that will provide some of the rail traffic in the community of Grafton. Although these industries never actually were located in Grafton, they do represent Carleton County industries in the 1960s: Karnes Bakery (located in Woodstock in the real world) was an important rail customer for the CNR. Their new bakery building was built in the 1960s. It is now owned by Canada Bread. On my layout, as in the real world, it will receive lots of flour deliveries in covered hoppers.

Hatfield Industries (actually located in Hartland) will be a major rail customer in the HO-scale version of Grafton. I remember going on a tour of the plant when I was a "Wolf Cub"--right around 1965. They made potato chips, but there was also a starch plant. They gave each of us a brown paper bag of warm potato chips--the grease seeped right through the bag!

The Baird Company Ltd. was located along the CNR near my boyhood home in Woodstock, and dealt in patent medicines. The building is now the Knight's of Columbus Hall.

I am still building the other major rail industry in Grafton--the Mason and Risch Piano Factory. It was actually located in Woodstock and opened in the 1960s--I remember attending the grand opening as a child. It had a very large dry kiln and received wood by rail. The CNR timetable warned that the curvature on the siding was very sharp and required reduced speed.

Grafton Progress

Simple flat-top benchwork has been installed where the small but busy community of Grafton, Carleton County, will be located. Several railway customers will be located in the 8' x 2' space. Hopefully I will soon be able to provide a photo from the same perspective that shows a bustling, fully scenicked village. Grafton will be located directly below the Avondale locomotive servicing area and coach yard.

An Unusual Visitor

It has been several years since the residents of Carleton County have heard the sound of a steam whistle approaching in the distance, but that soothing sound returned as a special "Cabot Cove excursion train" made a visit today under the control of engineer Bruce Bosence. The Carleton Railway hosted the VIP guests on board who had lunch at the Nortondale Resort, toured the South Newbridge station and signed the guest book at the South Newbridge Town Hall, and enjoyed an excursion through the Carleton County scenery. The railway photographer managed to record the event (click photos to enlarge): Folks at the General Store at the east end of South Newbridge watch in amazement as the old 4-4-0 approaches the Route 585 crossing. The slow clanging of the bell and the long whistle of the steam engine are in marked contrast to the sounds of the Carleton Railway's modern fleet of diesel locomotives.

A stop at the South Newbridge station allows local onlookers to have a close look at the locomotive while the VIPs head downtown to do some quick shopping.

The 4-4-0 rounds the curve just west of the station in Wakefield.

In this photo of the old steamer passing a potato farm in Rosedale, it could be 1935 instead of 1965.

The steam loco approaches the Rosedale Road crossing as it passes one of the many potato warehouses along the Carleton Railway.

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.