(The following article by Dave Piszcz was published in the January 24 online edition of the Republican Journal.)
UNITY, Maine — Belfast and Moosehead Lake Railroad officials announced last week the rolling stock, maintenance equipment and approximately three miles of track is on the market for $3.5 million.
“The company has done well with its limited resources, but the challenges are phenomenal,” said B&MLR President Bob Lamontagne. “Without additional financing, we can’t keep the business running.”
The railroad, founded in Belfast in 1867, was designed to serve Belfast’s shoe, lumber, sardine and poultry industries, connecting the city waterfront the rest of the country’s railroads at Burnham Junction.
With the demise of Crowe Rope in 1998, the railroad lost the last of its freight business and had been devoted strictly to passenger excursions since then.
Bert Clifford became sole owner of the passenger line in 1998 and moved operations to Unity Station. When he died in 2001, his estate continued funding railroad operations.
Efforts to find new freight business or secure Department of Transportation grants have been futile, according to a company press release. Last year, an experimental 16-mile tourist run along the Kennebec utilizing a self-propelled Budd Rail Diesel Car failed to generate sufficient revenue to pay for its costs.
The B&MLR has a contract with Belfast to run five trains per month during its normal five-month season, from June to October. While seeking a buyer, the company will sell some of its assets in order to meet its obligations to the city for the 2003 season.
The railroad owns about three miles of track and facilities in Belfast and leases the remainder of the 33-mile line from the MDOT. That lease expires in 2015.
The line’s flagship locomotive, a 1913 Swedish-built steam engine, heads the list of salable assets. Clifford bought the locomotive and eight accompanying rail cars, including two diners, in the late 90s.
Other rolling stock includes the Budd car, five GE diesel locomotives, three of which are operational, freight cars, American passenger cars and track maintenance gear.
Additionally, the company lists its lease rights to the use of the Thompson’s Wharf, which can accommodate cruise boats, as a salable asset.
“The last few years have been very painful,” said Belfast Mayor Mike Hurley. “We need to resolve it one way or the other – either a vibrant, active railroad or call it a day. Our first hope is that someone will buy it and operate the railroad.”
Hurley said Belfast was in a better position than Millinocket in that the demise of the railroad would not be a crippling blow to the city. “If the railroad ceases to exist, it will open up a lot of opportunity for waterfront development,” he said. “It’s kind of like having a sick relative. You really love them but you kind of start hoping they’ll either get well or die.”