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Maine Eastern Railroad

System map from Maine Eastern website

The Maine Eastern Railroad is currently the tourist passenger division of the Morristown & Erie Railroad serving the lower eastern coast of Maine. Acquired by the M&E in 2003, the line runs from Brunswick and Rockland and operates seasonal passenger service using, among other power, two EMD FL-9 locomotives. The Geep pictured below, whose lineage traces back through Amtrak to the Union Pacific, has been photographed by railfans in winter snowplow service.

Motive Power

Maine Eastern #764

Maine Eastern #764

EMD GP9 (1954) / Rockland, Me / Jul 2006 / RWH

Maine Eastern #764

  • builder:Electro Motive Divison
  • model:GP9
  • type:B-B road switcher
  • built:Mar 1954, EMD #19186
  • series:3436 produced 1954-59
  • engine:EMD 567C (16 cyls. 1750 hp)
  • notes:
  • ex Amtrak #764
    ex Union Pacific #185
Maine Eastern #764

Rockland, Me / Jul 2006 / RWH

Locations

Maine Eastern roundhouse

Maine Eastern roundhouse

Rockland, Me / Jul 2006 / RWH

Lagniappe

Surely one of the greater joys of any hobby - no less so with railfanning - is the unexpected find. I experienced this pleasure with the Maine Eastern while spending three weeks in the summer of 2006 on the lower coast of Maine. For many days, I saw the twice-daily ME passenger train with its classy FL9s come and go through Bath hauling summertime tourists. When we left Bath for Bar Harbor, I thought I had said goobye to the pike, only to stumble upon this handsome GP parked on a turntable in Rockland, on the coast. A more striking shortline Geep paint scheme I have never seen; I darted out of traffic and pulled over to snap these roster shots.

Links / Sources

hawkinsrails.net / shortlines / me