The clearwater to raquette lake railroad became the raquette lake railway when it was chartered as an electric street surface, then approved as a steam railroad by april, 1899. Mar 06, 2014 construction from rondaxe to raquette lake resumed may 1, 1899. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you all for your continued support and patience as we navigate through the weeks and months ahead. It runs through the bald eagle valley at the foot of the bald eagle mountain ridge to its confluence with the west branch susquehanna river near lock haven. Eagle lake is 5100 feet above sea level in northeastern california about 16 miles north of susanville in lassen county. The mile railroad was cut into the forest and construction began. West branch received it name in 1875 by the michigan central railroad. Webb, dix, morgan, huntington and other wealthy businessmen were its directors. Allagash wilderness waterway, maine, usa,part of gallery of color pictures of usa by professional. Abandoned in the 1930s, two steam locomotives remain in their final resting spot in. The tramway operated between eagle and churchill lakes and the penobscot bay.
The locomotives are two former new york central ten wheelers 460. Eastern railroad discussion abandoned steam locomotives. With the passing of time, the village name evolved to eagle. These locomotives were part of the eagle lake and west branch railroad, which in 1926 replaced the tramway as a means of moving timber gathered onto eagle lake into the penobscot river drainage. The tramway, built in 1902 and operated until 1907, transported timber across a neck of land between eagle lake and chamberlain lake, with one end eventually becoming the eastern terminus of the eagle lake and west branch railroad in 1927. A short line logging rr that ran from 1927 to 1930 in the wilderness of the maine allagash. Media in category lake shore and michigan southern railway steam locomotives. Potomac eagle scenic railroad eagles fly on our scenic. Abandoned in the 1930s, two steam locomotives remain in their final resting spot in a clearing in the northern maine woods next to eagle lake. Summary book southcentral region regulated trout waters. To the left of the clearing where the trains sit there is a short tr. Burried deep in the wilderness of northern maine, two steam locomotives have been rusting since the 1940s. Eagle lake fishermans trail washington trails association.
Chicago and cincinnati railroad lake shore railroad company. Oct 20, 2014 a historical echo of maines lumbering past can be seen in the northern maine woods in the allagash wilderness. There are not a lot of places in the world where you can be hiking through a remote wilderness and suddenly stumble. Historic site the locomotives of the eagle lake and west branch. Mar 14, 2017 mdxx 911 at netley, mb, march 14, 2017.
Having no natural surface outlet, eagle lake is a closed basin lake with its water levels fluctuating with variations of inflow. The railroad was the brainchild of edouard king lacroix and brought wood for. This revised edition includes the history of the last burlington northern train that traveled the old np coeur dalene branch culminating in its abandonment and the end of union pacific railroad service to the coeur dalene mining area. Also, in 1878, john phelps built a logging camp on the south shore of the eagle river, within the present city limits. Media in category lake shore and michigan southern railway steam locomotives the following 18 files are in this category, out of 18 total.
Steel trucks attached to the cable carried logs across a three thousand foot passage between eagle and chamberlain lakes at the rate of about three miles per hour. At eagle lake systems, we use an architecturecentered development process to deliver customized, industrialstrength solutions. By june 1, 1927 the eagle lake and west branch railroad was ready to operate. The eagle lake and west branch railroad was a forest railway built to transfer pulpwood between drainage basins in the maine north woods. How to find the abandoned locomotives of the eagle lake. Spread eagle chain of lakes bass lake, east lake, long lake, middle lake, north lake, railroad lake, south lake, west lake florence county and forest county, wisconsin dnr lake map date aug 1966 historical lake map not for navigation a public document please identify the source when using it. The eagle lake and west branch railroad was built by the canadian industrialist edouard lacroix to replace the tramway between eagle and chamberlain lakes. In 1926 they started on the route for a rail system from eagle lake, near the old tramway, west across allagash stream, down the shores of chamberlain lake to the head waters of umbazooksus lake. Abandoned locomotives in eagle lake, maine adventure rider. It is limestone influenced from its confluence with spring creek to the inflow of sayers lake.
In 1927 the system was ready for business and at the two locomotives moved over 100,000 cords of wood that had. For those lumbering operations still driving logs south from eagle and churchill lakes to penobscot waters, the eagle lake and west branch railroad replaced the tramway. Its a quite a sight and well worth the 250mile roundtrip snowmobile tour from the forks to the trains. The railroad worked well, hauling 6,500 cords of pulpwood a week. The railways eagle bay station encouraged the building of the road from sixth lake to eagle bay to provide 6th and 7th lake camp owners railroad access. The first photo shows the negative developed in my photo software. The trains of eagle lake and the allagash wilderness. It was an isolated logging railroad where the locomotives were hauled in over the frozen waterways by lombard log haulers. The proposed route would have closely followed the valley created by the west branch of the perkiomen creek and some grading for the line was completed before the project. The trains operated until 1930 when the supply of lumber in the area was exhausted. Allagash abandoned steam locomotive train cars walkthrough theres a lot more to see than two abandoned trains in the allagash wilderness waterway. This station proved to be a boon to the expansion of eagle bay, inlet and the upper fulton chain lakes for both hotel and camp owners.
For lumbering operations logs were carried south from eagle and churchill lakes to penobscot waters. Maines forgotten railroad american snowmobiler magazine. In the constant struggle to bring timber from eagle and churchill lakes down to chamberlain lake and the via the telos cut and webster lake to the east branch penobscot, the first automated mechanical system arrived in the fall of 1902. A new book, titled eagle lake and west branch railroad, meeting the challenge of logging in the north maine woods by richard n. The railroad ran from the eagle lake end of the tramway thirteen miles to umbazooksus lake where timber could be sent down stream to the mills in central maine. Powered by create your own unique website with customizable templates. Eagle lake and west branch railroad allagash woods. April 4 or april 18, 2020, depending on county water. This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions. Lsrcs approximate 375 operating miles of track run from plymouth through its headquarters in saginaw, up to gaylord and alpena. The eagle lake and west branch railroad operated the two large engines from 19271933. Lake line railroad traingeek trains and photography.
And theres a place i can get up close and personal to two impressive engines on the shore of eagle lake in northern piscataquis county. Except for classroom educational use, images and content may not be reproduced without permission. Essentially, the tramway was a small railroad pulled by a six thousand foot cable loop. The ghost locomotives of the great maine wilderness new. Jan, 2016 burried deep in the wilderness of northern maine, two steam locomotives have been rusting away since the 1940s. The paper companies bought out lacroix and changed the name to the eagle lake and west branch, but lacroix was retained to run the operations. The book features a new layout and over 400 photographs. On most of the potomac eagles trips, youll find an openair car or two just behind the locomotive on the south end of the train. Bald eagle creek, a 43mile long stream, is a tributary to the west branch susquehanna river. Eagle lake and west branch railroad by andrewk4 on deviantart.
Cook came to eagle river with a stock of merchandise, which they had to transport by livery from three lakes, since the railroad went no further. Allagash abandoned steam locomotive train cars walkthrough. Eagle lake and west branch railroad steam locomotives panorama. Lacrioux faced the same problem as his predecessors. The railroad ran from the eagle lake end of the tramway thirteen miles to umbazooksus lake where timber could be. Interestingly, in the 1920s there was a proposal to connect the catasaqua and fogelsville with the colebrookdale branch at the village of rittenhouse gap, near huffs church. The eagle lake tramway is a historic timbertransport mechanism in the remote north maine woods. In 1926 this railroad ran from the eagle lake end of the tramway thirteen miles to umbazooksus lake, which connects to the west branch of the penobscot river via chesuncook lake. On june 1, 1927, the railroad made its first successful trip as the eagle lake and west branch railroad. There was even a 1500 railroad trestle over allagash stream. One is an opentop gondola car that had been used to carry freight like pipes or railroad ties. Eagle lake systems engineers are here to help balance your requirements with the demands for performance, speed, throughput, accuracy, precision, reliability, availability, security, budget, and timetomarket. Maine memory network is a project of the maine historical society.
The potomac eagle scenic railroad family wants to extend our deepest appreciation to all those working to keeping our nation safe during this difficult time. On an average week, the engines and their 12 cars hauled more than 6,500 cords of pulpwood along the tracks to the west branch watershed. Water surface areas have fluctuated between 16,000 to 29,000 acres with a. Those two are located in the wilds of maine on the old eagle lake and west branch rr. In the 1980s the mills were gone, though rice culture was still one of the major local industries. Lake state railway company lsrc is a michigan based progressive short line railroad that has been providing excellence in transportation since 1992. Join facebook to connect with west branch eagles and others you may know.
One story holds that harvey manning angry that logging in the lower eagle creek basin made road access to eagle lake via the fishermans route too easy intentionally omitted directions to this trailhead in his guidebook. The eagle lake and west branch railroad operated them here from 1927 to 1933, moving on an average week more than 6,500 cords of wood along the tracks to the west branch watershed. California state railroad museum library and archives, online. Previously known as springvale named by the lansing, jackson amp saginaw railroad in 1872, the mcrr changed it because springvale already existed along the railway near boyne city.
California state railroad museum library and archives. To load the train cars on the eagle lake end of the line, logs were drawn along two conveyors that raised them up twentyfive feet over a two hundred twentyfive foot length. Where to stay, where to eat and other travel information links. Huge sand and gravel deposits were mined west of the lake, leaving stretches of water for fishing and water skiing and bringing the. It is the second largest natural freshwater lake wholly in california.
Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. The eagle lake tramway is a historic timbertransport mechanism in the remote north maine woods in northeastern usa. The northern end of the trail at eagle lake, is home to a pair of massive locomotives resting permanently a short distance from the shore of eagle lake. The eagle lake and west branch railroad was built in 1926 to move logs out of the allagash. With the help of steam power, fred dow, an engineer for lumber barons h. Historically, the most frequent approach to eagle lake has been via a scramble from barclay lake that is not suitable for most hikers. Engine and cars along the eagle lake and west branch railroad. This high volume fullservice facility is located in elkhart, tx and is served by the up railroad. The railroad operated only a few years in a location so remote the steam locomotives were never scrapped and remain exposed to the elements.
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