Canadian Pacific Lines in Maine
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Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...
operated in the State of Maine were set up as a separate company to comply with
Interstate Commerce Commission The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) was a regulatory agency in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887. The agency's original purpose was to regulate railroads (and later trucking) to ensure fair rates, to eliminat ...
regulations and were considered a Class I U.S. railroad (in 1950, railroads with operating revenues over $1 million). The company operated 234 miles in Maine. Its primary route formed the Canadian Pacific east–west main line between Montreal, Quebec, and Saint John, New Brunswick. From 1889 to 1974 part of the through route consisted of trackage rights over the Maine Central Railroad between Mattawamkeag, Maine, and Vanceboro, Maine.


History

The Canadian Pacific Lines in Maine were a conglomeration of routes purchased or built by the Canadian Pacific prior to 1900. Its through route included trackage rights over a segment of line owned by the Maine Central Railroad, which was later purchased outright by the CP. Two major components of the route were: The European and North American Railway, which formed the easternmost connection from Vanceboro, Maine, with Saint John, New Brunswick, in the 1860s. The Canadian portion of this line was absorbed by the
New Brunswick Railway The New Brunswick Railway Company Limited (NBR) is currently a Canadian non-operating railway and land holding company headquartered in Saint John, New Brunswick that is part of "Irving Transportation Services", a division within the J.D. Irving ...
, which itself was purchased by the Canadian Pacific in 1890. The American portion of the line was purchased by the Maine Central Railroad (MEC) and operated by that company. The CP exercised trackage rights over the MEC portion of the route, and purchased the line outright from the MEC in 1974. The assets of the New Brunswick Railway was sold, minus the operating rail lines, to businessman K.C. Irving in 1941, who later turned it over to his forest operations subsidiary
J.D. Irving Limited J.D. Irving Limited (JDI) is a privately owned Conglomerate (company), conglomerate company headquartered in Saint John, New Brunswick, Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. It is a subsidiary of the parent company, Irving Group of Companies, al ...
. In 1988, citing declining traffic, the CP set up a subsidiary to control its lines east of Montreal, the Canadian Atlantic Railway. Between 1988 and 1993, many CAR lines were abandoned. In December 1994 all remaining CAR assets were sold. Some portions of the original New Brunswick Railway's rail lines were purchased by J.D. Irving Limited, which continues to operate them as the
New Brunswick Southern Railway The New Brunswick Southern Railway Company Limited is a Canadian short line railway owned by the New Brunswick Railway Company Limited, a holding company that is part of "Irving Transportation Services", a division within the industrial conglo ...
. Some former NBR trackage in Grand Falls is now owned and operated by the
Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway Company (french: Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada) is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN i ...
. In November 2019 Canadian Pacific announced the purchase of the Central Maine and Quebec Railway, the current owner of the former Canadian Pacific Lines in Maine from outside Montreal to
Brownville Junction, Maine Brownville Junction is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Brownville, Piscataquis County, Maine, United States. It is west-central part of the town, on the west side of the Pleasant River, a south-flowing tributary of the Piscataquis ...
. This move thus returns ownership of approximately half of the CP lines in Maine, as well as a portion of Bangor & Aroostook lines spanning from
Millinocket Millinocket is a town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The population was 4,114 at the 2020 census. Millinocket's economy has historically been centered on forest products and recreation, but the paper company closed in 2008. History ...
to Searsport. The reasoning for CP's return, according to their press release, was to (re)establish a port connection at Saint John, New Brunswick, via commercial rights over the NBR lines as well as a new connect to the port of Searsport. The International Railway of Maine was designed to connect the CP's lines in Canada with the European and North American Railway at
Mattawamkeag Mattawamkeag is a town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States, located where the Mattawamkeag River joins the Penobscot River. The population was 596 at the 2020 census. The village of Mattawamkeag is in the southwest part of the town. Railr ...
. Planning for the line started in 1871, and the route was purchased by CP subsidiary Atlantic and Northwest in 1886. The CP finished various uncompleted portions of the Montreal-Saint John through route under Chief Engineer James Ross in the late 1880s, opening the line in June 1889. In addition to the Montreal-Saint John through route, the Canadian Pacific's lines in Maine included a branch in the
Aroostook River The Aroostook River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 22, 2011 tributary of the Saint John River in the U.S. state of Maine and the Canadian province of New Bru ...
valley from
Fort Fairfield Fort Fairfield is a town in Aroostook County, eastern Maine, United States, located along the Canada–US border. The population was 3,322 at the 2020 census. History Fort Fairfield is named for John Fairfield, 13th and 16th governor of Main ...
to Presque Isle (27 miles), where they connected with CP subsidiary
Aroostook Valley Railroad The Aroostook Valley Railroad was a railroad that operated between Presque Isle and Caribou, Maine from the early 1900s to 1996. The railroad operated maroon interurban cars with grey roofs on 1200 volt DC power until 1945. History Arthur R. Go ...
and competitor
Bangor and Aroostook Railroad The Bangor and Aroostook Railroad was a United States railroad company that brought rail service to Aroostook County in northern Maine. Brightly-painted BAR boxcars attracted national attention in the 1950s. First-generation diesel locomotives op ...
, as well as a branch that connected Debec, New Brunswick, with
Houlton, Maine Houlton is a town in Aroostook County, Maine, on the Canada–United States border. As of the 2020 census, the town's population was 6,055. It is perhaps best known for being at the northern terminus of Interstate 95 and as the birthplace of Sam ...
(8 miles).Lewis, Robert G. ''The Handbook of American Railroads''. New York: Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation, 1951, p. 34. In 1950, the freight income of Canadian Pacific Lines in Maine was $4.3 million, with an additional $424,000 in passenger revenue. The operating ratio was 90.1 percent.


See also

*
Iron Road Railways Iron Road Railways Incorporated (IRR) was a railroad holding company which owned several short line railroads in the U.S. state of Maine, as well as the Canadian provinces of Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. IRR was formed in 1994 and headq ...
* Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway * Central Maine and Quebec Railway *
J.D. Irving Limited J.D. Irving Limited (JDI) is a privately owned Conglomerate (company), conglomerate company headquartered in Saint John, New Brunswick, Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. It is a subsidiary of the parent company, Irving Group of Companies, al ...
*
New Brunswick Railway The New Brunswick Railway Company Limited (NBR) is currently a Canadian non-operating railway and land holding company headquartered in Saint John, New Brunswick that is part of "Irving Transportation Services", a division within the J.D. Irving ...
* Eastern Maine Railway * European and North American Railway


References

{{North America Class I Defunct Maine railroads Former Class I railroads in the United States