SUMMARY: Deep in the Maine woods, two abandoned locomotives remind visitors of how the Great Northern Paper Company transported the pulp wood to the mills down river. The Eagle Lake & West Branch Railroad Tramway (Ghost Trains) are an important piece of Maine history and worth the effort to visit.
MORE INFORMATION: History: The locomotives are the remnants of a 13-mile rail line that ran from Eagle Lake to Umbazooksus Lake to get the cut timber to the West Branch of the Penobscot Rover where it could be floated downstream to the mills. The locomotives were brought in from Canada by entrepreneur and logger baron King Ed Lacroix. He had a deal to supply the Great Northern Paper Mills in Millinocket with the wood they needed. They bought him out in 1927.
The train only operated for six years between 1927 and 1933 when it was abandoned due to decreased demand for paper in the Depression. During the six years it was in operation about a million cords of pulp wood were transported by the train. When the market picked up after World War II, Great Northern Paper determined that it was more economical to use trucks than to repair the Eagle Lake and West Branch Railroad.
The Maine Park and Recreation Commission painted the trains in 1969 and since then the Allagash Alliance has taken over the maintenance of the engines. The two 100-ton locomotives have become a popular tourist destination year round. In the winter, they are accessible by snowmobiles.
Getting There: At the north end of Chamberlain Lake in the Allagash, one of the wildest places in Maine, it requires travel on dirt logging roads and hiking to get to see this amazing site. You can go to the south end of Chamberlain Lake and canoe to the trains or in the winter, snowmobiling is a popular option. Parking and a latrine have been established at the trailhead to the Eagle Lake & West Branch Railroad Tramway (Ghost Trains). Bring a good map, supplies, and extra tires to make this trek.
