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STEAM LOCOMOTIVES OF THE

BANGOR & AROOSTOOK RAILROAD

A PORTFOLIO OF PHOTOGRAPHS

Ray F. Higgins photographed 4-8-2 107 leaving Millinocket on February 27, 1947.

SERVING NORTHERN MAINE

At its greatest extent the Bangor & Aroostook Railroad reported 660 miles of track, all in Maine. The main line ran nearly due north for its entire length from Searsport on Penobscot Bay to Van Buren on the Canadian border 260 miles away. From Oakfield another major route diverged for 95 miles to Fort Kent on the Canadian Border. Several other branches provided service to a wide area of Aroostook County and the area north of Bangor.

During the age of steam the railroad was famous for hauling potatoes. In 1927 it handled 32,242 cars of potatoes which represented 30 per cent of its total freight tonnage. Products of forests represented 23 per cent and paper 14 per cent.

Since the 1920's Bangor & Aroostook has been abbreviated BAR instead of B&A to distinguish it from the Boston & Albany.

NEAR SEARSPORT AT THE SOUTHERN END OF THE BANGOR & AROOSTOOK

Said to be the wharves on Cape Jellison near Stockton Springs that burned in November 1924.

STEAM LOCOMOTIVES

The Bangor & Aroostook had a relatvely small but distinctive roster of locomotives. Until the arrival of some relatively small 4-8-2 type locomotives in 1929, freight was hauled by 4-6-0's and 2-8-0's. Some of the small engines were quite modern, a new 2-8-0 was purchased as late as 1945. The most modern passenger engines were five 4-6-2's built in 1927. In 1916, the railroad operated 95 steam locomotives but the purchase of more modern power allowed the line to operate with only 62 steam locomotives in 1941. By August 1952 the road was fully dieselized.

Roster information is from the Bangor & Aroostock All-Time Locomotive compiled by William D. Edson found in BULLETIN 152 RAILROAD HISTORY published by THE RAILWAY & LOCOMOTIVE HISTORICAL SOCIETY,INC.

Southbound freights often required help for a short distance when leaving Millinocket.

On March 28, 1947, Ray F. Higgins photographed 0-8-0 340 assisting 4-8-2 105.

PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING TO NAVIGATE THESE PAGES

This website is divided into pages, each for one or a group of locomotive types.

Page 1 - 0-6-0, 0-8-0, 2-6-0

Page 2 - 2-8-0

Page 3 - 4-8-2

Page 4 - 4-4-0

Page 5 - 4-6-0

Page 6 - 4-6-2

TO GO TO ANY OF THE PAGES USE THE SIDE BAR - IF THE SIDEBAR IS NOT VISIBLE, CLICK THE THREE PARALLEL LINES IN THE UPPER LEFT CORNER

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THIS SITE WAS CREATED USING AN OLD GOOGLE PROGRAM BUT WAS CONVERTED BY GOOGLE TO THIS FORMAT