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Maine Narrow Gauge Railroads (ME) (Images of Rail) | 
 enlarge | Author: Robert L. Macdonald
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
Category: Book
List Price: $19.99
Buy New: $12.26
You Save: $7.73 (39%)
New (14) Used (5) from $12.26
Avg. Customer Rating:  2 reviews
Sales Rank: 652223
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 128
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 9 x 6.3 x 0.5
ISBN: 073851179X
Dewey Decimal Number: 900
EAN: 9780738511795
ASIN: 073851179X
Publication Date: May 12, 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand New, Perfect Condition, Please allow 4-14 business days for delivery. 100% Money Back Guarantee, Over 1,000,000 customers served.
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Product Description
The narrow gauge railroad arrived in the United States in the late nineteenth century. Based on the Welsh two-foot gauge, the American narrow gauge was expanded by railroad engineers to a three-foot gauge that became the standard track width for narrow gauge railroads in the United States. Maine, however, adopted the two-foot gauge that was developed by George E. Mansfield in Massachusetts. The narrow track width was ideally suited to the mountainous terrain, and the maneuverability of the trains proved highly beneficial to companies and passengers traveling to remote locations. The narrow gauge railroad served Maine for over fifty years until the early 1940s. YYMaine Narrow Gauge Railroads is a comprehensive pictorial record of the history of the narrow gauge railroad in Maine. From the one-hundred-twelve-mile Sandy River and Rangeley Lakes Railroad to the five-mile Kennebec Central, Maine Narrow Gauge Railroads features the toylike miniature trains of Maine as they appeared at different stages in their history. The Bridgton and Harrison Railroad, the Monson Railroad, and the Wiscasset, Waterville and Farmington Railway lines are documented within, as well as the current restoration projects that are under way. YY
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| Customer Reviews:
 Welsh Connection for the Maine Narrow Guage March 18, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
We recently had travelled from Maine, USA to Wales, UK having a marvelous, picuresque journey on the Rheilfford and Pfestiniog railway out of Porthmadog. In many ways the Wales countryside resembles that of Maine in terms of topograghy. In showing some co-workers a couple of photos we had taken of this magnificent little Welsh 2 footer which began business in the 1830's and still runs a successful tourist line, one of them asked if the Maine Narrow guages weren't also built on two foot guage. I believed they must have been 3 foot like the Western US narrow guage roads, such as the Durango and Silverton, but this question made me curious. I found the intriguing answer to that question in this little book. Not only were the Maine Roads built to the 2 foot guage, but they were actually modelled after the sucessful Rheilfford railway. Since we live in Maine, we are interested in Maine history as well as Railroading, and found through this book that it truly is a small world after all.
I recommend this pictorial book to any Railfan or Maine History buff, or any combination thereof.
 Great Pictures! Clunky Text! October 26, 2003
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
This is primarily a picture book - filled with great old pictures of Maine's famous 2-foot-gauge railroads (there were also a couple of 3-foot-gauge railroads in Maine; these are not mentioned).
Each railroad gets a chapter of photos with a short introductory text with a basic outline of its life and death. I wish someone with skills at grammar and editing had given the text and captions a quick once-over. But the pictures are the "Maine" feature of the book, and I was happy to see a few I'd never seen before. People who own all the "Big" (expensive) books about the Maine narrow gauge railroads may not find much new here, but it's a great introduction and overview for the general reader.
I was interested in the pictures showing the equipment that still exists (and even runs) today - some of the pieces are over 100 years old, and their survival is almost miraculous!
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