B23-7 By The Sea - a photo on Flickriver

B23-7 By The Sea

            Midcoast Railservice Train RB-2 creeps through Wiscasset on 3/19/2024 with some of the last cement from Dragon, the last Whale Belly hopper in existence and an empty perlite car. Debris from several floods over the winter can be seen along the right of way, as the DOT was working to clean everything up.

Midcoast started up operations in August of 2022, taking over for CP. The railroad quickly rebuilt the traffic base and began reaching out to potential customers to try to diversify the traffic on the line. This included moving steel for General Dynamics and ASA in Bath, as well as occasional loads of lobster bait to Rockland and the existing Perlite business. The railroad also moved a sizeable amount of pet coke to Dragon Cement. However, in 2023 things took a turn for the worse. Dragon announced it would close cement manufacturing in Thomaston due to the high fuel and operational costs and due to the plant requiring major repairs after an OSHA and MSHA inspection.

When this was taken, time was slowly running out for the operation. With enough traffic for just one round trip per week, minimal traffic from the other customers and CSX unwilling to work with several businesses who were interested in rail, the operation would close up shop on June 12th. 

Since then the state has put the line out to bid. We will see how things turn out, but with the largest customer gone I don't expect there to be much of a future for this line.

Midcoast Railservice
Train: RB-2
3/19/2024
Wiscasset, ME
FGLK/MDOT Rockland Subdivision
   

Taken in: United States / Maine / Wiscasset / Wiscasset (show map)

Taken on: March 19, 2024

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