A locomotive from the former Belfast and Moosehead Lake Railroad, above, recently was delivered for service on the Downeast Scenic Railroad.—PHOTO COURTESY OF DSRR

Bar Harbor man helps keep rail revival on track
For the last four years, Tom Testa of Bar Harbor literally has been workin’ on the railroad; the Down East Scenic Railroad to be exact. And although trains haven’t been seen on any tracks in this part of Maine for more than 20 years, Mr. Testa and a dedicated corps of volunteers from all over Hancock County and the state expect to have at least four miles of track rehabilitated and open for trains by late next summer.

A volunteer track worker inspects newly straightened rails in Ellsworth.—PHOTO COURTESY OF DSRR

The goal of the group is to return trains to a 14-mile segment of the former Calais Branch and eventually run scenic excursion trains between Ellsworth and Green Lake. Since 2004, the group has raised and spent more than $700,000 and organized volunteers who have worked thousands of hours to make the restoration of Down East Maine’s railroad heritage a reality. The first four miles of restored track is scheduled to be open and operating next summer.

Along with assigning most of the credit for the group’s success-to-date to its volunteers, Mr. Testa is quick to stress that the organization is not just a bunch railroad hobbyists hoping to run full-scale trains. “Initially I don’t think people got that. It’s not people playing trains,” he said.

From the start the group has taken a professional approach. Its first actions were to commission a $65,000 engineering, business and marketing study. That document laid out a formidable task – raising some $1.3 million to rehabilitate the abandoned track. But, it also spotlighted opportunities. The study, which based its findings on similar tourist railroads around the country, estimates that railroad can be self-sustaining, attracting some 72,000 riders annually, creating up to 200 jobs, and contributing $5 million annually to the local economy. “You need to be somewhere there’s enough of a market. The market has to be right and it is,” Mr. Testa said. “We can make something of this.”

Tom Testa

Plans by other prospective operators in the 1980s, including a dubious proposal to operate a dinner theater train out of Ellsworth, probably has contributed to some skepticism concerning the trust’s prospects, Mr. Testa admits. “We see this as a way to preserve the line and the history of railroading Down East.”

Although only the first four miles of track will be open initially, plans call for much longer trips north from Ellsworth to the area’s lakes eventually. A center would be created at Washington Junction with historical displays, perhaps with space for the Ellsworth Area Chamber of Commerce. The center also would be the jumping-off place for people using the Down East Rail Trail.

Although the trust started out with just a handful of interested people, it now boasts 350 members with a core group of more than 40 that have been doing most of the volunteer track rehabilitation work, including installing new grade crossings, fixing turnouts, and re-aligning rails. That effort generated considerable attention last summer when the railroad posted “no trespassing” notices along its right of way; people had been using the tracks passing through Ellsworth for exercise or walking shortcuts for many years.

Volunteers are working on restoring several freight and passenger cars obtained this summer, including a diesel locomotive and caboose purchased from the now-defunct Belfast and Moosehead Railroad in Burnham Junction. “I can’t say enough about the support we’ve gotten,” Mr. Testa said. “We have people from all over, including many guys with years of railroading experience. Everyone brings something unique to it,” he continued. “There’s a million things to do.”

To learn more: Visit the Down East Scenic Railroad at downeastscenicrail.org.