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Part 2 Getting there: Main CBs   Part 3 Exploring New Brunswick   Part 4 Exploring New Brunswick
Part 5 Exploring New Brunswick   Part 6 Exploring New Brunswick   Part 7 Exploring New Brunswick
Part 8 Exploring New Brunswick   Part 9 Exploring New Brunswick   Part 10 Exploring New Brunswick
Part 11 Exploring New Brunswick   Part 12 Exploring New Brunswick   Part 13 Exploring New Brunswick

Liz Keating inside Sand River Railroad car

Hi Folks
       On Sept 18, Liz and I departed for New Brunswick, Canada to visit some of it's 63 covered bridges. We stopped in Wilton, Maine the first night, in order to ride the Sandy River and Rangely Lakes RR, between Phillips and Sanders, Maine(see photos with me and engine and one of the train). I have also attached pictures of their sign, one of Liz inside the passenger car and a closeup of the beveled glass window.
      I like to ride trains and we did not expect to see any covered bridges on this train trip. However it turns out that the railroad once owned a covered bridge which crossed the Sandy River. The line now stops at the river. A railroad volunteer guide(it is an all volunteer operation) led us to the bridge abutment and showed us a picture of the long gone bridge. I realize that a picture of a picture is imperfect, but it is better than nothing.
      The guide said the a scrap company bought the rights to all rr property in the 1930s. The rails were sold to a Japanese company (we probably got it back at Pearl Harbor). They thought that the bridge was taken down in the 1930s but an older woman passenger told them it was still there in 1939 where she and her boyfriend spent some romantic time. I asked the guide if he knew the name of the bridge. He said it was known as the SRRL RR covered bridge.
      The volunteer said that the railroad would like to build a new covered bridge. They have a commitment from a local lumber company, which will provide free lumber, plus local skilled carpenters who will donate time. He said that the bridge would be free. However, they must first buy the property on the opposite side of the river and were hoping for donations. If they rebuild it, it will one of two railroad covered bridges in the USA currently used by a train. The other is at Clark's Trading Post, Lincoln,NH
      Their website is http://www.srrl-rr.org the Street address; The Sandy River and Rangely Lakes Railroad, P.O. Box B, Phillips, Maine 04966.
       If you don't want to donate, you might want to ride the rr--about 1 hr round trip.

Tom

Picture of the long-gone railroad covered bridge	Railroad bridge abutments

Sandy River train.	Sandy River & Rangely Lake Railroad sign.

Sandy River RR Engine and Tom Keating.	Beveled glass window detail.

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