Locomotives are a regular part of Ernest Vannah’s life. The screen saver on his desktop depicts a rolling slideshow of trains and his office at Vannah Insurance Agency on Jefferson Street in Waldoboro is peppered with locomotive memorabilia, perhaps to reminisce on days growing up on the hardy side of the tracks.
Old photographs on the wall behind his desk show black and white scenes of a train depot long since destroyed by fire.
Vannah is one of several around town who have expressed interest in Waldoboro once again having rail service. While officials have said the idea of having trains stop for passenger and freight is a long way off, others are left to dream.
Representatives from Maine Eastern Railroad met with the Economic Development Committee on June 11 to discuss the possibility of future freight and passenger rail opportunities for the town. According to meeting minutes, a new stop in Waldoboro would cost roughly $400,000, half of which the state might cover if it brings in new business and a tax base.
One of the investments that would need to be made would be a “siding” rail, an exit off the main track for rail cars, said Waldoboro Planning and Development director Patrick Wright. He has contacted the Maine Dept. of Transportation to let them know the town is interested in having rail service sometime in the future.
“It’s too far in advance to know,” said Gordon Page Sr., Maine Eastern Railroad vice president and director of passenger operations. “We have no immediate plans to stop in Waldoboro.”
Page added there might be some freight opportunities down the line. Currently, the railroad carries freight for companies such as Dragon Cement in Thomaston and for Bath Iron Works.
They anticipate becoming a connector service for passengers when the Downeaster train, which travels from Boston to Portland, extends its service to Brunswick. Such an adjustment to their schedule would change the dynamics of the excursion experience.
In the summer months, Maine Eastern Railroad conducts a passenger excursion service from Brunswick to Rockland. Trains stop in Bath and Wiscasset on this route, as well.
The coastal service runs from May through October, according to the website (www.maineeasternrailroad.com). The site also mentions businesses nearest the end of the line train station in Rockland, where passengers can shop, dine, see the sights and stay overnight. For more information about the service, visit the website or call: 866-637-2457.
Waldoboro selectman Theodore Wooster supports the town having rail service in the future. He said Waldoboro is unique in that there are opportunities for plenty of parking space, a necessity for a passenger rail service.
“It sure beats traffic,” Wooster added.
He said a rail stop in Waldoboro is a feasible possibility, which would bring in a lot of needs to the area. Trains stopping in town would provide for other business opportunities, such as a taxi service, auto rentals or a small hotel.
Vannah has been a conductor and student engineer, working on the excursion coastal train for 19 years out of Rockland. He has worked on freight and passenger trains for the service, including assisting with the shipment of power plant material from Wiscasset to Brunswick, where it was then shipped by rail out west. He encourages people to try special holiday trains such as the “Candy Cane” and “Polar Express.”
“They’re sold out every year,” he said. “It’s a lot of fun. I have as much fun as the kids do.”
Vannah grew up in Winslows Mills, where the train tracks run over a river. The Waldoboro Business Park is nearby, on One Pie Lane, and there is a seaweed processing plant on the opposite side of the road.
He said his grandfather helped build the original canning factory next to the tracks. Vannah’s grandmother worked at the One Pie canning factory, where vast amounts of squash were processed for shipment by rail.
His father worked at the cannery, as did Vannah while in high school in the late 1960s. He recalled how the factory used a coal-fired boiler to pressure-cook the cans of squash.
Vannah said this small area next to the tracks and river had several other businesses. There were three creameries, two of which were Turner and H.P. Hood. His great uncle, William Vannah, co-operated and owned the Vannah and Chute Co., a gristmill that processed locally grown grain.
There was also a sawmill on the other side of the river. Workers would float logs downriver to the sawmill and the finished product could then be transported by rail.
Vannah credits Kelsey Lash, the Winslows Mills Station agent for encouraging his interest in rail service. He recalled how, as a child, he rode his tricycle on the station ramp, which wrapped around the whole building. The postal car on the train subsidized the passenger service for a long time, he said.
“Before my day it was the only way to commute,” Vannah said. “The roads were rough and not everybody had a car in the 1930s or ’40s.”
He has a blueprint of the station, which the original builder, Dana Lash, kept in a frame above his bed. The building was destroyed by fire and torn down in 1968. Vannah said this made him sick, but the incident did not sever his interest in trains.
Vannah recalled his last local train ride from the now-defunct Winslows Mills stop.
He was seven years old when he took a ride to Warren one final Saturday in April. That day, in addition to the baggage car and railway post office car, there were three passenger coaches for all of the people who took the last train that day.
