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| Portland–Lewiston Interurban Railway | |
|---|---|
| Name | Portland–Lewiston Interurban Railway |
| Other name | Portland & Lewiston Interurban |
| Locale | Portland, Maine; Lewiston, Maine; Auburn, Maine; Yarmouth, Maine; Freeport, Maine |
| Open | 1914 |
| Close | 1933 |
| Gauge | Standard |
| Electrification | 650 V DC overhead |
| Length | 40 mi |
Portland–Lewiston Interurban Railway was an electric interurban line linking Portland, Maine and Lewiston, Maine via Auburn, Maine, opened in 1914 and ceasing regular service in 1933. It aimed to connect coastal industry centers such as Portland, Maine and inland manufacturing hubs including Lewiston, Maine and relied on technology then used by systems like the Pacific Electric Railway and the Niagara Gorge Incline Railway. The line played a role in regional transportation alongside carriers such as the Boston and Maine Corporation and the Maine Central Railroad.
Planning began amid the interurban boom of the early 20th century that included projects like the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad expansions and investment trends seen in General Electric electrification efforts. Backers included entrepreneurs from Portland, Maine merchant circles, investors connected with the American Street Railway Association, and engineers influenced by designs used by the Electric Railway Journal. Construction commenced after financing arrangements influenced by the Public Service Railway Company model and completion coincided with wartime industrial shifts linked to World War I. The interurban competed with passenger routes of the Boston and Maine Corporation and freight corridors like the Grand Trunk Railway.
The mainline followed rights-of-way through communities such as Yarmouth, Maine, Freeport, Maine, and Brunswick, Maine environs before turning inland toward Lewiston, Maine and Auburn, Maine. Key termini and facilities included a Portland terminal near Fore River Shipyard activity and a Lewiston depot proximate to mills along the Androscoggin River. Infrastructure incorporated substations similar to those used by New York State Railways and bridges designed with input from engineers with experience on projects like the Hoover Dam—noting parallels in early 20th-century civil practice. Trackwork used standard rail profiles supplied by firms like Bethlehem Steel and crossings interfaced with Lincoln Street Station logistics and municipal utilities managed by entities such as the Portland Water District.
Carroseries and electrical components were procured from manufacturers with pedigrees linked to the St. Louis Car Company and propulsion equipment influenced by Westinghouse Electric Corporation designs. The fleet included lightweight interurban coaches and freight motors built to standards comparable to vehicles from the Kinki Sharyo lineage in later decades. Trucks, controllers, and resistors mirrored technology described in the Electric Railway Journal and maintenance used facilities akin to those serving the Wilmington and Northern Railroad and the Hudson and Manhattan Railroad. Materials and parts were sourced through supply chains touching firms like General Electric and Westinghouse.
Timetables provided daytime and evening schedules linking industrial shift changes at Lewiston mills like operations associated with the Shoe Industry and the textile factories supplied by companies similar to C.F. Hathaway Company. Freight services carried parcel freight and light merchandise integrating with interchange practices of the Newspaper Publishers Association and local wholesale houses in Portland, Maine. The interurban coordinated services with streetcar lines operated by the Portland Railroad Company and offered excursion specials to seasonal destinations used by organizations such as the Maine Central Railroad and tourism promoters connected with the Maine Woods circuit.
Decline paralleled national trends of increasing automobile ownership promoted by manufacturers like Ford Motor Company and highway investments under policies associated with agencies akin to the later Federal Highway Administration. Competition from bus operators modeled after the Greyhound Corporation and revenue pressure mirroring cases like the Pacific Electric Railway contraction led to reduced patronage. Economic strain from the Great Depression and regulatory challenges similar to disputes adjudicated by the Interstate Commerce Commission precipitated suspension of passenger service in the early 1930s and final abandonment following asset liquidation procedures used by other defunct interurbans.
Remnants of the right-of-way and depots have been subjects of preservation interest involving groups reminiscent of the National Railway Historical Society and local historical societies in Cumberland County, Maine and Androscoggin County, Maine. Rolling stock fragments and archival materials have appeared in collections at institutions like the Maine Historical Society and exhibits curated with input from preservationists who have worked on projects similar to the Seashore Trolley Museum. Contemporary rail-trail conversions have been proposed that echo conversions such as the Minuteman Bikeway and the High Line concept, while maps, photographs, and oral histories reside in archives maintained by organizations like Bowdoin College and Bates College.
Category:Defunct Maine railroads Category:Interurban railways in the United States