BML#50, a GE 70-ton diesel electric locomotive bought new by the B&ML in 1947, entering the "cut" just above the Upper Bridge and about a mile-and-a-half inland from Belfast. This cut in a granite outcropping was one of the most difficult parts of the 33.3-mile grade to make when the B&ML was built between 1868 and 1870. This section of track (up through MP 2.5) is scheduled to be pulled up and gone forever in a "rail banking" procedure sometime before the start of 2013 so the weekend excursion trains currently running through this cut will be the last to ever pass over this scenic portion of the line after 142 years of operation. The 85 lb steel rails over which trains now run here are all branded as having been rolled between 1905 and 1910 and were installed as an upgrade over the original iron pear rails by the Maine Central when it operated the line under lease as its "Belfast Branch" between 1871 and 1925.

Photographed by Bruce Cooper, July 15, 2012.
Added to the photo archive by Bruce Cooper, July 15, 2012.
Railroad: Belfast & Moosehead Lake.

Bruce Cooper's awards:

» Contact the person who posted this photograph.