ABOVE: A frigid winter night tests the capac- ity of steam-heated FPA4s on VIA’s west- bound Atlantic, making a late night station stop at Brownville Junction. A steam genera- tor car has been added behind the consist to help. Due to safety regulations requiring up- grades, the veteran FPA4s were all retired by 1989. RIGHT: One flashbulb and a time-ex- posure capture the Atlantic at a remote switch in the middle of the night in northern Maine in February 1994, with the photographer buried waist-deep in a snowdrift.
for train information. After all, they were proud of their railroad, and found it somewhat a compliment when an outsider would venture so far, or through such trying conditions, to take an interest in their livelihood. A desire to see a state where I had never been, knew no one and didn’t re- ally know where to go, began a 20-plus year adventure that has ironically come full circle, right here at home in Akron, Ohio. That first visit in 1979 began with a calling to see the “home roads” of the colorful boxcars that passed through Akron with pine trees painted on them, or
with
slogans promoting Maine’s products. The lure of Maine’s rocky coast, and the timing of fall foliage added the necessary ingredients for a four-day weekend adventure between Portland and Houlton. With no real itinerary, I “sidetracked” late one evening to a place on the map called Brownville Junction, thinking that if nothing else, there might be some power or equip- ment standing around for night photos. I was informed by friendly young
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third-trick agent/operator G.D. Marson that VIA’s Atlantic stops here. With a yard, yard engine, a collection of main- tenance equipment, and all the old buildings that still stood in the once- bustling division point, I gave the cam- era a real workout. As the hours passed, both operator and visitor shared each other’s railroad experiences, sto- ries and adventures, and found that they had much in common. As profes- sional and engaging as the operator was, I was struck by the irony that this man, versed as he was in the knowl- edge of train orders, operations and la-
bor relations, was well aware of his lowly place on the seniority list. He re- alized that to have any hope of continu- ing his railroad career, he would even- tually have to leave his beloved Maine. Subsequent trips to the area involved further visits and adventures with the night-trick operator, plus new railroad- er friends to whom I was introduced or met on the road. The lore and lure of Brownville Junction did indeed prove legendary, for it was a great example of traditional
railroading, seemingly
holding on by a thread, but always in dramatic fashion. The Atlantic was re-
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