Eagle Lake Tramway
Tramway Historic District | |
![]() Locomotives of the Eagle Lake and West Branch Railroad | |
Nearest city | Greenville, Maine |
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Coordinates | 46°19′10″N 69°22′39″W / 46.31944°N 69.37750°W |
Area | 70 acres (28 ha) |
Built | 1902 |
NRHP reference No. | 79000164[1] |
Added to NRHP | May 7, 1979 |
The Eagle Lake Tramway is a historic timber-transport mechanism in the remote North Maine Woods in northeastern USA.[2] The tramway, built in 1902 and operated until 1907, transported timber across a neck of land between Eagle Lake and Chamberlain Lake, with one end eventually becoming the eastern terminus of the Eagle Lake and West Branch Railroad in 1927. The remnants of the tramway and rail station were listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Tramway Historic District in 1979. The tramway is part of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway, a Maine state park.
Description and history
The remote northern interior of
To speed the movement of timbers between the two lakes, the ingenious solution of a cable-drawn steam-powered
In 1927 the Eagle Lake end of the tramway was adapted as the eastern terminus of the Eagle Lake and West Branch Railroad, a freight-only operation for hauling timber southward. The railroad operated until 1933; the only major surviving element of its operation are two locomotives, which are vandal-stripped and exposed to the elements. Of the tramway, the cable and elements of its tracks survive, collapsing into the ground as the ties deteriorate, and elements of the steam power plant remain at Chamberlain Lake.[3]
The area is now part of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway, a Maine state park.[3]
In 2012, part of the tramway was restored by volunteers.[5]
See also
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ "The Eagle Lake & West Branch Railroad: History: Discover History & Explore Nature: State Parks and Public Lands: Maine DACF". www.maine.gov. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
- ^ a b c d "NRHP nomination for Tramway Historic District". National Park Service. Retrieved March 26, 2015.
- ^ "The Ghost Locomotives of the Great Maine Wilderness". New England Historical Society. January 3, 2017. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
- ^ "Volunteers bring old Allagash tramway back to life". September 9, 2012.