Unnamed Location - a photo on Flickriver

Unnamed Location

            Maine Northern Train 910-30, makes what at the time was a rare daylight trip down to Brownville Jct on 4/30/2023. 

At Grindstone the train would meet the crew doing bridge deck work, before continuing to Millinocket, then down the Millinocket Sub to Brownville Jct.

Grindstone is also the site of the Bangor and Aroostook's deadliest accident. 

On 7/28/1911 an excursion train departed Presque Isle early in the morning for an amusement park near Searsport, ME. At the end of the day, the occupants piled back onto the train and headed back north, after a considerable delay. 

Arriving late in Millinocket, at 8:58 PM the engineer and conductor knew that there was a freight train out of Van Buren was due to depart Grindstone at 9:09 PM. Since it had priority over them, they risked delaying the return to Presque Isle even longer. Agreeing that if they got to it right off, they would be able to cover the 10 mile stretch of railroad in time to take the siding at Grindstone with just enough time to spare. With that the train departed Millinocket. 

As they crossed the Penobscot River at Grindstone, the time was nearing 9:10 PM and the southbound freight if everything had gone to plan, was already headed south. 

Just south of this location, the north bound struck the southbound head on. The investigation launched by the state, found the northbound was traveling 60 MPH at the time, while the south bound was going around 20 MPH at the time of the impact. 

The locomotive of the northbound passenger excursion, telescoped through the baggage car of the train where a band was preparing to play. 5 People in the band were killed along with the passenger train engineer and the fireman of both trains, as well as the baggage master on the passenger train.

The investigation concluded that the passenger train crew violated speed restrictions and was at fault, for trying to shoot the gap to Grindstone, without ample time.

Maine Northern Railway
Train: 910-30
4/30/2023
Grindstone, ME
MDOT/MNR Madawaska Subdivision

Taken in: United States / Maine / Unorganized Territory of North Penobscot / Grindstone (show map)

Taken on: April 30, 2023

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